09/03/2026
🧠 Want to help build your child’s brain? The good news: you probably don’t need to buy anything.
Read together.
Turn up some music.
Give them a job to do beside you.
Let them build something.
Take a walk and notice what you see.
Hand them a puzzle.
Let them play without directing the play.
And — perhaps the hardest one — let them be bored. 😬
So many of the experiences that help children learn, problem-solve, communicate, create and become more independent are incredibly simple.
And notice what’s near the very top of this graphic: serve-and-return. What’s that?!
That’s just the everyday back-and-forth between a child and a caring adult. They point at a truck; you say, “That IS a huge truck!” They ask their 47th question before breakfast; you answer (or at least attempt to 😅). They tell you an extremely long story with no actual discernible plot; you listen and respond.
Those little interactions matter.
This also is NOT a guilt trip about screens. Sometimes Bluey is doing the important work while dinner gets made!!! 😂 The goal isn’t perfection. Parenting has always been challenging, but we’re navigating the new challenge of parenting a digital generation while also living in it ourselves.
It’s simply a reminder that when we’re wondering what our kids need more of, the answer is often surprisingly uncomplicated:
More conversation. More books. More music. More helping. More creating. More boredom. More play. More time with us. ❤️
