Made For Play Blog
Explore child development through play, find inspiration for your next DIY project, and discover tips for selecting the perfect toys for your little ones.
Latest Articles
8 Activities Using Play Food for Kids
We all know that play kitchens and the play food that comes with them are great for dramatic play. I mean, who doesn't love being served pizza-watermelon-cookie soup by their toddling chef? But your kids’ pretend food makes a great addition to other activities too! Here are 8 new ways you can put that pretend food set to use in these food play activities for kids of all ages. Sorting Sorting is naturally fun for kids! They have a natural desire to find patterns, opposites, and categories. Play food sets offer all kinds of sorting activities for toddlers and preschoolers. Toddlers can sort by color, and older children can use more abstract concepts to sort the food items. (Which foods are for breakfast/lunch/ dinner? Which foods are sweet/ sour/ savory? Which foods are served hot or cold?) Mystery Bags Stereognostics, aka mystery bags, are a classic Montessori-inspired activity. To make one, put a few different objects in an opaque bag. Have your child reach in and feel the objects, describe them, and try to identify them, all without taking a peek. This activity helps your child develop their tactile senses, vocabulary, and reasoning skills. Play food presents a great challenge for this activity! Because most pieces of play food have a similar texture and weight, kids will have to use their fingers to explore the shapes to identify them correctly. This added challenge is perfect for older preschoolers who have already mastered mystery bags with easier-to-identify objects.. Learning Fractions Toy foods like this apple pie or cake set are perfect manipulatives for introducing fractions. Abstract number concepts can be tough for kids, but make that concept tangible and dessert-related? Now that’s something they’ll get on board with! Shopping & Math If your school-age kiddo loves to play restaurant or shopkeeper, have them create their own price list for each of the food items. When it’s time to pay the bill, you can add up the total together. This activity is especially great for introducing the concept of multiplication to school-age kids. (If I want to buy three pizza slices, and you charge $2 per slice, how much should I give you?) Raid your Monopoly box for pretend money or make your own for even more fun! Clay Models Add a little challenge and inspiration to play dough time by asking your child to make their best playdough or clay version of their play foods. Play food items are the perfect level of difficulty for this kind of activity: simple and easy to make yet interesting and intricate enough that your kids will enjoy trying to copy them. Stencils and Stamps Bring your play food set into the craft area for fun food-inspired art! Use them as stencils, letting kids trace the outline and then color and draw inside. Or pour a small amount of washable paint onto paper plates, and use them as stamps! Sensory Bins Sensory bins are all the rage on Pinterest, Instagram, and pretty much every mom blog around. And yes, they live up to the hype! While there are all types of sensory bins, a classic version includes a base like dyed rice, beans, or kinetic sand along with smaller objects and toys. Kids love pouring, digging, and sifting through the base to find the toys, and play foods make a perfect addition. Since sensory bins are often themed around holidays, seasons, and other categories, toss in a few play foods that fit your theme! Looking to shop for the perfect play kitchen or pretend play toy by age? Explore our selection for 2-to-4 year olds and 3-to-5 year olds now.
Stages of Play: How Kids Should Play By Age
We’ve written about types of play before – like imaginative, constructive, and active play to name a few – but many parents wonder if there are stages of play too. As in, “Should my kid play a certain way by the time they reach a certain age?” Of course, all types of play evolve as kids get older (like clumsy toddling turning into full-out sprinting or tiny block towers becoming complex structures). But some of the most noticeable and predictable developments in play happen in social play. In this post, we’re diving into the six recognized stages of social play with peers and when you can expect to see them! Unoccupied Play: Birth to 3 months When your newborn stares at objects with interest, they’re actually playing! Even if they don’t reach for those objects yet, they’re still attempting to figure out the world around them. And when they do start to reach for those objects, you may notice they don’t have any goals in mind yet; they’re likely to simply grab it and release it instead of trying to bring it to their mouth or manipulate it. This stage of play is known as “unoccupied play,” and, as you could probably guess, it doesn’t involve much social interaction at all. This is the shortest lived of all the stages. Independent Play: 2+ Years Independent play starts when a child really starts to engage with toys and objects and isn’t interested in interaction from peers or adults during that time. Instead, they’re focused on their own play. You’ll see their imaginations and focus grow during this type of play. Eventually, they’ll begin using items to represent other items (an important developmental milestone) and developing their own narratives for the play scenario. This stage can begin as early as a few months old, but it really peaks around age 2. Of course, independent play never truly goes away either. Even when kids become social butterflies, they’ll still enjoy playing by themselves occasionally. Onlooker Play: 0 -2 Years Like unoccupied play, onlooker