Category: Tips

Sometimes we’re quick to tell our little ones not to roughhouse. You want them to be safe and don’t want any injuries. But there is a very big difference between aggressive play and rough & tumble play. We are all about safe rough & tumble play because it has SO many developmental benefits for your little one! For example, did you know that roughhousing can make your child SMARTER? You read that right!

There are so many different kinds of Rough & Tumble play! Some will definitely surprise you!

Here are just a few:

• Dancing
• Hopscotch
• Climbing up and jumping off
• Wrestling
• Play fighting
• Roughhousing
• Tickling
• Tag
• Football
• Duck-Duck-Goose

Here are 5 Benefits of Rough & Tumble Play from our Friends at Flintobox:

1. Kids learn healthy risk-taking

Let kids do the unimaginable and feel accomplished when they climb a tree or jump high. Give them freedom to try new things rather than constantly telling them about the hazards and forcing them to live in fear.

Let children assess danger and understand when to push limits and when to hold back. When kids engage in healthy risk taking, they get a better understanding of their limits and capabilities.

2. Develop physical bond.

Physical contact is an important part of close relationships, provided it evokes positive feelings. If two children or siblings want to roll over one another or piggyback on each other, it’s a great bonding exercise. Yes, provided they can balance well and not hurt each other.

Let pillow fights, pulling hair, or ticking each other be part of the growing up process. After all relationships are not just conversations, touch and playing in close contact should be encouraged. They play an important role in strengthening bonds between kids.

3. Learn emotional intelligence

It’s during rough play kids realize what fun is and what can hurt. They can judge other kids’ reactions, expressions—are they enjoying or getting hurt? Children learn to address the emotional needs of other kids, they learn when to stop and how to discover new means of adrenaline rush.

With increased emotional intelligence, children better relationships with others, can focus more in studies and other activities, and learn to regulate their emotions.

4. Exercise for mind and body

With rough play, one can reap physical benefits-build strength, exercise muscles, improve gross motor skills, increased flexibility, hand-eye coordination, and better body and emotion control.

5. It’s pure fun

How many toys can you buy and how many times children can sit in one place and play? Rough play actually is easy fun. Children do have a lot of fun in the process. There’s something exciting about free play when they can hold, push, throw themselves, etc.[1]

We LOVE Rough & Tumble Play at Gymboree Play & Music! Find a Site Near You!

 

1. Bhatnagar, Ekta Sharma. “Rough and Tumble Play and It’s 5 Benefits for Kids.” Flintobox. https://flintobox.com/blog/child-development/5-benefits-of-rough-play-for-kids

 

By Lauren OBrien

As a parent of a little one, we know you’ve done your research on the importance of building early literacy at a young age.

You’ve built literacy into your daily routine — maybe over breakfast, during bath time, and that nightly story before bed. But, do you know the importance of exposing your child to storytime outside of the home? Specifically, storytimes where your child is part of a group and there is someone else reading?

When you take your child to a group storytime, they are actually building DIFFERENT early literacy skills than the ones you work on at home!

Here’s why…

• Listening to another adult narrate a story. Everyone reads differently — different tones, different character voices, etc. By watching and listening to another person read, you child is learning social queues and body language expression.
• Allowing others to pick the story. Not only does this mean YOU could get to hear a new story (aren’t you tired of reading Cinderella for the 100th time?), but your child gets to hear new authors and genres that maybe they wouldn’t otherwise have been exposed to otherwise.
• Building social skills. Reading in a group exposes your little one to the experience of participating and sharing their ideas. It gives them an opportunity to practice their listening skills, use learned vocabulary/language skills and build confidence.
• Learning new things…for you! That’s right! During story time, you might learn new rhymes, songs, reading games that you can do at home.

Visit your local Gymboree Play & Music, where we bring storytime to life!

By Lauren O’Brien

 

Earlier this month it was the King of Rhyming’s birthday – Dr. Seuss! Both kids and adults alike love the rhyming fun of Dr. Seuss, but there was a method to his rhythmic madness!

 

The Benefits of Dr. Seuss and Rhyming: 

• For Newborns: Dr. Seuss’s prose is literally like music to your baby’s ears.
• For Toddlers:
  • Improved memory and cognitive development – the short rhythmic passages are easy for children to digest and understand, committing Dr. Seuss’ educational message to memory!
  • Increased vocabulary — Dr. Seuss’ use of made up words actually mirrors the way kids speak! And, even though “barbaloots” isn’t a real word, those pretend words help your little one explore language and learn new words.
  • An early love of books and storytelling — Dr. Seuss’ wacky words and ideas delights young readers with their ridiculousness. Did you say GREEN EGGS?! Little ones love the extreme silliness of his stories.
  • Better listening skills — Dr. Seuss is anything but boring! His crazy stories keep the little one’s attention, anxiously waiting for the next silly word to come out of your mouth!

