Help kids LOVE learning to problem solve and persist like one of nature’s most industrious birds—the woodpecker!

Everyone struggles sometimes with how to keep play going—and keep our kids engaged and in the lead. One tool you can use is the “Yes! And..." golden rule of improv theater.

Winter sure feels like a time to hibernate. But, with the right approach, it just might be the best season to enjoy the great outdoors.

When totality hit and I looked up at the solar eclipse corona, my heart cracked wide open—I was changed forever for the better. Now, how to hold onto some of that feeling.

For the many of us who’ve assumed everyone celebrates Halloween: an invitation to support everyone, even the people who don’t.

A love letter to Tinkergarten Explorers everywhere. (August, 2024)

In a culture that favors action and extroversion, it’s all too easy to miss the often overlooked power of the introverts we love and teach.

Why do young kids repeat things again, and again, and again...? Repeating familiar activities does so much for young kids—develops the brain, supports kids in learning to persist, gives a sense of belonging and comfort and even helps spark creativity!

Not all early play looks as social and as developmentally rich as it truly is. Learn more about the stages of play, and you'll start to see all that is working in your child's play with other kids.

Why do we love messy play (and why is it worth enduring as a parent)? Believe it or not, messy play is actually linked to how we develop critical capacities like creativity and flexible thinking.

Kids are born creative, but our society makes it hard to stay that way. Thankfully, there are certain kinds of play experiences that contribute to developing a strong creative foundation.

Gender is at play whenever kids are learning—even if we don’t address gender at all. Learn how to create a learning environment that is supportive of all kids.

Our kids will need a breadth of skills to navigate the world. But, there is one set of skills that is so foundational it may just enable all of the others.

Struggling to answer all those questions young kids are asking? Worry less about the answers; it’s the curiosity that counts.

Simple tips and tricks to get your kids engaged in leading their own play…for hours on end!

As parents, it can help to imagine ourselves as stage managers, always there, observing the action. If actors call for a cue, we step in, but we stay in the background, allowing them to own their own play on the stage.

Most of us remember learning about the five senses, but there are actually 7 in particular that are critical for learning.

Having a quick conversation feels like a breeze...for adults...But we don’t realize how many skills kids need during even the simplest chat. Learn easy ways we can support kids as they learn to communicate.

What is wonder? Why is it so powerful, and how can we weave more of it into everything we do with kids?

What could open up if we shift from teaching persistence as a fixed inner quality to persistence as a process — and helping kids on practice a learner's approach to that process?