Imaginative play benefits young children in multiple ways, with four significant benefits being:

• social and emotional skills development
• language development
• thinking skills development
• the development of symbolic thinking

It’s important to understand the benefits of pretend play because that demonstrates why it’s such an important component of your child’s life. But that raises the question of how, exactly, you can encourage imaginative play. And, this post will share five simple but ingenious ways to do exactly that.

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You might hear people mention croup and not know, exactly, what it is. That’s not uncommon. At its simplest, croup is an infection that causes swelling in the:

• trachea (often called the windpipe)
• larynx (often called the voice box)

It’s common and typically occurs in children ages six months to 12 years of age, with children aged one to three the most likely to become infected. Croup is usually caused by a virus, one spread through coughing and sneezing (although there is a bacterial form of the illness).

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If you’re feeling cooped up this winter and feel as though there isn’t anything to do with your family, relax and smile! NortheastOhioFamilyFun.com has 100 ideas—and we’ve got other great sources to share for even more fun winter activities for 2018-2019. Each of them can take place at home, close to home or within a couple hours away from home.

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Sippy cups are ingenious inventions, preventing spills and any associated cleanups, and can make the transition from bottle to regular cup much easier—but, sometimes, children love their sippy cups so much that they don’t want to give them up. It can be tempting to stick with these cups, figuring there isn’t any harm in doing so; but, according to some experts, its prolonged use can delay speech development. Plus, because your child is sucking up the fluids, not actually drinking them, this causes their baby teeth to come in ongoing contact with sugar found in milk and juice, and that can lead to tooth decay.

So, to help, here are tips to ditch the sippy, once and for all!

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When your child is starting elementary school, you’ll want him or her to enjoy school successes to the fullness of his or her ability—and one of the best ways to make that happen is to “foster a joy of learning.” 

According to PsychologyToday.com, fostering this joy and bolstering your child’s confidence and self-esteem is an excellent way to create a foundation for success.

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The early years of child development are very important. By the time a child reaches the age of six, 90% of brain development has already occurred. During this time, you are setting the educational foundation for your child’s future.

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Children typically start potty training between the ages of 18 to 24 months and are more or less toilet trained by the age of 24-36 months, according to NationwideChildrens.org. Each child is unique, of course, and here are six tips and strategies to make your child’s experience (and your experience!) as smooth and stress-free as possible.

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When children love to read, it makes learning so much easier for them while they’re in school—and, in fact, for the rest of their lives. So, the question is how to encourage them to read and to find pleasure in doing so. This post shares four tips, along with highlights about reading milestones. 

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the answer is “yes.” That’s because young children are “at high risk of serious flu-related complications,” with thousands of children hospitalized each year with the virus, and some even dying from the flu.

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Without a doubt, persistence can pay off – and so the question is how to effectively develop this trait in your child. In response, Parents.com developed a seven-step process to help your child learn how to set goals and then focus on achieving them.

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