I spoke with a mom last weekend who has two young daughters, three years and 14-months-old. She said her children seem bored playing with the same toys every day and believes that boredom is the cause of a lot of their irritability. I feel for this mom and for her daughters! These are new and challenging times we’re living in and I think many of us are suffering from the “same old, same old” each day. A play space that provided hours of pleasure a couple of months ago, may now benefit from a few adjustments. It’s a good idea to follow a “less is more” rule of thumb. Too many toys can make it more difficult for your child to engage deeply with any one toy. So, now may be a good time to put away some toys and rotate a few of them back in whenever your toddler needs a change. You can also give toys a sense of newness by setting them out differently. A big, empty yogurt container may have held links and chains yesterday but today, a small stuffed animal can peek out of the top. The metal canning or wooden rings that are usually [...]