Nearly all children’s learning involves play even all the way through school. All kinds of play develops higher level thinking skills and brain connections. We’ve seen children in kindergarten who have watched so much TV that they don’t know how to pretend or imagine. So here’s a book that gives you all the ideas you need about what to do instead of watching TV or a Video. You’ll have as much fun glancing through the book as getting your child involved in activities that will improve the lives of your whole family.
Along with your important baby health books, and of course Baby Read-Aloud Basics, every parent will benefit from Unplugged Play. It provides parents with over 300 pages of activities for children from age one to ten. None of these activities require batteries or purchased toys. They only require things you can find indoors or outdoors at home and a little imagination, the kind that is good for brain development. The book is organized for finding what you want quickly: tab-like color coding on the sides of pages organizes activities by age. In each section, there are helpful quotes from experts. For example, here’s a quote from page 37 by one of the authors of a book we used and recommended in Baby Read-Aloud Basics:
“the mother and father and other caretakers are really the baby’s favorite playthings. Toy manufacturers are desperately trying to make a toy that lights up, makes sounds, and moves, all in synchrony with one another. This is really what parents and caretakers naturally do when they interact with babies.”
Andrew Meltzoff, Ph.D. Professor of psychology and coathor of The Scientist in the Crib
There are also ideas for birthday parties for each year. There are rhymes and jump rope jingles as well as ideas on reading aloud at different ages along with book recommendations. Need ideas on what to do about toddler biting? you’ll find it on page 75. In each section there a number of “parent tips” given by parents who share their good ideas.
This book goes way beyond a book of activities; parents will find many answers to all kinds of questions from behavior to where to find quality wooden toys, and how to evaluate any toy you buy (so important today with the lead scare in toys from China!)
Bobbi Conner, the author couldn’t be more qualified to write this book. She’s the host of the award-winning syndicated radio program The Parent’s Journal (I was interviewed by Bobbi for a half hour on January 10, 2007, and it was the best interview I’ve had so far – go to our website to listen!). She is the author of many articles and books including Everyday Opportunities of Extraordinary Parenting.
UnPlugged Play, No Batteries. No Plugs. Pure Fun by Bobbi Conner, Paperback, Workman Publishing, 2007
