The Core gets a great workout when you crab walk. Activating all those muscles and joints also stimulates filters and organizing parts of the brain. So, when the kids start to get really excited about Halloween, grab a few pumpkins and challenge them to a crab walk race. Along with the positive brain organizing effects, […]
An expert in the field of early childhood education, Elizabeth McKenna, joins us to discuss essential elements for success at school. She has incorporated play as a core ingredient to the early childhood programs she has developed. Here are some of her thoughts regarding play in education: In my twenty-five years in the field of […]
Come Join me in New York! The pages of this website are filled with ideas on how and why sensory motor play helps children learn, behave and generally lead healthier, happier lives. I am happy to announce that I will be giving a day long intensive workshop in NY this November at Bank Street College […]
All the World Cup buzz has reminded me of soccer. I have never attended a professional soccer game, but I have spent countless hours on the sidelines of my kids’ soccer teams. I even had a brief stint co-coaching my daughter’s team. I remember sunburns on chilly spring days and struggling in the pre-GPS days, […]
Opening day has come and gone. Kids and parents are in full swing with baseball practice and games. While the frenzy of carpools and schedules preoccupy many families, it is important to pause, take a breath and remember what is so important about playing baseball. In fact, all youth sports provide amazing opportunities for personal […]
A nice way to get students re-energized, have fun and build critical foundation skills all at the same time is by introducing a simple balloon. Before you roll your eyes and click to a new site, consider what can happen with this inexpensive object when structured the right way. Benefits: Visual attention and visual tracking […]
When my oldest was six and the twins were two we traveled to Europe for my husband’s sebbatical. At this point one might think-what were we thinking?! We were given a lovely home in the country with a garden, so the children could run around. One hitch- there were no electronic devises in the house-no […]
Good fine motor dexterity requires each finger to get fairly strong and be able to move in several directions with ease. The perfect motion to strengthen the pointer finger is pulling a trigger. This posed a big problem for me. I did not allow my own children to play with guns (OK so my […]
It amazes me that almost every girl in my second grade class (probably 20) waited in line to jump rope during recess. On a good day we may have had three turns during that precious thirty minute break. There was no adult telling us to do this. It’s just what we did. We didn’t do […]
I have a sister five years older than me and in my formative years I spent most of my time trying to “catch up” to her. That may be why I learned to ride a two wheeler at three years of age. Having safe sidewalks and uncluttered days to practice at my leisure surely helped […]
OK, so a baby isn’t going to mount a two wheeler…not even a trike. But there are many activities that engage little ones so they’re all set to go once they get big enough to straddle a ride toy! I highlight bicycle riding not because it is a favorite of mine (which it is) but […]