play may not look like actual play to us. In this stage, kids tend to observe other children playing but don’t join in themselves. While you may feel like you need to encourage them to join, it’s perfectly okay for them to observe too. They’re likely enjoying the time, and they’re gaining valuable information about how older kids interact. These moments will help prepare them for more direct social play in the future. Parallel Play: 2 - 3 Years Ever notice how toddler are perfectly content being next to their little buddies… without actually doing anything with them? This is known as parallel play, and it occurs when kids are play near each other but not with each other. They may be working on similar activities or even follow each other around, but they don’t influence each other’s play yet. Associative Play: 3-4 Years This type of play is a step up from parallel play in terms of social interaction. In associative play, kids may talk to each other and influence each other’s activities but aren’t truly playing with the same things at the same time. For example, they might make suggestions for their friend’s play dough sculpture or try to copy it. Associative play is a great chance for kids to practice talking to one another and learning basic social norms before they begin more complex social play. You’ll usually see it begin around age 3 or a little sooner and last into age 4. Cooperative Play: 4+ Years When we think of “social play,” we mostly picture cooperative play, which emerges around age 4 or 5. This occurs when kids truly begin playing with each other as opposed to near each other. They’ll develop complex imaginative scenarios together and begin playing organized games with rules. Keep in mind that most of these stages refer to how kids play with their peers, not necessarily with adults. Their play with you might look quite different as they likely have more confidence interacting with you, and you are able to give them more direction on how to play than a peer could. So if your two-year old loves to play pretend with you but not with kids their own age, don’t sweat it. You’re helping them gain the confidence, social skills, and language they’ll need to grow into the next stage of social play!
Unlocking the Power of Play: 4 Essential Types to Inspire Your Child
We love talking about kids’ play almost as much as we love developing open-ended, play-focused toys. Because we believe play is so much more than entertainment. It’s a brain-boosting, vocabulary-building, social-skill-teaching wonder. Just as your kiddo needs a varied diet, they need different types of play – and these four are a great place to start! Here are four essential types of play that help your child learn, grow, and thrive! Constructive Play Constructive play is anything that involves kids building with toys like building blocks, play dough, train sets, and craft materials. This type of play looks like it’s all fun and games, but it can also indicate whether kids are hitting developmental milestones. Babies between 14 and 20 months should be able to stack two blocks together, then four blocks by 17 - 24 months, and finally six blocks by 20 - 30 months. Experts use these benchmarks to gauge whether your child’s hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and cognitive skills are developing as expected. Constructive play has also been associated with kids’ performance in school, especially in math. In one study, kids who created more complex structures around age 4 were more likely to have higher math scores later in life. This type of play has also been linked to improved spatial reasoning, stronger language development, and more creative problem-solving. Dramatic/ Pretend Play Dramatic play happens when kids take on a “role” and act it out. It can be as simple as playing chef in their play kitchen or as whimsical as pretending to be a fairy astronaut in space. Either way, kids are benefitting from their made-up scenarios… especially when you join in and play with them! For younger toddlers, pretend play often looks like acting out aspects of adult life – even the ones that might seem dull to us like sorting mail or folding socks. This type of play helps them make sense of the adult world and build essential life skills. For older kids, pretend play takes on endless possibilities. When they act out real-world scenarios (even with a little fantasy twist), they rehearse the social norms of everyday interactions, building their confidence and vocabulary. When they pretend to be another character or person, they practice putting themselves in someone else’s shoes, helping them develop empathy and social understanding. And of course, pretend play is hugely important for helping kids develop their creativity! Active Play Running, jumping, hanging, climbing, etc. are all part of the active play category, and as you could probably guess, this type of play is critical for kids’ physical health. As they engage in high-energy activities (ideally outside), they’re not just strengthening muscles and getting exercise. They’re developing strong bone density and robust vestibular systems (the bodily system that’s responsible for balance and spatial awareness.) Active play has tons of less obvious benefits too. Kids who get more activity tend to sleep better at night, have an easier time focusing on academic tasks, and are less likely to struggle with anxiety and depression, Social Play All of these types of play can be combined with another critical type: social play. Whether it’s playing tag, building a tower together, or playing house with a friend, social play fosters social and emotional development as kids learn to interact with their peers. When kids pretend together, each pretend scenario comes with a kind