PA Promise for Children Resource Emphasizes the Importance of Play

PA Promise for Children has put together resources on the importance of play for children’s well-being and brain development.

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In The Importance of Play, PA Promise for Children notes that play is as important to a child’s well-being as work is for an adult. Play is important for brain development by teaching children new skills and how to share with others. It helps them to make decisions and learn about the world as well as work through scary and confusing experiences.

But, PA Promise for Children writes, nearly 40 percent of elementary schools have eliminated recess or are considering it, and many kindergartners in full-day programs have no break for recess. 

Real Play

Play workers in the United Kingdom consider real play to be “socially interactive, first-hand, and loosely supervised.” The American Academy of Pediatrics argues that play should be child-driven - not adult-directed - and that it is important that children have independent time away from TV, tablets, and video games for the purpose of producing “healthy, fit young bodies.”

Encouraging play, PA Promise for Children notes, can help children who have time for free, open-ended play to score higher in reading and math tests. A lack of real play, on the other hand, can lead to childhood obesity, higher levels of frustration, stress, and aggression as well as a lack of creativity and imagination.

Some of the types of play encouraged are:

• Large and small-motor play

• Language play (telling stories, making up silly songs)

• Construction play (building things)

• Sensory play (playing in mud or water)

• Make-believe play

• Rough-and-tumble and risk-taking play

• Symbolic play (turning a stick into a magic wand, for example)

• Mastery play (learning how to do new things)

To learn more, read PA Promise for Children’s The Importance of Play.

Child Mind Institute Shares Resources on Setting Screen Time Rules for Summer

As summer temperatures heat up, parents will likely want to encourage their children to spend more time outside and hope that they’ll spend less time thinking about screen time.

The Child Mind Institute has put together a list of resources on how to make effective rules for screen time during the summer.

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Most parents will want to limit their children’s screen time and, more importantly, not spend much of the summer arguing about it.

The Child Mind Institute has shared tips for identifying the tech-related harms that parents will want their children to avoid as well as the activities they’ll want to encourage. It also discusses how to make a practical plan to achieve both objectives.

The resources include recommendations on screen use for children who are neurodivergent and strategies to keep children reading over the summer. The Child Mind Institute proposes ways to provide the structure that children with ADHD need to thrive while on summer vacation.

Lastly, the resources explore how parents should not be afraid to let their children become bored because there are lessons they can learn from it.

Here are The Child Mind Institute’s resources on how to approach screen time for children during the summer:

• Screen Time and Summer

• Neurodivergent Kids and Screen Time

• Summer Success Kit for Kids with ADHD

• How to Keep Kids Reading Over the Summer

• Summer Activities for Kids with Learning Disorders

• The Benefits of Boredom

For more information, visit The Child Mind Institute’s website.

Resources for July Observances

Various organizations, states, and nations recognize a number of observances each month. Resources can help parents, caregivers, and child care professionals acknowledge and navigate them.

Here is a list of resources for July observances.

Month-Long Observances

National Parks and Recreation Month

• Pittsburgh Parks Department, CitiParks

• Summer Program Guide, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

• Top Green Spaces and Public Parks in Pittsburgh, Visit Pittsburgh

• Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature, Child Mind Institute

• Free Worksheet: Thank a Park Ranger Card, Education.com  

• Become a Junior Ranger, National Park Service

• The Benefits of Outdoor Play: Why It Matters, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

• Prioritizing Minority Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• BIPOC Mental Health Month, Mental Health America

• Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations, American Psychiatric Association

• Mental Health Doesn’t Discriminate, So Why Do BIPOC Communities Have Difficulty Accessing Care?, Jefferson Center for Mental Health

• Erasing Mental Health Stigma in the Black Community, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

• Where to Find Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents in Pittsburgh, The University of Pittsburgh Youth and Family Research Program

• BIPOC/AAPI Mental Health Resources, NAMI New Hampshire

• Anti-Racism Resources for Families, Trying Together

• Multilingual Trauma Resources, The Child Mind Institute

Days of Recognition

July 4 is Independence Day

• Ways to Celebrate Independence Day in Pittsburgh in 2025, Visit Pittsburgh

• 23 Crafts and Activities for Independence Day, We Are Teachers

• A Nation’s Story: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, National Museum of African-American History & Culture (NMAAHC)

