Say Goodbye to the Post-Holiday Blues

It is hard to believe how quickly the holidays come and go.  After months of preparations, including cooking, cleaning, shopping, decorating, and then sharing with family and loved ones, the end of the season still seems to come so quickly. After the last of the presents are unwrapped, the decorations are put away and things begin to return to normal there can be a sense of let-down and disappointment.


The feeling of post-holiday blues is not uncommon; the unrealistic expectations that many of us create with our holiday preparations can leave you feeling down when it is all over. There can also be worries about over-spending and mounting debt, saying good-bye to family, and having to go back to work and school after some time off. Recognizing that it is a normal feeling and that there are some simple things that you can do to overcome it is the first step to getting back to feeling like yourself.

Pamper Yourself

The past few months have busy with family and friends, and during the holidays you make it all about others and not about yourself. Now take some time for yourself; whether by getting out for lunch with friends, using the gift cards you received to go shopping, taking some time to read a new book or magazine, or just enjoying a nice long bubble bath with those new bath products you found in your stocking.

Get Active

Exercising can release endorphins that can help you to feel more positive and energetic. Go ahead and make those New Year’s Resolutions, and get started on them! Taking a brisk walk around the block, participating in a yoga class or trying out your new Wii games can help to clear your mind and shake off any negative feelings.

Get Busy

After all the running around leading up to the holidays, it can seem too quiet when everything gets back to normal. So get motivated to start something new! A new project or activity to focus your attention on will distract you from any feelings of let-down after the holidays. Volunteer for a new project at work, start organizing at home or just finally paint that bathroom. Take a class or a course for work or on a topic of interest to get your mind engaged.

Gather Memories

Another way to move on from the holidays while still remembering the fun times is to work on your picture albums or scrapbooks. Download those pictures from your camera and get to work organizing them and adding them to your scrapbook. A great way to quickly get your pictures organized and on display is with a photo memory book or a calendar, such as the ones available on Shutterfly. Looking back on the fun times will rejuvenate you and help you look forward.

Feeling a little blue and let-down after the holidays is completely normal, and there are many things you can do to help yourself out of the funk.   And don't forget that children can often feel the same way...why wouldn't they?  All the fun of the season is over and it is back to normal for them, too.  They also will feed off of your feelings, so that is even more reason to shake off those winter blues!  Have them participate in the same kinds of activities listed above to help them transition as well. If you are feeling more than just a little sad, or your feeling of sadness persists, you should seek professional help in case you are suffering from something more serious. But no matter what, it helps to recognize the feelings and take the time to work through them.

Here’s to a healthy, happy, and productive 2011!

Choosing the Right Toys for my Child’s Development - Part 1

As parents, we want to give our children the best advantage we can when it comes to their development. Choosing toys that are age appropriate and that aid in skill development is one way that parents can help their children. But choosing the right toys can be daunting, especially when faced with the rows of bright colored, blinking and talking toys that fill most toy stores. Some toys are much more likely to enhance a child’s development than others, but how to tell the right ones?

The most important thing to keep in mind when purchasing toys for your child is their developmental stage, not just their age. Children develop at their own pace, and a child can have strengths in some areas and be weak in others. And of course every child is different, even within the same family! My own children are like night and day…my daughter was speaking in complete sentences (paragraphs even) by the time she was two, but just learned to jump last year. Yet my 19-month-old son, while I can barely understand the few words he does have, is already learning how to put simple puzzles together, and can climb almost as well as his 4-year-old sister. A good rule of thumb when purchasing toys is to choose toys that will actively engage the child, both physically and mentally, and can be used in a variety of ways. As a child’s interests, abilities and imagination grow, they will be able to use the toy in different ways. For example, a simple stacking toy can be used in a variety of ways: early on, the bright colors and smooth surfaces encourage reaching and grabbing, later it can be held and banged together to encourage coordination, then later can be used for motor skill practice as the child learns to place the rings on the cone, and eventually teaches ordering concepts as the child learns that there is a certain order for those rings.

Even a simple soft animal or doll is an appropriate plaything for children of all ages. At first, baby is just content to watch, the colors and facial expression of the toy are fascinating to her. Later she will grab, pull on and mouth the toy (this is completely normal…babies are very oral and explore with their mouths!). Soon she is using it to crawl over or throw as she develops her gross motor skills. Eventually the soft toy becomes part of her imaginative play, as she pretends with it, and perhaps it has even become part of her emotional comforting system (thus a “lovie”).
Another example of a developmentally appropriate toy that can span the ages is a set of blocks (see my post on block play for more information). Blocks can be appropriate for a young baby, as he initially uses them for grabbing and banging (yes, all that banging is actually necessary for development!). Soon he is able to stack and knock down (even the knocking down part teaches skills like cause and effect), and later he will develop the skill to actually begin building more complex towers, and to use the block structures in his imaginative play.