of unspoken social contract as kids decide what they are going to be and how their make-believe world works. If they want to change something about the scenario, they’ll need to communicate and get their friends on board. But don’t worry if it seems like your toddler isn’t exactly interested in social play yet. Sociologist Mildred Parten broke down kids’ stages of play into six distinct categories, all of which involve different amounts of social interaction: Unoccupied play occurs when very young babies observe the world around them with interest but don’t try to interact with it yet. Independent play occurs when a child plays alone. It usually begins around age 2 and lasts through childhood. Onlooker play is most common around ages 2 and 3 and occurs when kids simply observe other kids playing but don’t join in. Though it may seem like they’re not doing much, they’re actually soaking in a ton of information on social norms and how older kids play together. Parallel play is also common around ages 2 and 3. In this case kids are playing near each other, often doing similar activities, but aren’t really playing with each other yet. Associative play is similar to parallel play but with a little more social interaction as kids may talk to each other and influence each other’s activities (like making suggestions for their block tower or trying to copy a friend’s drawing). This type of play is most common between ages 3 and 4. Cooperative play is what we’re likely thinking of when we picture traditional “social play.” Kids are truly playing with each other, not just near each other, and are interacting and communicating. This type of play emerges as kids’ favorite way to interact with their peers around age 4 or 5. Each of these stages is important, so don’t worry if your little one is more of an onlooker than a “jump-on-in” type. They’re still picking up valuable social skills that will benefit them later when they do engage more in cooperative play! Helping Your Child Engage in Different Types of Play Helping your kiddos get enough of each type of play is simple. As long as they aren’t spending too much time on screens or at scheduled events, they’ll naturally seek out these types of play on their own. Our job is simply to provide a few open-ended toys that support each type of play, give them plenty of free time to engage in play, and join in on the fun! Use our Shop by Skills page to easily find toys that foster these different types of play and the developmental skills associated with them!
Buying Guide: Kids Kitchen Playset
Buying a kitchen playset can feel a little like a Goldilocks story. You’re searching for the one that’s just right – the design to make you and your little chef happy, the quality to last through the years, and all the features to enable fun, immersive pretend play. To help you find your perfect play kitchen fast, we’ve laid out all the factors you’ll want to consider before making the big purchase! Size & Counter Height First, be sure to measure the space you plan to put your new play kitchen – eyeballing it is not the way to go here! Even if space is tight, smaller play kitchens can squeeze into little spaces and are ideal for toddlers. As far as finding the right size play kitchen for your child, it’s tough to go wrong – even bigger kids will still enjoy playing with smaller play kitchen sets, and the littlest little will grow into larger kitchens. But if you’re looking for that perfect fit, go for a play kitchen with countertops that are about the height of their hips. Materials Most kid’s kitchen playsets are made of either wood or plastic. Plastic play kitchens often come in at a lower price point, but often at the cost of quality. Wooden children’s play kitchens tend to last longer, look more realistic to your kids, and (real talk) look better in your home. Color and Design Speaking of looking better in your home… there’s no reason you have to settle for a bright plastic eyesore in the middle of your playroom. Our selection of wooden play kitchens come in just about every style and color you could hope for means you can pick the perfect play kitchen to vibe with your home’s aesthetic. Your Child’s Interests Another thing you’ll want to match? Your kiddo’s interests and preferences! Maybe you want a gender-neutral design so your little guy doesn’t think of play kitchens as a “girl’s” toy. Maybe you’re looking to recreate your child’s favorite parts about the real kitchen like using the ice machine or looking through the window above the sink. Whatever the case, only you know the features that will make a play kitchen the perfect fit for your little chef. If you’re buying the play kitchen as a gift for someone else, be sure to ask their parents what special touches they would love to have! Accessories Most play kitchens come with at least a few accessories like pots, pans, dishes and play food. While those cute little fake cupcakes are something to consider, they shouldn’t make or break your decision. You can always add additional play kitchen accessories later. Extra Features Of course, the best thing about play kitchens is that they encourage good old-fashioned pretend play, but a few extra features like working light and sounds can make that imaginative play even more immersive. Beeping microwaves, working ice machines, and stovetop sound effects can add realism to your kids’ kitchen playset and make it even more engaging, though some parents prefer noiseless kitchen playsets (hey, we get it). From large corner kitchens to tiny toddler kitchens, from pretty pinks to calming neutrals, our line of kids play kitchens has something for every little sous chef out there. Browse our full collection of wood play kitchens to find the one that checks off your wishlist!
