Do you know about the “summer slide”? It’s what happens to your children’s reading skills over the summer if they’re not exploring books and building reading comprehension. With the help of parents and caregivers, though, the summer slide can be prevented and kids can start a new school year with reading confidence. DEAR: Also known […]
If your parents (or grandparents) are of a certain age, they may remember a time when the only toys available for children were made of wood. Before brightly colored plastic and gadgets that light up or make sounds, there were sustainable wooden toys, trucks, blocks, and puzzles — no batteries or recharging necessary! Now, however, […]
The events over the last year have presented plenty of challenges, including how to safely celebrate our kids’ birthdays. Traditionally, kids’ birthday parties are all about gathering friends and family together to play games, eat cake, and exchange gifts. Because that’s no longer an option in many places, it’s time to get creative — while […]
It’s no secret that the holidays will look a little different these days, with many people staying home with their families instead of traveling — but you know what they say: “There’s no place like home for the holidays!” Just because celebrations will be a bit smaller and scaled-down, it doesn’t mean your family can’t […]
Summer is in full swing, which means many families are having to make alternative plans now that summer camps and seasonal vacations have been canceled. Parents are struggling to find ways to fill the time staying at home and kids are being faced with long, unstructured days. Personally, I know my granddaughter and her parents […]
Does your kid have that special toy they carry everywhere? When they eat, sleep, and play outside with their prized belonging, it can get germy, grimy, and downright gross. Learn how to best clean and disinfect their favorite teddy bear or toy car, and how often you should be taking these steps to keep your […]
With so much happening around us due to the Coronavirus, we’ve had a lot of calls from customers who want to know if we’re still open. The short answer is “yes”, but like everyone else, we have had to make some difficult changes to do our part to “flatten the curve”. Our shop in Ferguson, Missouri is […]
Every family is unique, and however you decide to tackle screen time for your children is up to you. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to have activities ready just in case it’s time to put the digital devices down. While screen time can offer some learning benefits, kids benefit from a variety of educational opportunities. Below […]
There’s no doubt that today’s grandparents are more involved in their grandkids’ lives than ever before. Many are even part-time and full-time caregivers, childcare providers, and live-in family members. For the grandparents and grandkids that spend plenty of time together, the daily routine can get a little boring. Try one (or all) of these great […]
There’s a reason (several, actually) that wooden toys have been around for generations. Even the newest, flashiest electronic gadgets can’t claim the developmental benefits of wooden toys — especially when it comes to STEM learning. Wooden toys are also less expensive and last longer, which makes them a smart investment that can easily pay for […]
Toddlers may not be able to read or write, but as they develop fine and gross motor skills they’re certainly able to help with age-appropriate chores around the house. In fact, learning that chores are important is even more beneficial than the help your toddlers offer — it’s called prosocial skill-building: “Prosocial behavior is characterized […]
There’s no getting around it: When you have kids in the house, you’ll accumulate toys and other “stuff” quicker than you can clean it up. If you’re anything like us, you already know how quickly the kids’ playroom or play areas can become littered with toys, games, and other kids’ items in your home. Instead […]
While it may seem like you still have plenty of time before holiday gift-giving season, it’s a great time to start shopping now — especially if you’re looking for a custom, personalized gift for that special someone in your life. They say it’s always better to give than receive, and that’s especially true when the […]
Planning a baby shower for those special parents-to-be in your life? Don’t stress — you can still pull off the perfect shower without being a professional event planner! From themes to food, and even decor, we’ve got you covered with a few ideas that are sure to wow your guests. Ready to get started? Think […]
It’s never too early to start teaching children the alphabet! Although they may not be ready for school, toddlers can learn plenty by engaging in fun activities that help lay the foundation for later reading and writing skills. Making this learning part of everyday play can promote memorization, something that has been proven effective as […]
Congratulations on your first home! Whether you’re upgrading from a rental, moving across the country, or starting a new life together, moving into your first home can be exciting — but also overwhelming. With everything you have to do to make it perfect, don’t overlook how important it is to make the space personalized and […]
We have not been shy in preaching the benefits of puzzles for children. Not only do puzzles improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills at a young age, but they also encourage problem solving, shape recognition, and improve memory. From infancy well into childhood, puzzles are not only fun but also essential for development, but […]
Having a baby—especially the first baby—is one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking things that a person can experience. In the months before a child is born, one of the best ways that parents-to-be can fill their time is by decorating their nursery. With so many great websites and available products giving expecting parents ideas […]
Here at Hollow Woodworks, perhaps the most iconic and treasured item that we sell is the personalized step stool. As we have written in the space many times before, there are all kinds of reasons why wooden toys are great for kids, and how puzzles do a lot for a child’s physical and mental development, […]
As a company that sells wooden letter blocks, toys, puzzles, and personalized name stools, it should be obvious that we value children’s toys and activities that allow them to interact in the real world. While technology is ubiquitous these days and, frankly, essential to the way we live, there is such a thing as too […]
As adults, we likely look at puzzles as something fun. Doing puzzles is a leisurely hobby we can chip away at over the course of hours, ultimately giving us the satisfaction of having completed something complicated but manageable. If only the rest of life had such a clear beginning and ending, right?
There’s no questioning how much kids love to play with today’s hottest new toys, especially the ones that light up and make music and whizz and zing and beep, but there also is something to be said about the value of wooden toys, which may at first glance seem less exciting. The truth is that […]
There are so many reasons to love wooden toys. In a world full of disposable plastic figures and noisy, light-up techno-toys, wood toys are a heavy-duty, safe, classic kind of toy that any kid can enjoy. Of course, with a higher-quality toy comes different types of maintenance. Most of the wood in our homes comes […]
As parents, it is easy to fall into the trap of wanting to keep children busy, often by signing them up for all sorts of sports and activities with the hope of finding their extracurricular niche early and curating it. Still, despite whatever benefits may exist for children who have swim lessons and 9:00 and […]
Anybody looking for a puzzle in a brick-and-mortar store likely will find it located in the toy section, but it isn’t necessarily fair to place them in the same classification as many of the other toys in that part of the store. The truth is that puzzles are excellent manipulatives to help children develop and […]
Choosing a gift for a child or grandchild can be an incredibly challenging undertaking, especially in a day and age when kids really do seem to have everything. Finding something that is meaningful enough to a child to stand out in a crowd of whizzing and chirping electronic toys certainly can be daunting, but finding […]
As adults, many of us have had the experience of dumping out a box of jigsaw puzzle pieces, spending the better part of a long afternoon assembling the picture on the outside of the box one tiny piece at a time, only to discover that one of the pieces is missing. The puzzle will be […]
While kid-centric tablets and plastic toys that sing and light up provide the sorts of digital bells and whistles children seem to love, the truth is that wooden toys like wooden letter blocks still carry significant heft in the entertainment and development of kids. For a number of reasons, wooden toys still make great gifts […]
It is not difficult to extol the virtues of technology today, particularly the role it plays in the education of our children. In a world where an increasing number of adult professions rely more and more heavily on technology, it makes sense that parents would want their children to grow up feeling comfortable with their […]