Mik Underwood

Joined: October 11, 2020
Articles: 18

Uncategorized

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Healthy eating: children think their peers eat more unhealthy snacks than they actually do – changing this perception can lead to better diets Rachel Povey, Staffordshire University; Robert Dempsey, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Sian Calvert, University of Nottingham Obesity is a…

Mik Underwood
July 6, 2022

Play, Uncategorized

5 tips from a play therapist to help kids express themselves and unwind

Jessie D. Guest, University of South Carolina As many children go back to school after 18 months of global pandemic, social isolation and on-and-off remote learning, they too are feeling the additional stress and uncertainty of these times. Children need…

Mik Underwood
May 26, 2022

Uncategorized

Why kids should not have lots of toys (and what to do if yours have too many)

Phillip Glickman/Unsplash Louise Grimmer, University of Tasmania and Martin Grimmer, University of Tasmania The festive season reinforces something parents and carers already know – many children today have a lot of toys. In the United States, children receive more than…

Mik Underwood
May 17, 2022

Uncategorized

Infants need lots of active movement and play – and there are simple ways to help them get it

Experts believe that infants should get some interactive floor-based physical activity two to three times a day. Sam Edwards/OJO Images via Getty Images Danae Dinkel, University of Nebraska Omaha When people set personal fitness goals and establish their physical exercise…

Mik Underwood
May 4, 2022

Emotions, Guides, Parenting

Scaling Emotions Helps Children Control Feelings

In this article, we are going to learn how to use Scaling to help your child understand and get control of their feelings. If your child can recognise and scale feelings they are more likely to gain a sense of control and less likely to be overwhelmed by their feelings.

Mik Underwood
July 1, 2020

Guides, Play, Uncategorized

Playdough Wonders

Playdough is a fabulous material to help children's sensory development. And as a sensory activity, playdough can help children manage their feelings. It’s very soothing to just play with the dough and squidge it around. Making things is a distracting activity that can have a calming effect. And sometimes, pummeling the dough can help to get those strong feelings out.

Mik Underwood
June 6, 2020

Emotions, Parenting, Play

Movement Play

Movement play is about enjoying our physical existence in the world. It has benefits in terms of health and fitness, and is an important factor in brain development, but also has implications for emotional health.

Mik Underwood
May 27, 2020

Guides, Parenting, Play

Messy Play

Messy play can help your child to learn about the world, it can have a soothing effect, and it is great fun. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up messy play without it getting out of control.

Mik Underwood
May 26, 2020

Parenting, Play

Make-Believe Play

Like all kinds of play, make-believe play is important for development. Through it, your child can learn social and emotional skills, language and thinking skills. Make-believe play allows your child to explore characters, emotions and roles, in a safe way. They can use make-believe to make sense of their world, processing difficult emotions and learning about themselves and others. At challenging times it really comes into its own.

Mik Underwood
May 19, 2020

Parenting, Play

Three Ways To Play

I am sure you’ve read those articles about the different types of play. Sixteen types of play. Twelve types of play. Pick a number. Well, I’ll make it simple for you. Three. That’s all you need. Three types of play to help your child develop, and become the boss of their feelings.

Mik Underwood
May 13, 2020