Playtime

Perfect Timing: Rhythm, Timing, and the Brain

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Timing is everything. For the most part, that statement is true.

Everything we do requires rhythm and timing. EVERYTHING. Think about it: walking, talking, reading this sentence, etc. It all relies on a pace and a pattern to complete them.

We’ve talked in previous posts about body awareness and how it affects bilateral coordination and motor planning, but rhythm and timing ensures that those movements are fluid when interacting with objects and people around us. Most of the time, you hardly notice it until you have a clumsy moment walking or stuttering over your words when in conversation.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Alternative Gifts

| Patti Webb

Lately, when people ask me if the girls want or need anything for Christmas, my immediate answer is NO. From sensory toys to learning toys to active sports equipment, we already have it covered. If anything, I’m begging you not to bring in any more stuff into my house…

A couple years ago, when my mom asked this same question, I told her gift cards. She got visibly disappointed and said that the girls NEED to open something Christmas morning, like I was just going to have no actual presents whatsoever.

First, I want to get out of this frame of thinking, that the holidays aren’t special unless there are a mountain of gifts. NEGATIVE. I’m pretty sure my girls are young enough that there wouldn’t be any emotional difference or disappointment between opening 5 presents or 15 presents.

And second, in going with my 2021 resolution to become more minimalist and sustainable, there are plenty of other gift-giving options besides buying the entire toddler toy section

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Child(ish) Reads: Podcast Playlist

| Patti Webb

This month, we’re sharing a couple podcast episodes we thought we’re particularly helpful. Plus, there’s only so many parenting books you can read before they all start getting repetitive.

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DIY Halloween

| Patti Webb

Let’s face it. Some costumes, especially for licensed characters, are easier to buy off the rack. But here are some things you can do to put together costumes that are just as imaginative and creative, using things around your own home.

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Their Wildest Dreams: A Kid’s Imagination

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Imagination and Halloween go hand-in-hand. It’s the time for decking out the house with some curious décor, telling fantastical stories, and becoming anything you want to be. It’s only a matter of how far your creativity and imagination will take you. 

Imagination is the ability to create up an image or scenario that hasn’t been seen or experienced, like coming face-to-face with a dragon or witnessing an alien abduction. Imagination is internal, unconsciously influenced by memories and feelings of past experiences rather than our current situation.

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