
I often wonder what other people see in the art being created in an early childhood classroom. What do they make of these splashes of paint and collages covered with glue and seemingly random bits and bobs?
Whole Child Development
by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Create Leave a Comment

I often wonder what other people see in the art being created in an early childhood classroom. What do they make of these splashes of paint and collages covered with glue and seemingly random bits and bobs?
by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Learning through Play and Experience, Uncategorized 1 Comment
by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Data doesn’t make the decisions for you.
That was one of the big takeaways from my conversation with Emily Oster, researcher, author, and mother. As an economist at Brown University, Emily explores the science of making good decisions based on the data. In her newest book, Cribsheet, she explores how to apply that science to the decisions that face us as parents.
by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Learning through Play and Experience, Music and Movement, Uncategorized 4 Comments
Sometimes, when people picture what learning looks like, they imagine perfectly quiet children in perfectly arranged rows, sitting perfectly still.
Sounds perfect.
But research tells us that’s not always what learning looks like. Especially when it comes to young children.
by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Child Development & DAP, Learning through Play and Experience, Uncategorized 3 Comments
The debate over the roles of play and academics in kindergarten is not new. While my first response to this tired argument is always that it is a false dichotomy, a more specific challenge has recently entered the arena and therefore deserves a more specific response.

by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Uncategorized 5 Comments

This year didn’t quite start out the way I had hoped. BUT, I did manage to cross off a goal millions of people set at the beginning of the year, and after only a few weeks in.
by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Learning through Play and Experience, Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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.
by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Learning through Play and Experience 6 Comments

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.
by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Learning through Play and Experience 3 Comments

I have never met an early childhood teacher who complained about not having enough to do.
by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Uncategorized 1 Comment
In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.
Content Copyrighted (2008-2025), Amanda Morgan, All Rights Reserved
