So many toys to choose from and so many questions about what is the best to buy for your child or grandchild. Here's some advice from me... a Mom of 5, grandma to 9, co-founder of Funfit® Family Fitness (1987) and founder of BeABetterParent.com and have spent my career playing with kids and parents and coaching and advising. The simpler the better. Great news!! Simpler toys are not as expensive and encourage cognitive and social development, creativity, curiosity and long term play. Electronic toys that basically do things themselves are more expensive and just gives the child something to watch, limits imagination and loses appeal quickly. So what's great to get? BALLS of all kinds and sizes. Beach balls and foam balls make fun indoor play with little damage to your stuff. HULA HOOPS... all sizes for not just hula hooping but also driving (makes a great steering wheel), putting on the ground and jumping in and out of, get a few and make a track. SWIMMING POOL NOODLES (cut them in half simply with a knife and you can 2 noodles for the price of one)... makes great hockey sticks, golf clubs, baseball bats for little ones, riding ponies, limbo sticks, tons of fun for everyone! BALLOONS... under inflated and tons of fun! SCARVES & RIBBONS for dancing. Music too. Nothing like a fun freeze dance. OBSTACLE COURSES made out of whatever is in the house. Make sure you have them going under, over, around and through. SIDEWALK CHALK... draw pictures, games, lines to walk on, hopscotch... let the creativity soar. NATURE HUNTS, TREASURE HUNTS.... be creative and let the exploration begin! TAG GAMES... run around outside with your child and some tag! YOU'RE IT! This is a great start to having fun and laughing more for you and your child. REMINDER, don't just watch join in the fun! WANT TO SQUEEZE IN MORE EXERCISE INTO YOUR DAY? No better exercise program than running around with your child or grandchild. Hope this helps... comment below what your favorite toy/game is to get you moving in body & mind.

I’m asking for your help. I’ve been invited back to work on the Skool Magazine Issue 08 and this month we are focusing more on Skool community members based on reader request. My ask: 1. If you have attended a summit as an attendee, what lead you to attend? What expectations did you have and were they met? How did attending the summit help you or your business grow. 2. If you were a speaker at a summit, how was the experience? Did you achieve your goals? 3. Not summit related: what makes a community standout to you? What is one tip you would share with a new member? Feel free to comment here or send a DM. I will check with the editor regarding quote attribution, I’m suggesting first name last initial or just initials. Please tag me if you have any questions. Tagging a few folks I know with summit experience but open to all. @Celia Kibler @Janell Bitton @Ruben Plasmeijer @Gus Gray @Brenda Chilstrom

Toys with buttons have a "correct" way to be played with. That’s fine for entertainment, but it’s "low-ownership" for the brain. Let’s explore using things that have no instructions. While this was written with 3-6 year olds in mind, you can adapt for any age. 1. Create an "Invention Lab." Find a box and fill it with "loose parts,” things like old keys, sponges, rags, plastic lids, buttons, scraps of construction paper, a cardboard tube, and some masking tape. 2. Tell them: "The Toy Factory is closed. This is the Invention Lab. I need to see what these things can become." 3. Observer Role: Sit back. If they look at a sponge and don't know what to do, stay silent. Let them sit in the "boredom" for a minute until their brain sparks. 4. The Expansion: If they stay stuck, offer a "Master Builder" challenge: "I need a way to get this spoon from the table to the floor without using my hands. You own the design." Your Turn: What was the weirdest "invention" that came out of the box today?

Today is Saturday and that means we have fun and share about ourselves. What was your favorite book or books as a child? Were you drawn to a specific genre or author? What about now as an adult? Do you find yourself still drawn to similar book genres or have you left those childhood stories behind. I loved mysteries, of course, it might be due to that was all my grandma kept at her house. I started with the Bobbsey Twins, then Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys (I preferred them), and graduated to Ellery Queens Minute Mysteries. At home, we had lots of magazines and trips to the library. Your turn.

Time to play, “Choose Your Adventure” Connected Through Play style. Together we make our community stronger and more playful. I’m curious, which types of activities do your kids (and you!) enjoy the most?