Frisbee (or disc) golf is a fun way for the whole family to get some low-intensity activity on pleasant sunny days. And while a “normal” game of disc golf sharpens hand/eye coordination and visual/spatial skills, it’s easy to sprinkle in
Dancing Outside the Box
Adapted from several online resources, including ArtsWork. When many of us picture ourselves dancing, we think of movements inside a small box (prom-style)–or moving side-to-side with small arm movements close to our bodies. And even for kids that have attended
You’ll Hit It Out of the Park with Me In Your Corner
One of the most critical vocabulary elements to “nail down” when learning American English (or any culture’s language) is the use of idioms. An idiom, as defined by dictionary.com, is a group of words whose meaning cannot be predicted from
Fireworks are Popping Up All Over!
People often mistakenly associate body smarts solely with gross motor coordination (e.g. sports, dance). But kinesthetic intelligence also encompasses fine motor skills. Take advantage of your kids’ excitement over tonight’s fireworks to flex your kids’ kinesthetic and visual-spatial mind muscles
Celebrating Citizenship
With 4th of July quickly approaching, Canada Day just past and Bastille Day next week, it seems that people the world over are celebrating citizenship. Play some national anthems with your child and read the english versions of the lyrics
Alien Invasion
Adapted from a Chicago City Parks & Rec activity recommendation (used with permission) See a familiar outdoor setting with new eyes as you and your child pretend to be aliens on a mission to explore our planet and report back to
Forgoing Fear of Failure
In an era of teaching to the test in school and avoiding mistakes at all costs, one of the most important things we need to teach our children these days is that failure in-and-of-itself is not a negative thing. It’s
Kine-Simon
Do you remember the old My Simon game that was a family favorite back when we were kids? (Need a memory jog? Play the video at the bottom of this post.) Update that concept with Kine-Simon for some active family
Out-of-the-Box Gaming
Much of the appeal of video games for kids lies in flexing their logic/strategy muscles and developing spatial aptitude via the game’s fast action and leveled challenges—not to mention getting the opportunity to be a “hero”—all of which can be
Summer Reading Recommendations for the “Picture Smart” Child
All Ages: Books by Laurence Anholt, who penned several children's books about famous artists including Monet, Degas, Picasso and van Gogh. Books by David Macaulay, whose books have won numerous awards and honors including the Caldecott Medal, about different kinds