-
6 Reasons Why Imaginative Play is So Important
Our children need us to remind them that their own unique and imaginative play is something to be treasured and I think it is important to start with the why. Why is imaginative (fantasy) play so important in the lives of our children? Imaginative play builds developmental skills such as social and emotional skills that are needed for everyday life. When our children are actively engaged in imaginative play, they are unconsciously experimenting with the social and emotional roles that they will one day experience in everyday life. What are the benefits of imaginative play? Imaginative play helps children identify more clearly between what is real and what is pretend.…
-
Little Tikes – Product Review
There is nothing more daunting than 4 months of snow. Trying to figure out creative ways to occupy children is enough to cause any mother to hide in her closet, while her minions release their pent up energy and destroy the home! Luckily for me Bettertoyz sent this mama some much needed time (sanity) savers by Little Tikes. We actually love the brand and already have 2 of their climbers, a pool and a water/sand play set. You can imagine the excitement in our house when the kids opened these wonderful surprises! The boys were absolutely enthralled with the Arcade and our girls spent hours in…
-
Modeling Healthy Habits – Laura Boycourt – Guest Post
This week, One Messy Mama is kicking off our Guest Bloggers From Around the Globe line up with Laura Boycourt, We Don’t Do Decaf. A freelance writer from the USA, and mother of 2 beautiful little girls. Modeling and Encouraging Healthy Habits, and a Healthy Self-Image, for Kids: A Parents’ How-To Let’s face it; being a kid is tough business. Whether we’re talking toddlers or teens, kids are bombarded with information, rules, media, and all the other minutiae of today’s childhood. Add their full-time job of growing up and figuring out who the heck they are into the mix, and, well… it’s no wonder they are tantrum-prone no matter their age. There’s…
-
Can You Find The Clues – Treasure Run – Review
Two weeks left until the school year starts…. We’re on the home-stretch and we’ve been running full steam ahead, trying to make it a fun and exciting Summer for the kids. And I’ll be honest… It’s been great! But 12 weeks is a heck of a long time to try and keep the kids occupied. So you can imagine my relief when I was contacted by Treasure Run. YES! An activity that would help me survive yet another day of Summer Vacation 🙂 Treasure Run was created by father of 2, Ilan. In his quest to give children something exciting and adventurous to do. It’s a small, family owned business.…
-
Muddy Puddles – Peppa Pig Style
This week has been a most welcome reprieve from the heat we’ve had lately. It’s been raining on and off for the last few days. But along with the reprieve comes the unfortunate reality that a mom can only do so much to keep her kids entertained indoors… Boredom will hit!!! So, today I had one of those all-too-rare light-bulb moments. Why not just embrace it all? Rain, mud, and fun… Yup, it took me a while to think of this (brilliant, right?)… Anyway, here is a glimpse of our day. Oh, by the way… Yes, they are in their pj’s. Why get dressed when you’re going to get dirty…
-
The Invisible Friend.
This is quite a peculiar topic, I’m sure, but it seems to be an ongoing theme in our household so I figured the time is ripe for me to write about it… Our little Bum has taken to a new friend, “Angie”, whom we’ve never met or seen before (and nor has she, really, but we don’t tell her that). This has only come about since our move to the US. And my husband and I can’t quite figure it out, because she’s never known anyone by the name of Angie. So our conclusion is that this must be her way of coming to terms with the move, “losing” her…
-
Summer Boredom Buster 2 – WATER
There is nothing more exciting in Summer than water. After our first winter here in Michigan. We were so EAGER (an understatement) to get out of the house! Coming from South Africa, where the weather is almost always sunny, we are so used to getting out and enjoying the sun. Our first winter was a little difficult for us, but mainly for the kids. Who were not used to being “cooped” up inside for so long. But we survived. And as soon as the snow dissipated, and it was warm enough to spend a few hours outdoors, we fired up the Braai (grill)… My kids love water, and it’s one…
-
Getting Down & Dirty
Living in today’s “tech-savvy”, germ-a-phobic world. I find that children are spending less and less time outdoors. Understanding technology and taking care of oneself is incredibly vital, however, there is nothing more satisfying and enjoyable for a child (some children – let’s not forget that some ailments prevent many children from enjoying this experience) than getting down and dirty. In my opinion. Here’s why. 1. Children who play outdoors are exposed to a freedom that children who spend most of their time indoors on tech gadgets aren’t. They learn to investigate, navigate, explore and respect their surroundings. They become adventurous, daring and better able to assess risk and deal with…
-
The Art Of Play
As an occupational therapist, people often ask me to give them some advice on simple things that they can do to assist their children within their home context. My answer is almost always the same simple word: PLAY. We all have different occupations that fill up our lives. Think about all that you do as a parent on a daily basis. Eating, feeding, cooking, cleaning, bathing, dressing, driving, sleeping, helping with homework, talking to friends and family, disciplining, and the list goes on. While you may do some of these occupations more than you would like to (such as cleaning!) and others not enough (sleeping!), I hope that somewhere in…
-
5 Great Outdoor Activities that Encourage us to Play with Our Kids
When we were still living in South Africa, I bought a life-saving book, written by Dawn Isaac, titled “101 Things For Kids To Do Outside“. Not only did this book offer us ideas for hours of fun and constructive activities, it also saved my life (read sanity) during those LONG holidays. Now we’re in the twilight of our first Michigan Winter – worlds apart from where we were a year ago! And I must confess that I cannot wait for the snow to melt and the newness of Spring to arrive… So we can again get down and do some of the “101 things for kids to do outside“. There…
-
Let’s Play
Do we play with our children, like really PLAY!? Get down on our knees, forget we are grownups, and REALLY PLAY? So… today I woke up and decided that I was going to rebel! I was going to rebel against cleaning, washing, laundry and any of my “grown-up” responsibilities. It was going to be a PLAY DAY! Often we find ourselves so consumed by the parenting duties that we fall into the trap of being “invisible” to our children. Yes, routine is good, keeping up with our domestic responsibilities is important, and I try to live my life accordingly, but I also believe that sometimes we just need to rebel…