12 Outdoor Play Ideas for Kids
We like winter for all the cozy cuddles, but we love spring and summer for the sunny days outdoor play. Now that the weather is warming up, take your crew outside and enjoy a few of these 12 no-fuss outdoor play ideas! Build a sandcastle Sandcastles aren’t just for the beach! If you have a sandbox, break out your beach toys so the kids can perfect their castle-building skills in the backyard! Paint with water No, not watercolors – just painting the porch or their wooden outdoor play set with plain water. It’s a mess-free way kids can get creative, and the “designs” actually show up surprisingly well if the wood and concrete are dry enough. A bucket full of water, sponges, and brushes of various sizes are all you need. Splash around with water tables and sprinklers Are the kids feeling grumpy? Just add water! Something about pouring and splashing just seems to reset their mood, and it’s a great way to keep cool in the summer sun. We love the convenience of water tables and sprinklers when filling up a kiddie pool is too much of a hassle. Get imaginative Yep, the coolest kind of play is often the kind your kids come up with entirely on their own. And something about the outdoors adds a little extra magic to imaginative play. Kids get creative with natural objects they find, and their outdoor toys take on whole new roles. The swingset becomes a pirate ship, and the playhouse becomes a fox’s den. Just offer to play make-believe and enjoy watching what they come up with! Play the ground is lava The outdoor version of the floor is lava...you get it. Use anything your yard has available – from landscaping stones to patches of clover – as designated “safe zones”. If there’s still too much open space, add more safe zones by spreading out some beach towels or your outdoor furniture cushions. Of course, if you have an outdoor playset, be sure to use the monkey bars or swings to cross the sea of lava! Use a magnifying glass A simple magnifying glass lets your kids discover a whole new world in your backyard! (Just be sure no bugs get scorched in the process). Have a picnic Lunchtime can be playtime too when the kids get to set up their own picnic! Let them fill a basket or lunch kit and head outside! They’ll love it so much, they might even try those kale chips you bought. If ants are a problem, a kid-sized picnic table might be worth the investment! Get swinging Pushing your kiddo on the swing is a great time for bonding...but when they finally learn to swing by themselves? That’s pretty great too. They’re totally engaged, and you can spend a minute working in the yard or relaxing on the porch. Have a bug hunt Have the kids look for as many different types of bugs as possible. They can describe or draw what they see, and if the creepy-crawlies don’t creep you out, they’ll love showing you a few of their finds. Of course, you’ll want to supervise young kids who can’t recognize stinging and biting bugs they should leave alone. Watch the clouds Is it a little sentimental? Sure. But if you haven’t stopped and watched the clouds with your kids, you’re missing out! You’re guaranteed to hear something silly and adorable when you ask what the clouds look like. Play with the pup The family dog just might be an untapped resource for playtime. Even if your dog’s energetic years are behind them, your kids can still have fun taking them for walks or hiding treats for them in the backyard. Plant a garden Giving kids their own little area to plant flowers and vegetables encourages independence, patience, and curiosity for the natural world. Set it up in front of their playhouse for an even cuter effect! Need a few additions to get your backyard playtime ready? KidKraft has you covered with all the outdoor toy classics: swing sets, climbers, playhouses, and sandboxes, all made to last and look great in your backyard!
