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New toys don't create play; your playful setup does. The reason your child wants every toy at the toy store isn't because they're bored with what they have; it's because novelty creates interest. If you want to get more life out of the toys that you already have at home, you have to help develop that interest. Children at every age are ready and eager to explore the unfamiliar, and it's easier than you think to create that feeling for them. This is what educators call an "inv

While it is painful to watch our children struggle, immediately rescuing them robs them of the opportunity to develop persistence. Stepping back to allow safe failures is the only way they learn to keep trying despite failure and challenge. Our instinct is to avoid risk for ourselves and our children but a frictionless life leaves children more fragile. In the same way that we build muscle strength through low-level stress, resilient brains are built by being in control of ou