The best toys for development won’t necessarily have blinking lights and sounds, sometimes these toys can over-stimulate the child and usually can only be used in one way. Instead, look for toys in which the child controls the play, and can continue to use as they develop. And also remember, you are your child’s first, most fascinating, and most important plaything!


More coming soon: Stages of development and appropriate toys for each stage

What's the Big Deal About Block Play?

I was watching my 18 month old son play with his blocks today. Now, his favorite game is really “Godzilla”; in which he is Godzilla to anything that his sister is attempting to build. But today, she was out with Daddy on an errand to Lowe’s, and he didn’t have anything to destroy. So, he actually started building. I’ve been working with him on stacking and building, trying to model the building-up process instead of the knocking-down process. I was excited to see him working to stack the blocks on top of each other, experimenting with stability and balance. I helped him along a little by steadying his tower as he added a new block, just so that he could experience some success and would want to continue. Then he began adding his little dinosaur toys to the top of each stack of blocks he had created, and he was so proud! Sometimes the toy was too big for the tower, and as it crumbled we laughed and started again. It was a beautiful learning moment, and I could just see the wheels turning in his little head as he made connections, solved problems and had fun. The mother in me was just enjoying his quiet concentration and the time spent alone with him (while of course admiring his obvious engineering and architectural talents). And as always, the educator in me was reminded of the reason block play has always been and is still such an important tool in learning and development. My 4-year-old daughter loves to build as well, and although we usually have to allow her a “special place” for her creations (read: away from her brother), she has the skill and knowledge to create wonderful fantasy worlds with her blocks and her little ponies!It is so much fun to see the creativity at work in both of them, yet in such different ways.

More about Block Play

Play is an important part of a child’s learning and development. The wonderful thing about classic wood toys, such as unit blocks, is that they require the child to guide the play, and thus help to encourage creativity, problem solving and critical thinking. The constructive and creative play that results from block play will benefit the child in all areas of learning and development. Children can use their imagination to create structures, while learning the practical science and math concepts required for building. Block play helps children learn number concepts, develop logical thinking and spatial understanding, and improve motor skills.

Observing block play is just one way to experience child-initiated learning. Parents observing children immersed in block play will begin to understand what the children learn through block play, including creativity, collaboration, science skills, math skills, and more. Developmentally appropriate play for children includes significant time spent with hands-on, manipulative materials. Blocks meet this need for hands-on exploration, and are a fundamental learning material because they require open play. Children playing with blocks can make them into anything they want them to be. The child decides.

The age of the child may determine the type of exploration and play that takes place. Young toddlers begin simply with sensory exploration, finding out the feel, shape, weight of the blocks. Next, children will move into fantasy play with the blocks, which helps them to think creatively, and problem solve. Children’s explorations with blocks help deepen their understanding of the practical world through trial and error experimentation with concepts such as gravity, stability and balance. In addition, collaborative experiences are plentiful when children interact with each other during block play. Studies even suggest that block play contributes positively to language development, as young children use various communication strategies and shared meaning while they are engaged in block play. The study found that children use unit blocks and supplemental props as important play materials “to promote oral language and emergent literacy skills”. (If you are interested in the study details you can read more here: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb1439/is_3_21/ai_n29341306/ ). Providing blocks for block play is just one way parents can enrich their child’s development, and encourage creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, and collaborative skills.

More about Blocks

Traditional Block Sets are based on the standard 1-3/8" x 2-3/4" x 5-1/2" unit, which is a standard block set dimension used in schools. Each block is a fraction or multiple of the basic unit, providing blocks that support successful play. These sets include an assortment of block shapes and sizes to provide a wide range of building options to the child using them. The number and shapes of blocks can vary depending on the size of the set. There are excellent hard maple blocks in this size that can be found here: http://www.all-americanbaby.net/unit-blocks-starter-set.html.

In addition, there are unit blocks that are based on the smaller 1 inch unit size. The base block unit is 1" and each dimension of all blocks is a multiple of 1" so blocks can be stacked cleanly and uniformly. The advantage I have found with these blocks lies in the size for younger children. The smaller block size is more appropriate for little hands, and the blocks are not as heavy (especially when they fall!) for the littlest builder. Older children can still enjoy these blocks and by adding on or combing sets you can create wonderful building opportunities. Find these “My Best Blocks” sets at http://www.all-americanbaby.net/mybebljubuse.html.

Alphabet blocks are another favorite and are great for teaching block skills along with letters or even numbers and other skills! Alphabet blocks are not just ABC’s anymore…you can find nursery rhyme blocks, number blocks, shapes and pattern blocks and so much more. See them here: http://www.all-americanbaby.net/blocks.html.

What a perfect opportunity to play with your child while observing the way their mind works! Ask them what they are doing, and why. Have them explain to you the reason they stack the blocks a certain way, and not a different way. Let them use other small toys to add to their block kingdom and make up the story to go along with it. As I’ve said before, when it comes to classic block play, batteries are not required, but imagination is!