Running Start How Play, Physical Activity, and Free Time Create a Successfful Child

- More young kids are over-scheduled: The over-scheduling of kids' lives and the best ways to foster children's intellectual development are both hot topics among parents and childcare providers today. Parents who enroll their kids full-time in special classes, extracurricular academics, competitive sports, and other structured, high-commitment activities can create a pressure-cooker environment that may actually interfere with kids' natural development. - Advocates making time for play to improve kids' learning: Renowned educational expert Pica looks at the many misconceptions under which today's parents are laboring. Among them are beliefs that "earlier is better"; achievement is more important than play; parents must be the architects of their child's future. Pica's book uniquely shows that young children learn best through movement and play, plus offers age-and stage-appropriate activities that stimulate kids' curiosity of the world to help parents raise a lifelong learner. - Practical advice: Among the topics she discusses are what kids really need to prepare for school, activities that help kids learn, what's most intellectually stimulating to a child, what to look for in a preschool, when to get your child involved in sports, developmentally appropriate games, and how to instill values in your kids, such as empathy, confidence, and responsibility.Pica, Rae is the author of 'Running Start How Play, Physical Activity, and Free Time Create a Successfful Child', published 2006 under ISBN 9781569242841 and ISBN 1569242844.