"Mommy, can I go play!" this is a statement we all hear every day, most of the day. What do children actually learn while they play? Let's break down a few ideas. Because our adult brains forget how to play and that's why we get old. When your child plays with dolls, stuffed animals, or action figurines, they: mimic behaviors from home, school or TV use imagination to create scenarios use social skills to have back-and-forth conversations life skills to dress, clean, shop an

If you know me, you know I have three sons and they are my entire world. I speak of them often as they continue on their journeys in their older 20's and younger 30's, still trying to navigate this thing we call "life". This life can be difficult and as a parent, all I prayed for is that I did right by them when they were little. I'll admit, when they were teenagers, I had my doubts I did right by them. To this day, I think "wait...they are strong, confident, young adults

"We are potty training over the holiday break" I hear this every semester. Parents do the research online, read the articles on the latest Pinterest post, plan a potty schedule, create a checklist, then confer with more experienced friends for approval over their parenting decisions. This holiday break we will be potty trained. It's HAPPENING! After the holiday break, mom drops off her child at school and says with pride "so we potty trained over the holiday break and we are

We are famous for buying toys, furniture or outdoor items online that state "assembly required". Ugh...that horrible thought! Assembly required. Just typing that gave me emotions I'm not ready to deal with on a Sunday afternoon. I don't know about you, but I struggle with assembling furniture, shelves, trikes, or just anything that comes in a box with 87,000 parts, shrink wrapped together and instructions that make no sense. So I try to think like an educated adult "come on

I've been in early childhood education for a very long time. This August will be 31 years to be exact. When enrolling new parents and giving tours of the preschool, the one thing I always get asked about is "how do you handle discipline" or "what is your discipline policy?" Well, to be honest this question always trips me up. Every time. Back in the day when I first started, I would try to explain this through a theoretic concept or an educated guess. But the sticky and s

Kelli Sheldon, MA ECE June 7, 2026 This summer when thinking of things to do at home or a friends house, think of some different types of play and what they mean. Physical Play: Indoor and outdoor physical play is vital to gross motor development. Running, jumping, marching, climbing and skipping are all important skills to have. These skills can be done in a variety of activities. Get creative and have a blast. Plus it's a great form of exercise for the parents as well.