We like to do crafting projects using things we generally have in the house. It makes it quick and easy to set up play times. It’s also a great way to encourage creative and flexible thinking.
Paper Blocks
This is a project I was inspired to do from Pinterest. Of course, it didn’t go how I expected, but we still had fun playing!
Playing with Cardboard Boxes inspired by Not a Box
They made rockets, hideouts, even a little breakfast nook, all because they were inspired by Not a Box. I love when reading inspires playing!
Make Your Own Game
My kids made up their own game and we played it constantly during the winter months when we were stuck indoors.
Oobleck Fun
Messy fun that only requires two ingredients. Check it out for for simple sensory fun.
Paper Plate Owls
It’s all in how you fold the paper plate. Then you can get creative!
Cardboard Box Puppet Theater
We just got a cardboard box from the recycling bin, cut out some rectangles and added duct tape (and googly eyes - because why not). We made our own really simple popsicle stick puppets as well.
Paper Fish
All you need is scissors and paper. This kept the kids busy for so long on vacation. And now my son still makes them, it’s awesome!
Paper Airplanes
We love paper airplanes, we make them once a week or so.
Coffee Filter Suncatchers
We were able to do this activity when we were on vacation in Toronto. It doesn’t require much at all.
Paper Plate Animals
Super easy, all you need is paint or markers and paper plates and maybe cotton balls. Ours may not be cute, but we spent some time playing together.
The Social Connection
By playing, kids practice skills like listening, working together, taking someone else’s perspective, and self-regulation. Plus we spent time together and connected with one another. Try one and let me know how it goes!
How do you encourage your kids to be more independent? When do you as a parent step back to give them the space to step up?
Lenore Skenazy joins Janine today to discuss some of these questions. They discuss:
Friendships are such a wonderful and special part of life. From memory making to going through the highs and lows with your peers makes life so much richer. As a child, learning social skills and how friendships fit is a huge learning curve as they go through their childhood and find their ‘people’. As a parent, how do you connect and how do you teach your kids basic social skills and about what a great friendship can be?
Today Janine is joined by Caroline Maguire and in this episode they discuss:
How do we teach our children social and emotional awareness in a fun and play filled way? Eventually our children will become adults so when they walk out into the world, we want them to step into their lives as aware and in control of their emotions as possible.
In this episode we discuss:
Have you noticed social skills missing in your kids? Caroline Maguire, author of Why Will No One Play With Me?, joins me to discuss how to support your child and build them up through play.
Here’s some of the areas we cover:
The transition to preschool to elementary school can be such an anxious time for both parents and for the children. There’s a lot of unknowns to get them ready for and sometimes we think there’s lots we have to do to prepare them for starting. Today we discuss what you can do to help reduce anxiety for your little one with nursery practitioner, Caroline Allen.
In this episode they discuss:
Sexual assault and harassment, sadly happens in schools on a too regular basis, whether that’s happening peer to peer or even between teacher to student. We hope our children never have to experience this. Knowing how to parent our children to take ownership of their bodies, so they know how to say no is key. We discuss how to navigate through abuse, bullying, harassment so they can get help is just as vital.
In this episode, I speak with Meghan Joyce Tozer, author of the critically acclaimed novel Night, Forgotten and her annotated middle school diary, UnSlut: A Diary and a Memoir, which she wrote under the pen name Emily Lindin.
The topics we cover in this episode are:
Have you ever considered a different educational style for your children besides the conventional method? If so, perhaps you have heard of the Montessori method. It is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the highly trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. In this episode, I spoke to Montessori Home Consultant, Jeanne-Marie Paynel about the benefits of this education style.
The topics we cover in this episode are:
When was the last time you had a dedicated playtime with your child? Life gets so busy so we can’t blame parents for not being able to squeeze this in-between school, dinnertime, sports or dance at the weekend but it is vital to a child’s development. Kim Feeney is the guest on this episode, she is a licensed independent social worker and a registered play therapist supervisor. I wanted to discuss playtime with her and how to build a connection with your child.
The topics we cover in this episode are:
Throughout your life growing up, have you ever come up against a problem you just couldn’t solve? We learn very valuable skills at school but we don’t learn every single skill needed for everyday life so in this episode, I teach you some hands-on ways to practice problem solving with your child.
The topics I cover in this episode are:
On today’s show I speak to Speech Language Pathologist Heidi Miller about all things speech related. SLP’s help children with speech i.e. the way they articulate sounds, they help with language, so the way they put words together which also encompasses social skills so what a person says, how they say it, when they say it and picking up on others peoples cue’s which for some children can be a real challenge. It’s a big subject so we start by talking about how children’s social skills have changed since the pandemic…
The topics we cover in this episode are:
