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Val’s Crafty Corner: Mini Movie Theater
This recipe for creative play and building fun is brought to you by Melissa & Doug, written by our Blog Ambassador Valerie Deneen. Enjoy building and exploring with your kids! -Valerie We are...
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State Stats: Fun Facts about the United States
Learn about the United States with trivia about its 50 parts! Start by pulling out a map, piecing together a USA Map Wooden Puzzle or USA Map Floor Puzzle, or grabbing a USA Learning Mat. Use the maps...
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Team Up with Your Kids to Master School-Morning Routines!
With the school year right around the corner (for some of you, it’s already here) now is the perfect time to practice school-morning routines. How can you get the kids (and yourself!) out the door on...
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The After-School Wind-Down: How to Open-Up with Coloring and Drawing Projects
With the start of the school year comes whole slew of new social challenges: getting to know new friends, navigating different routines, and meeting the challenges of a brand-new grade level. What can...
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Why Classic Toys Are More Important Than Ever
(By special guest blogger Julia Goodell) We live in a fast paced world, one in which we race to make things better and generally more complex than they ever were before. The toy industry, brimming with...
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Melissa & Doug Unit Blocks Week: Blueprint for Block Fun
If your little builders are ready to take their block play to another level, try creating a set of “plans” for them to follow. Here are a few “blueprint” activities we especially like: 1. FLOORPLAN:...
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Creative Play Quick Tip: Sort It Out!
Starting around 18 months, toddlers begin to notice differences and commonalities between objects—which means it’s time to sort and group! HOW THEY PLAY: Preschoolers naturally seek to organize...
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5 New Ways To Use : Geometric Stacker
This educational idea is brought to you by Melissa & Doug , written by our Blog Ambassador Allison McDonald. “Everyday play is what childhood should be about.” Geometric Stackers were always...
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Arts and Crafts Tip: Stick, Color, and Paint Your Way to Emotional Awareness
This week on the Melissa & Doug blog, we’re exploring emotions and all the wonderful ways you can help your children build emotional intelligence. Yesterday, we highlighted 5 easy, everyday tips,...
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NEW Product Snapshot: 3 Peek-a-Boo Toys & Bonus Extended Play Activities
Peek-a-boo—it’s one of the first games you can explore with your baby, a simple, joyous playtime activity that can bring hours of entertainment and laughter. The delight a child finds in this...
View ArticleHands Free Kids
These tips are provided for the Melissa & Doug blog by Cindy Utzinger, pediatric Occupational Therapist. Are you getting tired of looking at the top of your kids’ heads as they look down to play...
View ArticleBoredom Buster: Sticky Sand Sensory Play!
This Sticky Sand Sensory Experience is from guest blogger Melissa of Fireflies and Mud Pies. When grey winter weather has my boys feeling cooped up and cranky, sensory bin experiences often save the...
View ArticleHelping Kids Learn to Wait!
This post about helping kids learn to wait is provided for the Melissa & Doug blog by guest blogger Cindy Utzinger, pediatric Occupational Therapist. What did we ever do before smart phones and the...
View ArticleWhy Do Babies Love Mirror Toys?
As any parent knows, babies just LOVE to see themselves in their mirror toys. What could be more interesting and relatable to babies than another baby reflected back at them — who looks, feels, and...
View Article5 Brain Games for Kids!
This brain games post was created by guest editor Carrie Anne Badov from EverythingMom.com We love visiting the Ontario Science Centre for their great hands-on exhibits. We even had the chance to...
View ArticleBabies: Time on the Floor Playing
This baby play post was provided for the Melissa & Doug blog by guest blogger Cindy Utzinger, pediatric Occupational Therapist. Want to help make your baby smarter and stronger? I’ve got the...
View ArticleBabies: Crawling and Learning to Walk
This baby play post was provided for the Melissa & Doug blog by guest blogger Cindy Utzinger, pediatric Occupational Therapist. “You have to crawl before you walk”…. I feel like I use that phrase a...
View ArticleLearning Fine Motor Skills with Wooden Beads and Letters, too!
This Fine Motor Skills Activity is brought to us by Kim Vij at The Educators’ Spin On It One of the fundamental skills that we encourage our children to develop early is their Fine Motor Skills....
View ArticleMath? What math? Creative Math Activities
These creative math activities were provided for the Melissa & Doug blog by guest writer and special needs consultant Dr. Melissa Liguori, Ed. D. We don’t always think of it, but there are so many...
View ArticleIntroducing Two New Special Needs Resources
We are thrilled to share with you a very special project that is close to our hearts: a catalog custom-made for families of children with special needs. As a valued member of our community, we wanted...
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