Raising children in seven countries is a life-shaping journey. In my case, it taught me to see children from the inside out, which forms the foundation of my entire approach to working with them.

We have been living as a family in New Jersey since 2014, after spending eight years in five different Eastern European countries.

My degree in physical education taught me what children need in their young lives to grow strong and develop in various areas. Still, our life’s journey showed me firsthand how much they need to feel seen, belong, and be capable of creating their self-esteem and how everything is interconnected.

During this highly dynamic period of adjustments, I became exposed to a wide array of school systems, from nurseries to middle schools, and was able to gain first-hand knowledge of different educational methods and observe the influence that various teaching approaches and
educational frameworks had on children’s development.

From my journey as an adapting and present mother, I began to develop, step by step, the educational play approach B SmART 'n PLAY to promote children’s creative, value-based, and empowering development.

The approach sees each child as a holistic entity comprised of a rich array of motor, social, emotional, and cognitive potentials that need the opportunity to be expressed to develop correctly.

Moving to the United States enabled me to experience the tools and approaches I had gathered throughout our lives through multipurpose gaming projects. I have had the privilege of conducting hundreds of workshops, classes, camps, and enrichment programs in educational settings, reaching thousands of children; alongside running camps over the summers, I taught hundreds of children to swim individually. This experience allowed me to see the vast diversity among children and what a tremendous impact mental flexibility, sensitivity and the ability to see the world through the child's eyes have on the ability to lead the child to success.

Over the years, I have seen the immense creative wealth within kids, how they light up when something touches their hearts.

I learned that it is absolutely possible to revive in children the passion for the different worlds of play and to dissolve the inhibitions and objections they come with.

I discovered how much it strengthens their self-confidence when they succeed in areas they didn't believe they could, as they discover their strengths and their place to shine.

Today, in parallel with continuing to work with the children, I hold trainings and lectures for parents on raising children who flourish in life outside of screens and teach educators, therapists, and guides this magical way of working, called B SmART 'n PLAY.

My book, which theoretically and practically consolidates the rationale, philosophy, and playful concept, was published in 2017.

Sincerely,

Bell Telem Goudsmit