Play Archives - Minds of Wonder

Kids’ Holiday Activities: Fun Learning at Home

by Nicola | Apr 11, 2019 | Maths, Play, Tips for Parents

Kids’ holiday activities rank fairly high when it comes to school holidays! They spend a lot of time at school, but they also have a lot of breaks! It’s often during these times that parents find themselves looking into the abyss and wondering how they’re...

Play Ideas for Cognitive Development

by Nicola | Jan 31, 2019 | Play, Tips for Parents

Irrespective of background, kids loves to play. And the desire to play is so strong that it can even trump screen time for many children; including for my own daughter! The deep-seated desire to play is not something random. It’s been shown again and again, to be...

The Power of Parental Play: Parents Making a Difference

by Nicola | Dec 29, 2016 | Play, Tips for Parents

Play with parents sets the stage for children’s ability to successfully play with peers. (Haight & Miller, 1992) As parents, we are all familiar with playing with our children. It can be an area however, that isn’t always easy and not always easy to do well....

Cultivating a Love of Learning Through Play

by Nicola | Dec 7, 2016 | Education Theorists, Play

The skills children learn through play in the early years set the stage for future learning and success from the kindergarten classroom to the workplace. (R.E.White – 2012) Lev Vygotsky (see post), claimed that play is a leading factor in a child’s...

How Difficult is it to Choose a Preschool?

by Nicola | Nov 24, 2016 | Play, Starting School

This blog was inspired by my daughter when we started looking at preschools. It seems fitting therefore, for the first post to give you an insight into that story and how it gave rise to Minds of Wonder. How difficult is it to choose a preschool? Armed with my...

How Do Our Preschoolers Think?

by Nicola | Nov 24, 2016 | Education Theorists, Play

Each time one prematurely teaches a child something he could have discovered himself, that child is kept from inventing it and consequently from understanding it completely. – Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Have you ever stopped yourself in your tracks as you...