Growing Play
Disclaimer: These pages are not intended to provide medical advice or physician/therapist instruction. Information provided should not be used for diagnostic or training purposes. Consult a therapist or physician regarding specific diagnoses or medical advice.
Family Cooking Wars
With fickle weather in upstate New York, our family has come up with some crazy ideas to keep us busy indoors. With five children ranging in age from 11 years to 16 months, you have to get creative to keep everyone interested. One thing that we all love to do is to participate in a […]
Pretend Shops
Recently on a weekend morning, the children thought up to play pretend shops. Each child created their own shop where they created prices for various services or items. They set up different stations in separate areas. I gave each child $0.50 to spend at the different shops. This lasted for hours. Here is what they […]
Play Outdoors Flag Hunt
This is a favorite outdoor game – flag hunt. Here is how you play: 1. Preparation: To make the flags, cut up four different colors of fabric or felt. Make sure you have one of each color strip for each team. We play with two teams so you need 2 of each color. If you […]
DIY Scratch Off Cards for Kids
The kids can make their own fortunes, game cards or activity ideas using a simple recipe of paint and liquid dish soap. After seeing this idea at Oh The Lovely Things blog, I thought this would be a great activity for the kids. You can either have them make their own or print our suggested […]
Sidewalk Chalk Puzzles
Here is a fun way to add some challenges to using sidewalk chalk. One person draws a puzzle on the ground. For example, I started by drawing a square, triangle, a hat and a random shape colored yellow. I provided the children with this clue… “The squirrel had yams”. The children had to guess what […]
Going Outdoors to Improve Attention Span
An article in the Journal of Attention Disorders, reports on the benefits of walking in a park to increase attention span. A small group of 17 children with ADHD, participated in a study comparing walks in a park, downtown and a neighborhood. The walks in the park resulted in a significant difference in concentration as […]
Homemade Props for Playing Doctor
Here are some simple ideas to make to add to your playing doctor and hospital kits. Above is some homemade band-aids made out of felt. If you do not like to sew you could just glue on the different colored felts. I love felt for simple projects like this since it is very economical and […]
Rules for Adults During Play Time
During this time of year, children usually have many new toys and gadgets to play with. Parents can play a supportive role in encouraging play skills and get in some fun bonding time. Here are several tips when playing with children: Turn off all cell phones, televisions and computers while you are playing with your […]
FREE Santa’s Workshop Download
You can get a free download of printables to set up a great Santa’s workshop this week before Christmas. There are several signs, toy design sheet, reindeer testing and toy testing ideas to get children’s creativity flowing. Set up the space with a construction area (i.e. blocks, tinker toys and legos), invention area (loose parts, […]
Play Outdoors Flyer
Print this Play Outdoors flyer. Children can tear off the activity ideas for suggestions when they head outdoors. Hang it by the back door to remind the kids (and parents) that children need play time outdoors. Visit GrowingPlay to download the flyer.