By: Stephanie Shabangu, Penfield Children’s Center Summer is in full swing and as kids enjoy their break, it’s a great time to get creative. Coming up with healthy treats provides an alternative to the typical sugary snacks that little ones gravitate toward. Children naturally enjoy eating fruit and what’s more fun than fruit they can …
By: Rebecca Michelsen, M.Ed., MCHES, Manager of Community Outreach & Family Programs Ahhhh festival season! Time to enjoy rides, a variety of tasty food choices, live music and so much more. Attending festivals with the family is a great way to get out and enjoy the sunshine with your child. It’s important to also think …
By: Stephanie Shabangu, Penfield Children’s Center As a parent, it’s important to encourage your child to welcome a diverse group of friends into his life. Children of all racial, religious and economic levels can learn a lot from each other and can open up your child (and you!) to different ideas and ways of life. …
By: Stephanie Shabangu, Penfield Children’s Center Children have a natural curiosity for the world around them and love to explore their environment by using all five senses. A great way to encourage a life-long love of learning at an early age is through science. Kid-friendly science can be done rain or shine, indoors or out …
I love celebrating all of the seasons, but my favorite is winter. The winter season brings a variety of fun activities for families to enjoy. While playing outside in the snow or taking a winter hike can be fun, it’s important to find a few indoor activities for when it’s too cold. One great way …
Play enhances your baby’s experiences, while helping to develop senses and motor skills. It is also a FUN way to bond with your child!
A child’s play zone, whether it is in the home or classroom, can look like a free for all at times. A world full of movement and noise, of colors, textures, smells, and sounds, it’s a world where princesses build structures alongside superheroes, which turn into monsters just long enough to be scary and then …
Through play, a child has the opportunity to engage his imagination and explore his surroundings. But, play also helps to enhance a child’s concentration, attention, creativity and overall cognitive development. The video below offers examples of everyday play that are not only fun, but also encourage healthy development. Related articles and videos: Promoting Cognitive Development …
Children with sensory issues may have difficulty playing with the same toys and engaging in the same play activities as their peers. The video below offers suggestions on how to engage the sensory challenged child in playtime and ease him into new sensory experiences at his own pace. Related articles: A Recipe for Successful Play …
Fall is one of the best seasons for fun family activities. It may be getting chillier outside, but there is plenty of warmth to be found in bright orange autumn leaves, bonfires and fresh-from-the-oven pumpkin pie. Have some fun with your family this fall with all of these autumn-related activities! Seasonal Activities: Autumn Go Apple-picking …
Gross motor skills are the abilities to move the large muscles in the body; such as the arms, legs, feet and torso. Every child develops at a different rate, and there are different milestones of gross motor development. Some of those developmental milestones for children are crawling, walking and soon they are off and running! …
It’s common for kids (and parents) to feel a little bored and stir crazy in the wintertime. Here are some tips to get the most out of your winter months and help break the potential monotony of the chilly season. 10. Watch winter themed movies. Here are some favorites: Snow Dogs Ice Age Frosty the …
Cognitive development refers to the way in which a child learns, solves problems, acquires knowledge about the surrounding environment and increases the ability to interact with it. Children acquire different cognitive skills as they meet certain developmental milestones. As a parent, you can help your child improve cognitive development in memory, concentration, attention, perception, imagination …
A parent may wonder what kind of toys or activities are important for his/her baby’s development. The answer to that question is simple: parents are the most important people in a baby’s life and can never replace even the most technologically advanced toy or activity. Today’s technology has transformed the types of toys and activities …
Play is the most powerful tool parents have at their disposal for nurturing their children’s growth. It is the simplest way they can encourage almost every facet of development. With that being said, play needs to be age-appropriate and safe. Most importantly, parents need to play too. Perhaps the most important part of play is …