Summer Travel Tips for Autism Families

This article offers helpful strategies to support families of children with autism during summer travel. It encourages proactive planning, such as booking direct flights, creating a visual itinerary, and packing familiar sensory items. The author emphasizes the importance of preparing the child in advance and “maintaining routines as much as possible.” Tips also include managing transitions, building in downtime, and using apps and stories to reduce anxiety during travel.

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5 Indigenous Games to Play with Your Children

 

Traditional sports and games can help strengthen an Indigenous child’s sense of culture and tradition while increasing physical literacy and physical activity levels.

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How To Fit Self-Care into Your Day, Even When Short on Time

 

Whether you have 60 seconds or 60 minutes, this list will inspire you to take some time for yourself on a daily basis.

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5 Ways to Bond Through Reading

 

Research tells us that kids who read with their parents learn significantly faster and better. Reading with your kids could be one of the best things you do this year as a dad.

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The Benefits of Mud Play, Mud Activities and Mud Picture Books for Kids

 

In this article, read about the benefits of mud play along with the latest research and then a list of great mud activities and mud books for your children to try out.

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Mud

 

Come and explore mud and the whys, hows and wherefores of mud play, along with some inspiration for bringing mud and messy play into your setting - and of course, plenty to help you celebrate International Mud Day on June 29^th!

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How To Help Kids Deal with Embarrassment

 

Don't minimize their feelings, but do praise them for being resilient.

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Why Unstructured Free Play is Important

 

This resource describes the basics of unstructured play and why it is so important for preschool and elementary age children and their development.

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Creating A Cozy Calm-Down Spot

 

Offering a cozy corner or area of your classroom environment is a wonderful way to provide children with a space to decompress, take a break, and manage their emotions effectively.

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How to Avoid Passing Anxiety on to Your Kids

 This resource from the Child Mind Institute shares some great tips and tricks for parents and educators on how to avoid passing anxiety and worry onto children, while also providing techniques for managing their own stress.

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Sidewalk games for when you can’t get to the park

 

Check out this great list of outdoor creative and active play ideas that don’t take up a lot of square footage!

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Namaste, Young Readers: Picture Books That Introduce Mindfulness and Meditation to Kids

 

A mindfulness practice helps alleviate stress, worry, and anger, and improves focus and sleep. Here are some wonderful children’s books to introduce mindfulness and meditation to kids.

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Why Boys Are Behind in School from the Start

 

As the expectations for kindergarten have risen, the changes have put boys, who tend to mature later, at a disadvantage.

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Mindfulness Practices for Families

 

When parents and children are feeling big emotions, it’s good to find some calm. Simple mindfulness activities can help.

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Long-Term Harm of Early Academic Training

 

Research reveals academic training in pre-K and K has long-term damaging effects on children's social, emotional, intellectual, and academic development.

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10 Parenting Tips for Preteens and Tweens

 

How to stay close as kids move into adolescence.

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Tips For Communicating with Your Teen

 

Keeping the parent-child relationship strong during a tricky age.

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What To Do If You Think Your Teenager Is Depressed

 

Start by listening without judgment, not trying to 'fix' them.

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Supporting Outdoor Learning as an Early Educator

 

This video shares why outdoor experiences are so beneficial for children and how learning in nature brings joy and fulfillment to bother educators and students.  

The Kids Aren’t All Right. Study Says They Need to Get Outside

 

A new study finds that spending more time outdoors in early childhood can dramatically reduce the risk of anxiety in preschool age.

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10 Creative Ways to Develop Physical Literacy That Don’t Involve Playing Sports

 

Children can reap the benefits of physical literacy even if they don’t like to play organized sports! Check out this list of other physical activities to try, ranging from circus school to geocaching.

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Fundamental Movement Skills Videos

 

To truly understand the fundamental movement skills of elementary-age children, it is best to observe the actual mechanics of each movement at different stages of development. Check out this resource, which shares videos of over 12 skills, including balancing, kicking, running, and more!

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Outdoor Ideas from the Early Math Project Newsletter

 

This edition of the Early Math Project Newsletter shares some great ideas about the benefits of children spending time outdoors, along with some unique ideas, activities and open-ended questions for children to ponder as they spend time outside.

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How To Improve Physical Literacy as an Adult

 

This resource encourages everyone to “remember that learning physical literacy is never too late and that it’s a lifelong process, one that we get to enjoy with those around us, kids included.” It goes on to explain the importance of physical literacy for adults, along with fun tips and ideas of how to grow your personal physical literacy level. 

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Throwing: How to Teach Kids to Throw Correctly

 

This resource dives into the definition and basic mechanics of throwing, along with several useful tips on how to teach children how to throw with detailed steps and fun games.

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15 Hidden Treasures on Our Website to Spark Your Child’s Love of Active Play

 

This resource had linked related articles to encourage children to move and be active.

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Helping Kids Make Decisions

 

It is important to help children build their decision-making skills from an early age by providing the proper scaffolding. But just as important as when to offer support is when to step back.

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How To Help Kids Learn to Fail

 

Only through trial and error can children become resilient adults.

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The Benefits of Going Barefoot

 

With summer coming, here are five great reasons to consider playing barefoot outdoors this summer.

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How to Help Children Calm Down

 

This article offers techniques for helping children regulate their emotions and avoid explosive behavior.

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7 Things To Do with a Hula Hoop

 

Check out these easy and fun hula hoop activities that bring out children’s creativity, coordination and balance.

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Teaching Kids About Boundaries

 

As children get older and their social interactions get more complex it’s not enough to just learn the rules.  They need to learn to set boundaries for themselves and respect those of others.

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