I've been doing a lot of reading and watching about creativity and imagination recently. I watched Sir Ken Robinson's ted talk about creativity and schools. He identifies creativity as an essential skill for children. He said that "creativity is as important now in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status."

Play advocates often talk about the importance of open ended play, open ended play materials and having play be child led instead of adult led. There is a popular theory called Loose Parts was developed by Simon Nicholson in 1971. He wrote a paper entitled “How NOT to cheat children”. The “loose parts” he talks about are the materials that children can play with, and they can be used in a variety of ways to encourage creativity, experimentation and invention. This type of play is also perfect for practicing flexible thinking and for seeing someone else’s point of view. The same materials/prompts can lead to very different creations. For open-ended playdate ideas, take a listen!

The focus of today’s podcast is all about Small Body Movement. I mention five more of my favorite movement coping skills. Plus I also get to talk about how much I love fidgets. Listen to hear more ideas:

The focus of today’s podcast is all about Big Body Movement. I mention five of my favorite movement coping skills, including riding a scooter and roller skating. Listen to hear more ideas:

Movement is a powerful way for kids to play! Movement can calm kids, help them get rid of excess energy, or energize them. When children are starting to get antsy or irritable, often a change of scenery and a little movement usually helps.

Where do you go when you want to calm down? What’s the spot that you go to? For me, it’s my bedroom. It’s painted a calm color, I have my aromatherapy set up in there, and my favorite ways to de-stress are nearby.

Kids and teens benefit from having a space where they can calm down and chill out too. A calm down spot can be created at home or at school. Lots of schools at all levels are integrating calm corners/calm down spaces/take a break spots, etc. How can you do this yourself? Take a listen:

A coping skills toolbox is an actual physical container that houses items kids can use to help calm down and express their emotions in healthy ways. There are a ton of strategies your child can use to calm down, and having a toolbox is one way to keep several of these tools readily available to use.

Four different ways to use music to cope with different feelings.

This week, the focus is all about giving you a few quick ideas for self-care.

Welcome back to the Calm and Connected Podcast! On today’s episode, I share a visual activity that encourages kindness.