Try starting a story and having others add to it to see what plot twists emerge! It's a great way to encourage creativity.

I Spy, Bingo (or Opposites Bingo, where families make their own picture boards and kids have to match the opposite to what is said), and other matching games are great for building memory and cognitive skills.

Freeze Dance, Red Light Green Light, Simon Says, or Duck Duck Goose are all games that get kids active while reinforcing self-regulation and cooperation.

Here are some ideas for 4-to 7-year-olds (note: automatic download): As kids grow, play builds on those skills and gives them opportunities to think, be creative, cooperate with one another, and use their bodies. In the first three years of life, play is about literally building brain connections and basic skills. Great games to play with younger children: Ages 4 to 7 I particularly like those that involve the parent too - because that not only helps your child, it helps your relationship. Harvard's Center on the Developing Child has developed excellent handouts for parents (note: automatic download) on different age-based games and activities to help support their child's development. Devices are so ubiquitous and easy, it can take real effort to put them aside and find something else to do. Parents used to bring toys to entertain their children while they waited to see me now they just hand their child their phone.

I think that also, parents and children are literally forgetting how to play.

As devices become more pervasive, and as many children become more scheduled with lessons and organized activities, making time for device-free play can become forgotten. The best way for children to learn these skills is through play that's why we say that play is the work of a child.

Play bolsters executive function and mood regulation skillsĮxecutive function, emotional regulation, and general physical skills are important for children to learn - and practice - as they grow. And while there is certainly much to be learned, explored, and created using devices, there are skills that devices can't always teach - and that children need to learn. In this increasingly digital world, it's not surprising that children are spending more and more of their time on some sort of device.

Download dopey challenge