Kids Deserve More than an Internet Connection
The headlines have actually been coming for years, but a new round has been catching everyone’s attention the past few weeks.
“Old-fashioned toys, not video games, best for kids, pediatricians say.”
“So-called ‘educational’ toys rarely really are.”
“Old-fashioned toys better for development than high-tech gadgets, study finds.”
“The best toys are those that support play, new report says.”
Just in time for the biggest gift-giving season of the year, the American Academy of Pediatrics released toy guidelines that suggest that high-tech trends are promoting toys for children that are over-stimulating, ineffective when it comes to development, and in some cases, actually lead to skill delays.
Are we settling for “artificial intelligence” for our children?
The doctor was running behind (of course), so I flipped through one of the family magazines as I waited in her office. Almost immediately I was taken aback by an advertisement.
The Serve and Return of Responsive Interactions
I loved playing volleyball in high school. I took pride in being a scrappy player. “Ball first, body second” was the motto that led me to be colorfully adorned with bruises all over my elbows and hips during each season. It’s also the reason I wound up in the ER (twice) for stitches in my chin. In my view, the ball wasn’t unplayable until the second it hit the ground. Up until that point, I did everything I physically could to get my body to the ball.
Real Help for Childhood Fears
We all have fears. Fear of spiders, fear of the dark, fear of being left out.
The Best of 2015 and Exciting News for 2016!
Another year is getting ready to close. It must be true that the older you get, the faster the years go by. This past one is almost a blur. (I suppose that could also be due to the sleep deprivation that accompanied this year’s “adventures”.)
Flexibility and Consistency: Why I’m OK with “Sometimes”
As I sat filling out the teacher information sheet for the specialist, I struggled for precise words to describe what the challenge was. His parents were looking for help, and I was suppose to offer a teacher’s perspective, but how could I put it all on two tiny lines? And then the word I was looking for popped into my mind. He struggled with flexibility. His mind was often rigid, and when experience didn’t match up with expectation, he melted down and could not be moved from his position.
I’m sure there are many ways this strong personality will help him in his future. While this rigidity may be a challenge at times, it also helps when pursuing goals and overcoming obstacles. I’ve seen some of the same qualities in one of my own boys. I’ve even seen it in myself.
But my rigid thinking threatened my life. [Read more…]
Resources for Defending Childhood
The combination of a cold I picked up snuggling my sniffling 5 year old earlier in the week, together with three 1 1/2 hour presentations given in less than 24 hours time, has dropped my voice several decibels and quite likely a full octave.
On Developmentally Appropriate Practice….And Why We Don’t Push Kids Down the Stairs
Toddlers can’t walk down the stairs with alternating steps. They just can’t. While your kindergartener bounds down the stairs taking each step in stride (or several in one super-hero bound, as mine is prone to do), your toddler will cling to the wall or rail as she takes a careful step down with one foot, then brings the other foot to that same step to stand firmly before venturing down in that same slow, tentative manner for another (step together), then another (step together), then another (step together).