On a carpeted area or rug, tape down long (5 or 6 feet) strips of masking tape in straight and curved patterns. Make the strips intersect each other to form a system of 'roads' on the floor. Gather toys and divide them up by themes, i.e. railroad, farm, school, construction, etc. Place each group of toys at the end of a road, creating a little city. ... Read More >
Help your children connect shoe boxes together with cord or string. Add an extra piece of string to the front box for a handle. Decorate boxes with colorful precut shapes (triangles, squares, circles, etc) Put special toys in the box cars, pull on the string and with a "Toot toot" they have their very own train. Read More >
If you have any new construction happening in your area, find a good place to park and let your kids watch the bulldozers, cranes, and large trucks. Let them watch the construction workers build houses, etc. For older kids, you can name the different kinds of machines being used and talk about the different jobs they do. Read More >
Teach your preschooler about how the mail system works by writing a note together. Put the note in an envelope and address it to yourself (with your child's name, of course) and affix a stamp. Then take the letter to the mail box at the post office. Your child will be thrilled to receive it a couple days later, and the two of you can talk ... Read More >
At some point, all little boys (and some girls) become obsessed with trucks and "crashing." My son loves to watch monster trucks drive over things, jump over cars, and crash, so we created his own race course on the living room floor. First we went around the house and selected things to place on the course -- small cars & trucks, a stack of books, wooden blocks, a ... Read More >
At your next trip to the home improvement store, pick up some PVC pipe that is wide enough for little toy cars to fit in. Sit at the top of your stairs and aim the PVC pipe downward. You now have a super-cool tunnel for your little Lightning McQueen. Plus the cars make great noises on the way down. Read More >
How did they know?! Do you know someone who clings to her Filofax like Linus to his ... Read more >
"One stormy autumn night when my nephew Roger was about twenty months old, I wrapped him in ... Read more >
We are delight to share the perspective of Nora, author of the engaging parenting (and more!) ... Read more >