5 Activities That Help Communication Skills for Kids
Communication milestones are some of the most fun – first words, first sentences, and all the adorably silly ways toddlers describe things. Fortunately, we don’t have to get fancy to encourage communication skills in our kids – one of the best things we can do is to talk with them as much as possible, using correct language and rich vocabulary. But adding in a few communication-building activities can be a fun way to challenge kids’ language skills and expose them to a wider range of vocabulary. Here’s a few simple activities to help your kids become confident, well-spoken communicators. Reading We know – this one is probably so obvious we could just skip it, but reading with your kids truly is one of the best things you can do to help them develop language and communication skills. Books not only help them develop a large vocabulary – kids will also intuitively pick up on sentence structure and grammatical rules, especially as you read some of the same books over and over. Even story books without words can be amazing for kids’ language development. (Think books with evocative pictures like Jerry Pinkney’s The Lion and the Mouse.) These books empower kids to decipher what’s happening in the pictures, make inferences about characters’ emotions, and narrate their own version of the story. Simon Says This classic kids’ game is great for developing skills in listening closely and following instructions, both of which are critical in the school years. And it can still be fun even if it’s just you and the kids. Take turns being Simon each time someone messes up – they’ll love the chance to give instructions too! Emotion Charades Non-verbal communication is important too – especially since recognizing non-verbal cues in others is tough for many kids. To practice, you can play a game of “Emotion Charades” where you take turns acting out different emotions (excited, bored, annoyed, angry, etc.). You can add an extra layer to the game by asking kids when they’ve seen someone display that emotion in real life, why they felt that way, and how your child reacted. Mystery Bag Have kids reach into an opaque bag filled with random objects and try to describe and guess what they feel without looking. Model it yourself a few times, making sure to get really precise as you describe the shape and feel of each object and what you think it is. Kids not only get a chance to flex their inductive reasoning muscles, they’ll also feel encouraged to use rich, descriptive language. Family Show and Tell No, you don’t need to have your kid do a presentation in front of all their friends, but casual mini-versions of show-and-tell in your own home can help your kids gain confidence as a speaker. Anytime they seem extra interested in a toy, activity, or show, simply ask them to tell you about it. You can ask them a mix of real and imagination-based questions like describing how a toy looks, where they got it, what it likes to do, where it sleeps, what it eats, etc. They’ll grow their imaginations and their speaking skills as they come up with answers. And if they seem to get shy in response to your questions instead of enjoying answering them? No worries. You can simply move on to something else – the last thing you want to do is make them feel pressure to perform. Instead, just look for natural opportunities to talk with your kids about things they enjoy. Remember, it’s not about racing to get to the first word or having the kindergartner with the most impressive vocabulary. Just try to help your child know that you truly enjoy communicating with them, whether that’s in a game like the ones above or in your day-to-day life. Kids who feel heard and respected (at any stage of communication) are more likely to feel confident and prepared as they communicate with peers, teachers, and other adults throughout their life.
How Long Do Kids Play With Dollhouses
Dollhouses are more than just cute (though they are that) – they’re a wealth of developmental play opportunities. Most importantly, dollhouses facilitate imaginative play that helps kids grow their social skills and make sense of the world. Kids act out social situations, imagine multiple perspectives and personalities, and perform practice runs of social conflicts. What is a good age for a dollhouse? We find that dollhouse play aligns best with the developmental needs and play preferences of kids ages 3 - 9. At these ages, kids love to engage in imaginative and pretend play and act out social scenarios. The beauty of dolls and dollhouses is that they can grow with them as their imaginations become more complex. Toddlers will love simply reenacting every day activities in their dollhouses, while older kids will create elaborate storylines and characters. Each child is different, of course, but in general, here’s how you can expect kids of different ages to play and learn with their dollhouse. 1-2 Years Those chubby-cheeked toddlers are just starting to engage in pretend play. They may hug and brush the hair of a baby doll, but most kids under two won’t really understand the concept of pretending their dolls live in a dollhouse. But that doesn’t mean they won’t still have fun with them! Toddlers love exploring features on a dollhouse like sound effects and doors that open and close. They’ll also enjoy rearranging furniture and finding all the different ways they can fit dolls and accessories into the rooms of the dollhouse. At this age, dollhouses are often more about spatial exploration, fine motor skills, and cause and effect than they are about pretend play. As they inch closer to 3 years old though, you’ll start to see them engage in simple pretend play like putting dolls to bed or making them sit at the kitchen table. Their ideal dollhouse: Very durable No small pieces that can be choked on Doors or accessories to open and close 3-5 Years You’ll really see the fun begin here. Around these ages, kids will begin to create storylines with their dolls and act them out in the dollhouse. And no, those stories don’t always make sense, but that’s okay! Just by imagining conflicts and