Book Club: "The Floor is a child's First Playground"

Enjoy post #2 on insights from "A Moving Child is a Learning Child" by Gill Connell and Cheryll McCarthy.

Many people write about our society's tendendency to physically contain children. Whether it's for their own safety or for our own convenience, there is certainly a time and place for seats, strollers, carriers, gates, slings, and basinetts. But as we know, mind and body are working simultaneously to help a child grow therefore too much containment can be equally (though less visibly) restricting to mental development as well.

Taking risks, discovering new challenges, and leaving our comfort zone (and perhaps that of our parents') is how ALL humans grow. Curiousity is human nature's tool for exploring BEYOND boundaries and aquiring new capabilities.

So, we must invest the energy and time into giving baby and child LOTS of opportunity to explore their world unleashed. (And barefoot! Click to find out why)

This excerpt is poetry to me:

"In life, experience is the root of all learning.

Inexperience is the root of all fear.

And fear is the greatest container of all."

So what's the bottom line?

Create spaces for your child to explore that are safe from hazards but also give your child the freedom to take the lead and follow their curiousities as often as possible. The more time they spend on the floor walking, crawling, rolling or practicing tummy time, the better.