Idle Hands: I’m Bored

Mick: So what? You like, knit now?
Anton: Randy broke it down for me. Idle hands is the devilโ€™s playpen. So Iโ€™m thinking, you know, keep my hands occupied.
Mick: Nah man, thatโ€™s sayingโ€™s notโ€ฆliteral.


Iโ€™m BORED. If youโ€™ve got kids, youโ€™ve heard it. Itโ€™s the household equivalent of โ€œAre we there yet?โ€ And letโ€™s be honest: itโ€™s maddening, especially when theyโ€™re surrounded by all the toys, books, and art supplies youโ€™ve curated at their disposal. Not to mention a chore list thatโ€™s still waiting to be done.

Recent findings reveal that boredom is a widespread experience among children. In a survey of 2,000 parents with children ages 3 to 12, the average time before boredom set in was just 33 minutes. Notably, 81% of parents reported that their children consistently sought new activities after returning home from school or daycare. Although this survey highlights a persistent need for engagement across age groups, it doesnโ€™t tell the whole story.

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Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Babies and Toddlers

Itโ€™s that time again: Gift Guide season. Weโ€™re sharing our top picks for the holiday gifts, so all you list girlies can prep before Black Friday.

To make the Child(ish) Advice cut, we use these criteria:

Here are our gift picks for babies and toddlers, ages 0-3:

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Guess Who?

Photo: Hasbro, Guess Who? Classic Game

As we make our way through kids games this month, they will get slightly more complex and grow with age. So while Candyland is one of the easiest games to learn and play, we’ll introduce other games that start incorporating strategy, team play, finer coordination, and different game board configuration.

Next up on the board game roster is Guess Who?.

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Our Treetop Quest Review

Planning these playdates for review has proven to be a bit more challenging. While we love an easy afternoon at the splash pad or hanging out at our homes, this is an OT-forward blog and we love new experiences.

I was especially hyped for this playdate at Treetop Quest in Gwinnett, GA.

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Toys for Curbing Screen Time

Finding toys for your kids can be challenging when you’re competing with a Smartphone or tablet. Here are some recommendations, based on age and development, that help with the challenge: 

Wooden Puzzle Shape Sorter

1-2 years

Children at this age are learning about their surroundings through exploration. Find toys that they can analyze and tinker with to promote cognitive, fine, and visual perceptual/motor development.

Wooden Puzzle Shape Sorter

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