Children love dramatic play. It is a wonderful teaching tool and great way to encourage imagination and creativity. Any parent knows a child hates to be bored. There will be times your child will need a bit of inspiration to spark imagination. Putting together some Play Boxes will help your child engage in creative play. A Play Box is basically a dress up box with more toys and items. What do you need? A plastic tote large enough to house some fun things based on a theme your child would enjoy. Theme Suggestions: Safari Box: Purchase a dozen safari animal … Continue reading →

The dreaded day in all parents’ lives came to me this past week. The day your child stops taking naps yet still needs to take them desperately. My child is just about three and believe me she is still in need of a nap. I can see it in her eyes. I hear it in her whiny voice. She is tired and fighting it. Like all good mothers do with a sleepy child they put the child to bed. So off we went with her favorite blanket and stuffed animal for a long summer’s nap. Or so I thought. We … Continue reading →

There was a time when my little one would walk by a spider and look with wonder. She might even point and try to touch it. Soon, this curiosity turned to smashing the spider and standing proud as if she had won a victory to be celebrated. She learned to squash spiders from her older brother who was the knight in shining armor for his other younger sister who is deathly afraid of spiders. Actually, his older sister is also deathly afraid of spiders as well but he sometimes takes pleasure in allowing her bringers of fear to live for … Continue reading →

A study came out stating the children between the ages of 3 and 5 who watch violent TV after 7 PM are more likely to have nightmares. Preschoolers also experience nightmares during times of uncertainty and stress. Preschool age is not an unusual time for nightmares to occur due to major life adjustments. Children of the preschool are faced for the first time with going to school, social situations, being away from mom and dad for the first time, etc. These stressors and others can cause the child to have nightmares. Since preschoolers have active imaginations and often the inability … Continue reading →

CitiBlocs is a favorite toy in my home. In fact, most building toys such as blocks, Legos, Mega Bloks, and such are toys my children love. They enjoy creating their own world and building farfetched vehicles and spaceships. I enjoy watching their creativity and exploring nature as they build together and individually. Building toys have the advantage of capturing the minds of children on an individual level and as a group. With no batteries to replace and no noises to hush, building toys are a no brainer toy to have in your home. Building toys also have a way of … Continue reading →

I know what some of you are thinking. You are thinking “My goodness you can’t put your child on a leash like an animal!” I know what some others of you are thinking, “My child is so active. Where do I get this?” My first three children would never have required this type of backpack. However my fourth child is very difficult to keep in control and is also fiercely independent. I cannot tell you how many times I turn around and my heart stops because she is about five feet away. I know five feet is not much but … Continue reading →

One of my most frustrating things as a parent right now is meal time. It seems like my two year old and four year old get up to the table, eat a few bites, and then just want to play. They will stay in their chairs and make silly faces, or silly noises, and make the other one laugh. They don’t pay attention to the task in front of them…eating. It’s driving me insane!! I noticed the problem with eating begin several months ago. Now that my 2 year old is more fun to play with, his big sister takes … Continue reading →

If you are anything like me, and have a daughter that is in the age range of 3-5 years old, there is a good chance that they love being a princess. Right? If not, then I have to say congrats, because, I do not know how the heck I got here. I think back to when she was even younger, let’s say 2 years old, and my daughter had never gone to Disneyland. She maybe had seen one princess movie at that time because I was pretty strict on what movies (even Disney ones) that I would let her watch. … Continue reading →

As most mothers, I was having a constant battle about nap time with my then 3-year-old. She didn’t want to nap anymore. I would end up getting very frustrated and threatening her with all kinds of things if she didn’t nap. I was also worried about food battles. Was she eating enough? Was she sleeping enough? We seemed to be constantly having a battle of the wills like we so often do with our preschool aged children. I just wanted her to do what I wanted her to do. So, I called a friend of mine and had to vent. … Continue reading →