scenarios – no matter how silly they are – your child is still gaining so much understanding of the world and other people. Their ideal dollhouse: Big enough to play with friends Not so tall that they can’t reach the top floors Simple, sturdy furniture that they can move around without breaking 6-9 Years We love these years for dollhouse play. The creativity you saw earlier only begins to grow, and you may be surprised at just how developed their pretend worlds are. You may also notice that your kiddos’ interests shift to different types of dolls in these years. They may become less interested in a family set of dolls and more interested in Barbies or dolls that look like teenagers. Unfortunately, at this age many boys experience social pressure that prevents them from playing with dolls and dollhouses, or they simply gravitate more towards other kinds of toys. Because dollhouse play can be so beneficial for developing empathy and social skills, consider providing similar toys that match your little boy’s interests like the Everyday Heroes Set. Their ideal dollhouse: Big enough to play with friends A dollhouse that fits the type and size of doll they enjoy More detailed accessories and furniture 10-12 Years The golden days of the dollhouse may be winding down at this point, but even those precocious preteens still have fun with dolls and dollhouses. Though at this age, you can expect that play to look different than it used to. For some older kids, playing with their dollhouse becomes a top secret activity. If friends and classmates have stopped playing with dollhouses, your child may start to be self-conscious about still enjoying dollhouses. Though there’s a decent chance their friends are doing the same thing. For others, dollhouses begin to become more of a tool for social play and less an activity they do by themselves. In other words, when your child has a friend over, they may love world-building and playing out complex social situations with dolls and dollhouses, but you may notice that they enjoy dollhouses less when playing alone. So what age is good for a dollhouse? Almost any child pre-teen or younger can benefit from dollhouse play, but the sweetest spot is often between four and nine years old. Their imaginations are going full steam, and they’re always looking for new ways to pretend. Trying to find the perfect dollhouse? Check out our collection of dollhouses, dollhouse accessories, and dolls!
Benefits of Climbing for Kids
If you’re a parent, you don’t need anyone to tell you that kids love to climb. You’ve seen it for yourself first hand as your toddler scales the furniture or your kindergartner attempts to climb any tree with a branch within reach. But do you know why kids have a natural drive to climb? Read on to find out and learn how you can support this important developmental activity! 1. Vestibular system development We do a ton of things to support the development of our kids’ fine and gross motor skills, language, and cognitive function. But their vestibular system? Not something most of us have heard of. Our vestibular system is largely responsible for our balance and how well we can orient ourselves in a space without the use of our other senses like sight and sound. In other words, if you can close your eyes, stand on one foot, and still keep your balance, you have a strong vestibular system to thank for that! Climbing, spinning, and hanging upside down are some of the best ways to support the development of the vestibular system. It’s thought that this is why young kids are so naturally drawn to these behaviors! Providing safe opportunities to climb is a great way to help your kids develop strong balance and enjoy physical activity throughout their lives1. 2. Risk-taking play Risky play may not sound like a great idea… but most psychologists consider it an important part of childhood and healthy development2. When kids engage in risk-taking play (like climbing high or jumping from the swings), they learn to evaluate risks, take caution, and gain confidence. So, while we’re usually tempted to shout “Be careful!” at the first sign our kids are going to climb that ladder too fast or try to go down the slide backward, we better serve them when we let them explore age-appropriate risks. Of course, there is such a thing as too much risk, and parents should always make sure their kids are taking risks within safe contexts. (Free play at the park? Sounds great. Playing in a busy street? Not so much.) Kids climbing structures provide a great balance of safety and reasonable risk for most age groups, allowing kids to have fun and explore their natural desire to take risks.. 3. Memory and cognitive function Research suggests that climbers can provide cognitive benefits as well as physical ones. One study found that participants’ working memory improved after engaging in dynamic activities like climbing and balancing4. Researcher Ross Alloway points to benefits for kids as well as adults: “By taking a break to do activities that are unpredictable and require us to consciously adapt our movements, we can boost our working memory to perform better in the classroom and the boardroom.” 4. Strength, coordination, and exercise It’s no surprise that climbing helps kids develop strong muscles and motor skills. Toddlers are naturally driven to climb to develop their gross motor skills, and this inclination lasts well into school-age years as kids continue to develop their coordination and muscle strength. Providing opportunities to climb helps kids easily fit in the CDC’s recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day6– something that is becoming tougher to accomplish as screens compete for kids’ time. KidKraft’s climbers and swing sets are a fun, safe way to do just that! (To see all of our swing sets specifically built with climbing in mind, select “Rock Wall” under the Play Features drop-down menu to refine your search results.) 1 How to Improve the Vestibular System 2 Children’s Risky Play from an Evolutionary Perspective4 Climbing a tree can improve cognitive skills, researchers say6 How much physical activity do children need?
