Blog Category: Play & Nature Play

Article

The real value in pretend play

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

28
Jan
Helping our kids master disappointment

Hasn’t 2020 been a year full of disappointment?! From loss of job opportunities, travel opportunities,[...]

29
Oct

Video

Why I believe in the magic of the easter bunny

In this Maggie Moment, one of Australia’s favourite parenting authors Maggie Dent talks about the[...]

09
Apr

Audio

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,[...]

31
Mar

Article

Why parenting is really all about neuroplasticity

When our precious babies are born, their brains are full of neurons with no connectors.[...]

27
Feb
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[...]

13
Dec

Article

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[...]

29
Oct

Article

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[...]

27
Sep

Audio

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,[...]

28
Jun

Article

Smart parenting: helping your child grow an amazing brain

Maggie wrote for Essential Kids about how we can parent with the brain in mind[...]

12
Jun

Article

Become an energy detective for your child

Every parent will struggle at times to maintain their energy levels in order to keep[...]

22
Feb

Article

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[...]

30
Jan

Article

Early years education is more than child’s play

This article was first published at Essential Kids. Recently I discovered that in some states, early[...]

12
May

Article

Does your child have music hiding in their soul?

This article was first published at Essential Kids. It never ceases to amaze me when I[...]

09
Jan

Article

Too many toys?

Maggie spoke with ABC Radio in Perth about whether too many toys can limit creativity[...]

27
Jul

Article

Why are we STILL stealing childhood?

As one of Australia’s leading parenting educators I regularly travel the length and breadth of[...]

29
Jun

Article

The risk of not letting our children take risks

Lenore Skenazy, author of Free Range Kids, has been fighting against laws in the US[...]

17
May

Audio

Creating risk in a risk-averse society: ABC Nightlife

Maggie joined one of the longest-running national ABC radio programs, Nightlife, to discuss why risk[...]

07
Nov