The Baby Sensory Experience
By Toni O’Dell, Baby Sensory New Zealand “Babies learn best when they experience things that they can see, hear, touch, smell or taste. It…
Playtime
Early Play and Communication
By Donna Heather “Oh, you get paid to play? That must be nice!”. I have heard this so many times over my career as a speech language therapist. Yes,…
Sustainable, natural, open-ended play solutions
Seeing a gap in the local market and inspired by her daughter with ASD, Rebecca Young set out to address the lack of available…
Themed sleepover parties to create magical childhood memories
Seeing the joy that sleepovers brought her children, Petra Kukard loved the idea of producing something special and magical for them. She put her…
From corporate career to a family business: selling unique toys, gifts, clothing and baby items
After a busy corporate career in HR prior to the birth of her son, Gayle Carew looked for a change of direction and the…
Beautiful, Themed Children’s Teepee Parties
Inspired by a lack of options for boys’ birthday parties, Cassandra Devlin began to gather ideas, design themes and create her business plan for…
Parents of a Toddler Design and Make Toys to Share with the World
As their son EJ grew, so did Ethan and Shaina toys, décor and accessories business EJ’s Toy Box. Their point of difference is them,…
Nature-Based Learning in Community Forest Reserves and Parks
With her experience with Forest School ethos and a passion for the outdoors, Jo Marsden has created Fantail Nature School based in Lower Hutt,…
The Evolution of Kids Furniture
When their active son needed a highchair. Rob, (dad) used his laser cutting and CNC routing tools made him a table and chair set…
10 Easy Activities You Can Do With An Infant
By Tracy Cutchlow “Umm … now, what do we do?” I distinctly remember having this thought a couple weeks after my baby was born….
Steiner School to Silvercap Dolls
Silvercap Dolls aims to create beautiful dolls that encourage creative and imaginative play for children. In a landscape where plastic has become the main…
Ten Indoor Gross Motor Activities for Toddlers
By Christina Clemer I’ve been looking for more indoor gross motor options for my son James. I am a big believer that giving toddlers enough…
The Do’s and Don’ts of Risky Play
By Annie Fortunato The habits we form from childhood make no small difference, but rather they make all the difference. -Aristotle We spend much of…
The Magic of Imaginary Play Extends Well Beyond the Childhood Years
By Sarah Ozanne My little one shouts “I elephant!” as he presses a cardboard toilet roll onto his nose. Just moments before we were…
Be Nice, You’ve Got to Share
By Pennie Brownlee How embarrassing Have you ever taken your baby to baby group and your baby has been very active, taking toys from…
School Holiday Survival Kit – In a Wet, Chilly Autumn
By Lucia Laubscher Throughout New Zealand kids are on their first term break, two weeks of sleeping in and late mornings begin for stay-at-home mums…
10 Free Fun Things to Do With Your Kids
By Elizabeth Pantley Boring week ahead? Nothing interesting planned? Here are some ideas for fun, free easy things to do with your kids that…
Nature Deficit Disorder
By Alex Koster I don’t know about you, but most of my childhood memories revolve around outdoor activities and adventures. We lived on the edge…
Why Your Child Should Be Encouraged To Play, Play, Play!
A child rolls a handful of dirt into a ball, places a stick in the top and stands back to admire her creation. It’s…
Are Modern Toys and Full Activity Schedules Hindering Our Children’s Imaginations?
By Alex Koster BOREDOM PROHIBITED I am going to ask a bit of a strange question at first glance, but are we in our…