Blog Category: Play & Nature Play

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Saving our children from our chaotic, instant world

In 2003, I published my first book (now out of print) called Saving Our Children ...

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The digital tide is turning, finally.

As a parenting educator, I have read the research especially the neuroscience around the impact ...

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Tongue Twister Fun

The research is incredibly strong that the more language we expose our children to in ...

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Avoiding ‘safetyism’ and allowing our kids to stretch and grow

Let’s begin with an honest truth – every parent is biologically wired to want to ...

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S6 Episode 21 – The best parenting hacks from our listeners, including Hamish Blake – Parental As Anything ABC Podcast 

Nothing truly prepares you for becoming a parent, but some of the best advice comes ...

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Parental As Anything – from play to resilience and loss on Family 360 podcast

To celebrate Maggie’s book Parental As Anything coming out in print in the UK and ...

Honouring the human spirit in our homes and classrooms

Last week a story went around the media and socials about a farmer who was ...

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Nurturing the inner world of our children and teens

Many years ago, a 16-year-old student shared with me a story that left an indelible ...

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The real value in pretend play

“Babies create hypotheses, test them and then relentlessly appraise their findings with the vigour of ...

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S2 Episode 6 – Nature play can still happen during coronavirus — Parental As Anything ABC Podcast

Coronavirus has meant the activities our kids love — playgrounds, sport, skate boarding with friends, ...

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Our adolescents are passive and inactive and we can’t just blame screens 

We grown-ups know that eating well, sleeping well and exercising well are the three key ...

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The magic of movement still really matters in our digital world

Early homo sapiens had to move to survive and we are still biologically wired to ...

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Let’s get creative – it is good for your health and wellbeing!

One of the greatest blessings of having a childhood filled with hours of unstructured play ...

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S1 Episode 3 – Play — why it’s vital for kids — Parental As Anything ABC Podcast

Building cubbies, make-believe, dressing up – while it might just look like fun and games, ...

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Smart parenting: helping your child grow an amazing brain

From the time a baby’s head travels through the birth canal, the brain is being ...

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Why we must prioritise play for today’s children and why we need to do it NOW

I have been writing and speaking about the importance of play in childhood for a ...