- 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. -
