19
votes
Should I play Minecraft with my kids?
Yes, you absolutely should
Your boys are trying to share something valuable and important with you. I doubt you'd be this worried about it if it wasn't digital - what would you do if they wanted to ...
- 321
14
votes
Accepted
Should I allow my preschooler to play with other parents at the playground?
Based on the additional information provided in the comments and to paraphrase the question: You are concerned that an unknown male parent in a public park and with their own child of a similar age ...
- 5,102
14
votes
Should a parent stop "destructive play"?
Destructive play is fine as long as it's ok to destroy the object in question. For example, as an adult I still enjoy "destructive play" when I have an old IKEA desk I need to get rid of and can't ...
- 13.3k
12
votes
Accepted
How do we help 2 yo play independently when we’re busy?
I think it's unrealistic to expect a 2 year old to be able to play by themselves for a long time. Some might, but not all.
We tried the "cry it out" technique tonight but we know it'll take
more ...
- 3,930
10
votes
Accepted
Is there such a thing as too much machine time?
I don't think you'll find studies on this unfortunately, but the concern with screen time is a very different thing than the concern might be with the Roomba or whatnot.
From the American Academy of ...
- 61.7k
9
votes
Should I play Minecraft with my kids?
Yes!
I view screen time as more of a necessary evil than anything else. My boys get 30 minutes each per day, and I would be happier if it were less.
You've given them a resource (30 min of screen) ...
- 191
9
votes
How competitive or forgiving to be when playing games against my own kids
I'd say the basic premise is to always encourage progression.
Stage 1 is to ensure they can do the basics - can they dribble and pass a football or do they know how each chess piece can move? For ...
- 1,251
9
votes
Accepted
How to "get to know" my girlfriend's toddler?
Don't overthink it, just do it.
(Nearly) every parent is inexperienced with toddlers the first time they have one around, learning on the job is standard. To help with this, toddlers can and will ...
- 1,247
9
votes
Games to play with child just under one year
You can look into "baby sensory play" to get some ideas of educational (mostly messy and/or elaborate to prepare) activities for toddlers, but I have always preferred the simple classics.
Songs and ...
- 7,594
7
votes
Why is the 'floor is lava' game so ubiquitious?
There are a collection of games that are ground-orientated, e.g. not stepping on the floor, not stepping on cracks, walking on rocks or cobbles, etc. There is likely some evolutionary element at play ...
- 223
5
votes
Why is the 'floor is lava' game so ubiquitious?
I can't talk about research - but I can say that my own eldest child appeared to develop "don't step on the cracks" type games naturally and spontaneously while we were out and about in town. It ...
- 5,102
5
votes
Accepted
How to keep a 2 year old toddler entertained throughout the day?
You should not feel that you have to be supplying all of her entertainment. Between daycare and the home life you have described it sounds like your daughter never has to find her own entertainment. ...
- 475
5
votes
How competitive or forgiving to be when playing games against my own kids
I agree mostly with @Mikaveli but I would like to show another point of view based on my own experience (I cant comment yet so I answer).
When I was a child my father and me played chess, soccer, ...
- 191
5
votes
What's a good age for a "penny skateboard"?
Rather than starting out with a skateboard, you might want to start them on something one level easier? A kick skate is very popular and relatively cheap to come by, and has several advantages like a ...
- 34.6k
5
votes
What age should you start enforcing board game rules?
What a great opportunity to teach communication and compromise.
I would separate the kids into those who want to play by the rules and those who want to create their own game. Or play with official ...
- 472
5
votes
Accepted
Is my child's cooperativity a trait or a choice?
There have been incredible recent advances in the research on how genes and experience influence development. One of the most important things to take away from the newer research is that it's not a ...
- 2,447
5
votes
Accepted
Five Year old structured playing
I don't know if what you describe is normal for your child's age, and I would beware of any advice you get on the internet about "normal" diagnosis based on the online post. I recommend ...
- 5,148
4
votes
How to "get to know" my girlfriend's toddler?
Children that age like to be read to, some also like to do puzzles, simple games (including memory). Some kids also really like to be tickled or scared ("I'm a monster and I'm going to eat you, grrr."...
- 516
4
votes
What's a good age for a "penny skateboard"?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has the following information about preventing skateboard and scooter injuries:
Young children may be at high risk of injury from skateboards and
scooters ...
- 22.6k
4
votes
How to keep a 2 year old toddler entertained throughout the day?
Tv is not an answer. At this age the amount of TV should be very, very limited - 1 to 2 hours according to American Academy of Pediatrics - but I'd say that 1h is absolute maximum, seeing how my girl ...
- 10k
4
votes
Can a 7-month-old baby be lifted upside down?
This depends somewhat on the baby's age and whether the baby has any problems with his hips. If a baby is cruising (standing holding on to furniture and taking steps this way), I don't think short ...
- 69k
4
votes
How do we help 2 yo play independently when we’re busy?
Your son wants interaction because you're the two people in the world that he cares most about. It is often boring playing on his own, and he isn't getting as much positive feedback by himself — he ...
- 2,522
3
votes
Accepted
The children are making home messy
It is a very common problem. I've been to plenty of houses that looked like the way you described yours. But I think the problem has several causes:
1) Too many accessible toys. The bulk of the toys ...
- 486
3
votes
Should a parent stop "destructive play"?
The core challenge is to keep things safe and fair.
At 5 years old my kid STILL destroys snowmen before they're finished. Towers get knocked over. Artwork gets torn up. Just about every creative ...
- 472
3
votes
Should a parent stop "destructive play"?
Context matters
If they destroy something that nobody cares about and doesn't have any real value, then why not, but they need to know that before.
At best they should destroy stuff they made ...
- 2,505
3
votes
How to keep a 2 year old toddler entertained throughout the day?
I have a similarly tireless 21 month old and it can be hard to keep up with his endless energy. We also only have to take care of him on weekends as he is in daycare during the week. However I feel ...
- 2,202
3
votes
What age should you start enforcing board game rules?
If you play a boardgame, or any game with them you should always enforce the rules. You can make then easier if you have the feeling, that some rules are to complicated or simply are bad rules all ...
- 2,505
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