• July Fourth and Early Black Americans: It’s Complicated, Cornell Chronicle

• Making Our Voices Heard: Books About Activism for Kids, Read Brightly

July 7 to 8 is Islamic New Year

• Muharram 2025: When is Islamic New Year?, The Old Farmer's Almanac

• Muharram, Calendar United States

July 14 is International Nonbinary People’s Day

• Gender Identity Development in Early Childhood, Trying Together

• Resource List: LGBTQ+ Organizations, Trying Together

• A Guide to Gender Identity Terms, NPR & WESA

• Understanding Nonbinary People: How to Be Respectful and Supportive, National Center for Transgender Equality

• 10 Ways to Step Up as an Ally to Nonbinary People, Stonewall

• Children’s Books That Teach Tolerance, Goodreads

• Early Childhood Book List: Learning About Gender Diversity, Social Justice Books

July 26 is National Disability Independence Day

• Celebrating National Disability Independence Day, InclusionHub

• Guide to Disability Rights Laws, U.S. Department of Justice: Civil Rights Division

• Ideas for Celebrating the ADA, ADAAnniversary.org

• Disability and Autism Supports, Allegheny County Department of Human Services

• Disability Resources in the Community, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)

• 30 Inclusive Children’s Books About Disabilities, We Are Teachers

• Service Dog 101: Everything That You Need to Know, American Kennel Club

RAD Pass Offering Thousands of Free Admissions to Pittsburgh’s Top Attractions

A number of Pittsburgh’s top attractions are offering tens of thousands of free admissions through August 31 for those who have an Allegheny County library card and a Regional Asset District (RAD) Pass reservation.

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RAD Summer Staycation reservation spots will be added regularly through August. Users are asked to read offers carefully, as some attractions offer two- or four-packs for admission.

Currently, attractions making offers of free visits on the RAD Pass website include:

• The Andy Warhol Museum

• Carnegie Museum of Art

• Carnegie Museum of Natural History

• Carnegie Science Center

• Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

• The Frick Pittsburgh

• Mattress Factory

• National Aviary

• Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium

In the coming months, the following institutions will make offers:

• Heinz History Center

• Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

• Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

• Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum

Booking Tickets

To book tickets for RAD Summer Staycation admissions, visit the RAD Pass website. Then, users should log in with their Allegheny County library card and PIN and browse for passes by date or venue. Once a pass is reserved, it should be printed or downloaded to a mobile device.

Participants are asked to only book a reservation that they plan to use on the selected date. They should also cancel their reservation to open up spots for others if they find out they cannot attend on a day they reserved.

For more information, visit the RAD Pass website.

PA Parks to Host Fish-for-Free Day on July 4

Families will be able to fish and borrow equipment for free as part of the Pennsylvania State Parks’ Fish-For-Free Day on Friday, July 4.

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The program is held by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, American Sportfishing Association, and various sponsors. Its aim is to make it easy for anyone to access fishing tackle, be able to spend an afternoon fishing, and in the process become hooked for life to fishing.

The public can go to locations identified on the Borrow a Rod & Reel map and borrow rods, reels, and a tackle box full of hooks and other terminal tackle. The equipment is borrowed in much the same way books are borrowed from a library. Those wanting to borrow gear will complete a form and return the equipment to the site at the end of the loan period.

The program is intended for all levels, from those fishing for the first time to those returning to a favorite childhood activity. The equipment may also be loaned to groups conducting angler education programs in the community.

To find a fishing equipment loan site, visit the Borrow a Rod & Reel map and click on a “fishing” icon for a location, hours of operation, and contact information.

Frick Environmental Center to Host Juneteenth-Themed Storytime

The Frick Environmental Center will host an event during which the center’s director and an award-winning artist and entrepreneur will read empowering children’s stories to celebrate Juneteenth.

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Black Power Storytime with BOOM Concepts will run from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Juneteenth, which is Thursday, June 19, at the Frick Environmental Center, located at 2005 Beechwood Blvd.

Artist and entrepreneur DS Kinsel will join Frick Environmental Center Director James A. Brown to read stories to children. The storytime will be followed by a short nature activity led by a PPC naturalist educator.

The program is open to families with children of all ages, but is ideal for families with children, ages 3 to 9. Caregivers must accompany their children throughout the duration of the program.

Registration is open.