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:
Continue readingThe 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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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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Growing up, I’m sure you have memories of playing with Barbies, Hot Wheels, and may be reliving these moments again with your kids (mine are with Legos and board games). But unfortunately, toys take up so much space! The latest and greatest toys soon became an after-thought to the next big thing, and more and more toys end up at the bottom of the toy bin.
Continue readingOur last few Child(ish) Reads have been centered on mindfulness and the neuroscience of child development. So when Hunt, Gather, Parent popped up on my forthcoming parenting books alert, I was excited to dive in.
Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans
by Michaeleen Doucleff
I was able to borrow the audiobook from the library and listened for three straight hours, uninterrupted, on a flight earlier this spring. I was buzzing, taking notes on my phone with all the quotes and points I wanted to share for this post.
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Child(ish) Advice 