I was trying to do two things at once—cook (in the kitchen) while deciphering some paperwork (in the next room). I'd been interrupted a thousand times with requests for snacks, shrieks over spilled paint water, questions about what squirrels like to eat, and arguments over whether clouds could be blue and flowers could be green. And did I mention that a ruptured disk in my back was throbbing even worse than my head?

Science supports many of our intuitions about the benefits of play.

Doing household chores has many benefits—academically, emotionally and even professionally.

Today’s demands for measurable childhood success—from the Common Core to college placement—have chased household chores from the to-do lists of many young people. In a survey of 1,001 U.S. adults released last fall by Braun Research, 82% reported having regular chores growing up, but only 28% said that they require their own children to do them. With students under pressure to learn Mandarin, run the chess club or get a varsity letter, chores have fallen victim to the imperatives of resume-building—though it is hardly clear that such activities are a better use of their time.

Kids love doing a variety of arts and crafts as an outlet to be creative and have some fun! Little do they know that it is so good for their development as well!

Children work toward goals and achievements, with varying amounts of success, just like adults. Hearing encouragement and positive feedback with success can be a powerful motivator, advises a report published by The Parent Institute.