“Play is the vehicle for the development of many major life skills,” said Lea Ann Lowery, a clinical assistant professor of occupational therapy in the MU School of Health Professions. “Children can work on simple, basic social skills such as taking turns, interacting with others and following directions and fine motor skills such as dressing, cooking and hand-eye coordination during play time. While some structured play is fine, overly structured play doesn’t encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills.”

Lowery also said that playtime doesn’t need to be expensive. Most children can develop their imagination skills with stuff around the house or old standby games that require no accessories. Empty boxes, plastic bins, cans and lids can become spaceships, drum sets or cages for plastic animals. Other activities include “I Spy,” “Simon Says” or “Memory” that need nothing more than an outdoor setting or a deck of cards.

Anecdotally, Lowery is concerned about some trends related to how children are spending their free time. Some of those trends include children becoming reliant on certain objects – usually electronics – to have fun; lacking creativity in games or the inability to find other ways to play with toys; needing immediate gratification during activities; becoming too dependent on reinforcement; and becoming bored because they don’t know how to occupy themselves.

“Even children with developmental delays can benefit from unstructured play,” Lowery said. “Play isn’t play if there are too many rules, and it’s important to allow children to make messes. Parents also can make playtime out of work time. Preschoolers love to be helpful and can cut fruit with a plastic knife, can help mix ingredients for a cake or clear the table. Many age-appropriate, summer activities – both play and work – can help children develop specific skills.”

Lowery said that becoming too focused on drills and practicing academic skills such as memorizing letters and numbers too early in development can cause some bad habits and frustration. According to Lowery, play is the foundation for many life skills and there is plenty of time to focus on academics.

Labelled as a “national shame” by its own prime minister, India’s malnutrition rates are rising during unprecedented economic growth. Perhaps that is the problem, the middle class and rich get richer, while the poor stay poor and in some cases, get even poorer.

Its neighbor, China, is experiencing a similarly remarkable economic advancement. But they’ve used their new money to help reduce malnutrition in several areas, reducing the number of children under the age of five who are suffering from starvation to seven per cent, one of the major forms of measurement of malnutrition.

In India, a shocking 42.5 per cent of children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition, a number that reveals a severe governmental failure.

As Somini Sengupta reports in the New York Times, there is no easy explanation for this problem. There are several contributing factors though: a disconnect between a large democratic government and the people who need it most, a lack of money being spent on children’s nutrition programs, and an overall negligent attitude towards health programs.

The Times reports that while India runs the largest child feeding program in the world, the program is severely flawed. India’s soup kitchens set up in low-income neighbourhoods help, but do not provide the nutrition necessary for pregnant women and children under two.

To its credit, India does ensure all children are immunized for preventable disease, however, malnutrition can make one more susceptible to diseases that could be prevented by nutrition. Malnutrition can also hinder development and growth for life, preventing Indian children from reaching their full intellectual and physical potentials.

India has a lot to do to fix its hunger problem, and it won’t happen soon. The first thing would be to make health a top priority among government again. The prime minister calls the situation a ”national shame.” He can begin to reverse the trend, if only he could make his government operate like a democracy that acts on its words.

The SweetPea3 is battery-operated with an A/C adapter for charging/plugged-in use. It’s meant to be used by ages 0-8 — school age children, toddlers and even infants.

“MP3 technology makes perfect sense in a child’s music player. With no moving parts, small parts or removable media, an extremely robust music player can be built and safely given to children of all ages, including kids under three,” said Peapod Toys President Dan Lemay in a statement earlier this week. “Every feature, and absence of feature, has been carefully designed with the child in mind,” Lemay said.

These “child-centered” features include the simple three button operation, hidden parental volume control, easy to carry size and hanging ring and the absence of a power switch or removable media.

Amazingly enough, it will run for about 40 hours on a single AA battery. The exterior is made of food-grade rubber, and the device syncs via USB.

“The SweetPea3 boasts a great sense of style, appealing to stylish parents and children who seem to be naturally drawn to “real” electronic devices,” the company said. “The customer feedback indicates that this personal kid’s music player has become the constant companion of many children in their daily routine.”

The player ships with pre-installed children’s music and stories from award winning artists Susie Tallman and Jim Weiss.

The SweetPea3 comes in blue and pinkish purple and can be ordered online for $89.95.