The Art of Giving

November seems to be the month where we think of others. Donation drives and asking for wish lists become the season’s norm. But, as much as WE understand the concept of giving to others, do our kids know what it means to be generous to one another?

Generosity is the act of improving another person’s well-being without seeking some form of compensation in return. It’s the sensitivity and empathy we offer others; something we want our kids to experience first-hand.

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Gift Guide 2021: Preschool/Elementary Kids (4+)

If you ever notice the toy description in this age range, no one cares about whether its educational or developmental. It’s all about how entertaining and fun it is to play with. We’re here to say that some of these exciting toys can still provide advantages to enhancing your kid’s growth.

Here’s our top choices for children 4 and up.

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Holiday Gift Guide 2021: Toddlers

Holiday shopping for toddlers can be a bit tricky. They’ve outgrown basic baby toys and in most cases, are way too young for all the popular and full-sized toys. Our picks are somewhere in the middle. They still promote fine and gross motor development, while also bringing in imagination, pretend play, and body movement.

Here are our recommendations for toddlers, 1-3 years:

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Child(ish) Advice Holiday Gift Guide 2021

The holidays are going to be crazy this year. Yes, there are staffing shortages, mailing delays, and supply-chain bottlenecks. People are frustrated but also excited to have bigger, in-person events. Before getting into actual gift recommendations, we want to make sure you pack your patience. Get mentally and emotionally ready for this, so you don’t lose it on holiday workers who are just doing their best.

And now for gifts…

A lot of grandparents and family members want to make sure that they purchase something that is not only entertaining, but educational. Then, there are also family members that get the craziest, loudest, most popular thing on the shelves. So, to help balance expectations and simplify the process, we’ve put together our 2021 holiday gift list.

None of these are sponsored. We ran to Target/browsed Amazon and picked out a couple things per age group that we thought were pretty awesome and also OT-friendly.

Here are our recommendations this year for newborns to 12 months

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Tight-Lipped: Sensory Considerations for Toothbrushing

For the last couple months, we’ve been chatting with pediatric dentist Dr. M, (aka @themamadentist) about kids dental hygiene and oral care. She says that one of the main questions she receives from parents is what to do when their child won’t let them brush their teeth or they cry/scream during the process. Here’s our OT-take for when toothbrushing is an uphill battle.

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