So grab a book, find a nook and take a look at your favorite Dr. Seuss stories! Because it’s aways a good time to rhyme! 

Sign up for a Gymboree Play & Music class near you! 

In honor of Valentine’s Day, this month’s theme is LOVE! We asked our knowledgable programming team to put together a list of books recommendations around bonding, love, and affection. So, grab that cozy blanket and snuggle up with your little one for some heartwarming reads!

Llama Llama I love You
By Anna Dewdney
What could be better than Llama Llama on Valentines Day?! We LOVE Llama Llama books! The simple rhymes support language development, and repetition helps build memory and builds your little one’s vocabulary. The sweet message is all about how to show others you care by making them something special. A sweet and simple message perfect for all ages.

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The Kissing Hand
By Audrey Penn
The Kissing Hand, now a classic, is a sweet story about the bond of mom and baby. If you are starting to discuss leaving your little one at pre-school, with a caretaker, or camp, the Kissing Hand is a wonderfully simple story that helps with any kind of separation. We recommend this story for anytime, but especially when talking about feelings.

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Guess How Much I love You!
By Sam McBratney
A lovable story about the boundless love between a child and a parent. As Little Nutbrown Hare shows dad how much he loves him, dad shows Little Nutbrown that he loves him back just as much or more! A sweet story to snuggle up with no matter how old your child is.

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LOVE from The Very Hungry Caterpillar
By Rebecca Witford and Martina Selway
A visit from a very famous little caterpillar brings LOVE to life! With colorful images and fun phrases that support language development, this book SHOWS us how special people can make us feel important and loved. A wonderful addition to your February book list!

This month’s theme is GET MOVING! Our amazing programming team put together a list of book recommendations that are both fun and educational, all the while promoting body movement!

Head to Toe
By Eric Carle
Encourages little ones to clap their hands, stomp their feet and touch their toes! Great for an active and interactive read!

 

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OH!
By Kevin Henkes
All the animals and children like to play in the snow! You can join along with all the ways the animals play in this wintry active read-a-loud!

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Let’s Play!
By Herve Tullet
Can you wiggle, slide, jump? Follow along with little yellow dot, as he explores movement and emotions. Excellent for reading aloud and repeating the actions!

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Little Yoga
By Rebecca Witford and Martina Selway
Toddlers first introduction to yoga! Beautiful illustrations model how to move into these child friendly poses! Join in on the fun!

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We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
By Michael Rosen
Can’t go under it, can’t go over it, gotta go through it! This classic is an incredible book for imagination, directional vocabulary and for acting it out! Don’t let the bear catch you!

By Lauren O’Brien

Happy 2019 to all of our Gymbo Families!

It’s a New Year and, for many, that often means New Year’s resolutions. But, you may have noticed that things got a tad more difficult once the little one(s) came into the picture — you know, things like wearing clean clothes. Resolutions may also change depending on your child’s age. Here are some easy resolutions our parents can make in 2019, broken down by age!

If you have an infant:

Congratulations on the new addition to your family! Your life feels like it’s been flipped upside down and everything is different. But, ACTUALLY, the most common advice we hear new mom’s give is to KEEP DOING YOU! Make a resolution to keep getting out there — take your little one wherever you used to go, because, once they start walking, it’s game over!

If you have a 1 year old:  

Yay! Your little one is finally becoming an interactive little human! Around one year, children start to develop their adorable little personalities — so this is a key time to GET YOUR PLAY ON!  Encourage playtime whenever possible. And the great part of this resolution? It’s so easy…and won’t be given up on January 5th.

If you have a toddler:

Has your little one started to request that you turn into a monster or princess or animal? Your little toddler’s mind is abuzz with the many possibilities of the world. They’re starting to discover and understand the power of their imagination — and that they can recreate their favorite things in THEIR MIND! It’s difficult not to take over, but make a resolution to let them take the lead during playtime and encourage their elaborate imagination (even if it means you’re always the evil stepmother)!

With that building imagination can also come messiness. Just remember, there’s a difference between mess and filth! Stuffed animals all over the couch? That’s your child imagining that their friends need a comfortable place to sit! When encouraging your toddler’s imagination, sometimes that means accepting clutter, chaos and messiness. So, this year we say EMBRACE the imagination and the mess that comes with it!

If you have a 4-5 year old:

Your little one is out in the real world and has started school! Boundaries and rules will become a key lesson in school, which is great! But, keep in mind that unstructured or “free” play time is still important for their growing minds. That means, play time where they get to decide what THEY want to do. “Free” play time allows little ones to practice decision-making skills and discover their own interests and hobbies. So, for our parents with school-age kiddos, make a resolution to schedule UNSCHEDULED playtime!

Start your year off right! CLICK HERE TO ENROLL NOW and pay $0 Initiation Fee!