Child Development

If you are looking to ditch the glitter and ideas that require a PhD in crafting, we’ve got you covered with these quick and easy, DIY holiday Christmas ornaments. And a big bonus, they just so happen to have mostly eco-friendly materials and are super affordable.

As a former toddler and preschool teacher and current mom to four, I have a tree filled with dozens of handmade ornaments, and the trip down memory lane unpacking the handmade ornaments is just such a calming parenting treat amid the holiday chaos. So let’s get busy!

A staple for generations, one of the first toys we all end up with for our kiddos are wooden blocks. At Marley & Moose, we consistently preach the value of imaginative and open-ended play. These simple toys are the perfect developmental learning tool to let your kiddo’s imagination and problem-solving skills run wild as well as support fine motor development and coordination. Fine motor skills are the well…building blocks for being able to write and draw down the line. No more dad jokes, okay no promises, but here are 6 kid-approved and super fun games to get the most out of your blocks.

One of the challenges most parents struggle with is how much screen time is appropriate for their kids. It is hard not to throw on the TV or let the little ones run wild on Minecraft so you have time to make dinner, do the dishes, or get some extra work done. As the kids age, how do you prevent your child from playing Fortnite when everyone at school is engaged together?

As a father of four, finding a balance of screen time usage in children is critically important and personal, and I’m not alone. According to a survey by Pew Research, 71% of parents are concerned that their child might spend too much time on screens. Lucky for me, my partner Brittany has a degree, as well as, significant experience in Early Childhood Development and Education, and I have a Computer Science and Engineering background. Brittany leads the charge with the kid’s development and I lead the charge in configuring the tech. Even still, the challenges persist as we are constantly asking questions and evaluating our approach.

How much screen time is too much? Does screen time cause ADHD? How do we prevent cyberbullying? How can we track what our kids are doing online? Can I prevent predators from communicating with my child? What the heck is Minecraft? My goodness, what does it all mean? There is so much information out there that it is hard to know where to start. Through our series of guides, we’ve broken down our research into consumable chunks of actionable information you can apply today. This guide is specifically about the child development aspects of screen time.

What does the research say? Continue reading for a collection of key points from several journals and studies on how screen time affects child development.