Articles By: Lenore Skenazy

By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

Let’s Hear It For Sittervising!

The Scary Mommy site is always on top of the parenting trends and its latest find is “Sittervising.” The not-exactly-groundbreaking idea is for a parent to SIT while their kid...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

Dare You Not to Smile!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIkHCNDd7wk&t=13s Not sure anyone can watch this video of "loose parts" free play at a school in Portland, Oregon, and not smile. Look how the kids are SO ALIVE, so...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 3 minutes

Laundry Advice from a College President: Start Sooner

A college president and college professor find themselves all too familiar with the granular back-and-forthing on Facebook forums for parents of students at their institutions. And in an article in...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

Save The Sleepover!

Sleeping bags and tents outside? Pillows and blankets inside? Either way, there is something thrilling and fulfilling about a sleepover. It's like a playdate on steroids! (Though...perhaps that shouldn't be...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

Suggestions Needed! Dad Asks What Books and Activities Will Make His Kid Curious, Active & Independent?

Got this letter today and decided to crowd source it! Please send your suggestions to [email protected] and we will edit them down and share right here, along with our own!...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

Another Kid Lost at the Airport — With a Twist

The other day when a mom named Katy told us about losing her daughter at Newark Airport -- and then finding her -- we got a wonderful mix of advice...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 3 minutes

It’s Out There, Kids — Go Find It

The drive to play is in all kids. So is another drive, less often discussed: The drive to explore. Without that drive, kids would be stuck simply waiting for someone...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 3 minutes

Should I Worry About My Kids Wasting Time Over the Summer?

With the lazy, hazy days of you-know-what upon us officially starting today, should you worry about your kids goofing off? Being idle? Spending tons of time making sculptures out of...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 5 minutes

When Is It Safe to Start Sending Kids On Errands? PART 2

Kids need experience and instruction and then they can start running errands.
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 9 minutes

Mom Convicted of Letting Daughter Play Outside Celebrates Colorado’s New “Let Grow” Law by…

In 2017, Colorado small businesswoman Monica Jones let her 4-year-old play in the tiny park across the street from her house. Below is the letter she wrote to us in...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 1 minute

These Kids Got Off Their Phones and Started Playing Outside

What do kids like better -- playing online or playing outside? The answer was unanimous.
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 3 minutes

“Leave or I’m Calling Security” Said Recess Monitor — to Me!

Picture this: It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood – Queens, New York. I’m walking by one of the local elementary schools and slow down to watch the kids doing...
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