Articles
These articles about child development will help you understand the many ways kids grow and learn, and how you can support, encourage, and have fun with them along the way! Sign up for our monthly newsletter and be the first to receive new articles, activities and updates!
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Responsive Interactions
When you give kids what they need in the moment – like a smile, a hug, or some help – you are responding to their actions…
Raising Humane Humans
You can download this infographic HERE.Learning to recognize the emotions they are feeling will help your kids understand…
Helping Big Kids Adjust to a New Baby
You can download this infographic HERE.Bringing a baby home is a huge transition for an older sibling. Before your baby is…
Transitioning Home With A New Baby
You can download this infographic HERE.Don’t be surprised if you have mixed emotions about bringing your baby home. It’s OK…
Building Authentic Relationships
You can download this infographic HERE.Children learn about relationships from the adults who care for them. Being genuine…
Kindergarten Readiness Checklist
You can download this infographic HERE.Starting kindergarten can feel like a big transition for both kids and parents….
Grant Writing Tips
You can download this infographic HERE.Grant writing tips for early childhood professionals from our partners at WY Kids…
Early Transitions: Learning to Walk
You can download this infographic HERE.It starts with rolling, and then crawling, and before you know it your baby is…
Early Transitions: Learning to Crawl
You can download this infographic HERE.It all starts with rolling. Whether your baby rolls from tummy to back or back to…
Self-Care to Keep You Going Strong
Download this infographic HERE. Caring for children is a great joy—and a great responsibility. The better you take care of…
8 Great Things to Know about Child Development
You can download this infographic HERE. In recent years, researchers have learned a lot more about how early experiences…
Parent Wellbeing Checklist
You can download this infographic HERE. Parenting is demanding; it takes a lot of energy. But looking out for your…
9 Elements of Positive Parenting
You can download this infographic HERE. “Positive Parenting” isn’t about being perfect or always being cheerful. Instead,…
3 Mindfulness Activities to Try with Your Kids
Mindfulness allows us to observe our surroundings, thoughts, and feelings, and to develop self-awareness. Mindfulness can…
Quality Child Care: What to Look For
You can download this infographic HERE. There’s a lot to think about when choosing a child care or early educational…
Choosing the Right Pediatrician for Your Family
You can download this infographic HERE. There’s a lot to consider when choosing a pediatrician, because you want them…
Serve & Return
You can download this infographic HERE. “Serve and return” is about the everyday, back and forth interactions you…
Questions to Ask Your Pediatrician
You can download this infographic HERE. It’s important to feel comfortable with your pediatrician and to have an open…
Adapting to Digital Learning
The first thing you should know while your kids are learning from home is that you are already doing things right! The…
Tips for Parents’ Transition to Kindergarten
We can be more helpful to our kids if we acknowledge that the transition to kindergarten is a big life step for adults as…
Help Your Kids Transition to Kindergarten
The transition to kindergarten is exciting! For kids, it’s an opportunity to learn new things, master new skills, and build…
Resources for Parents to Help Your Kids Thrive
Resources for Parents to Help Your Kids Thrive From Amanda Henderson, Safe Children Helping your little ones grow, learn,…
Easing Baby into their First Child Care Setting
Taking your little one to child care can be a difficult decision and an emotional experience. Here are a few ways to ease…
Communicating with Your Care Givers & Teachers
Your kids’ success in their child care and early learning environments begin with relationships: parent-child and…
Domains of Development: Strong & Healthy Bodies
Developing strong and healthy bodies has to do with the food children eat, the physical activities they participate in,…
Early Transitions: Moving into an Early Education Environment
Whether your kids are entering from a child care setting or coming from home, you can help them smoothly transition into…
Domains of Development: Sense of Self & Relationships
Sense of Self & Relationships refers to the social and emotional development children go through during which they…
Taking Baby to Child Care for the First Time
Taking your little one to child care can be a difficult decision and an emotional experience. Here are a few ways to ease…
Domains of Development: Communication
Communication is the ability and desire to connect with others by exchanging ideas and feelings, both verbally and…
5 Ways to Engage in Your Child’s Development
5 Ways to Engage in Your Child’s Development Your kids are growing and learning all day, every day. You can make a positive…
Transitioning and Adapting to Digital Learning
Transitioning & Adapting to Digital Learning Families and teachers of young children have had to face a lot of…
Early Childhood Transitions
Early Childhood Transitions – An Overview Transition means to change, and there are a lot of changes that happen in a…
The Domains of Development
The Domains of Development Growing and learning go hand in hand. As young children learn and grow, interact…
Cultivating Creative Expression
By incorporating a variety of materials that foster creativity into the spaces where your kids spend their time, you’ll…
6 Ways to Play – With Sheets!
Play, learn, imagine, and grow with your kids using a single sheet and things you already have around the house.
Bicycle Safety Tips for Kids
Help set your kids up for a great ride by making sure they have all the right equipment in place. Wearing a…
8 Things All Parents Should Know About Play
8 Things All Parents Should Know About Play Give your children time for play and you will see all they are capable of doing…
The Six Cs of Playtime
The Six Cs of Playtime It’s never “just play,” it’s learning. Learning that emerges through play is deep and meaningful to…
Outdoor Play and the Domains of Development
The American Academy of Pediatrics says lots of unstructured outdoor play is critical to the health of children. That’s…
5 Benefits of Playing Outside
Kids should play outside! Here are 5 reasons why. When kids are given unstructured time to play alone or with other…
Encourage Physical Activity Early in Life
Physical activity can start very early in life as part of your child’s everyday play! When you’re choosing activities,…
Good Nutrition | Where to Start
Good Nutrition Where to Start A variety of grains, dairy, proteins, fruits, and veggies is a good starting point for any…
10 Daily Rituals to Encourage Bonding
In chaotic everyday life, parents can leverage the power of intention to ensure that they fit in what’s most important…
20 Things to Do in Social Isolation
Outside is never canceled. Here are 20 new things to do outside with your kids while you stay at home together!
Tips for Helping Your Kids Maintain a Healthy Weight
There’s no great secret to eating healthy. To help your family develop healthy eating habits, simply: Provide plenty of…
Eat Healthy and Enjoy It
Instead of focusing on foods your kids can’t have, help your kids think about foods they can have, and make eating them…
5 Ways for Learning Conflict Resolution
5 Tips for Learning Conflict Resolution Manage Emotions Kids (and adults!) have every right to feel strong emotions, but…
5 Ways to Support Kids Self Expression
Here are 5 ways you can encourage your child to express themselves. ART Encourage your kids to try different art forms and…
Teaching Kids Self-Regulation
Self-regulation is the ability to control behavioral and emotional responses. It’s having the skill to calm yourself down…
How to Model Mindfulness
From our earliest moments and at each developmental stage, mindfulness can be a useful tool for decreasing anxiety and…
4 Ways to Teach Children Empathy
Empathy is at the heart of good relationships of many kinds, and it begins with valuing other perspectives and other…
7 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Emotions
Children have big emotions, but they often don’t have the words to talk about how they are feeling. You can help your…
The Basics of Social and Emotional Development
The Sense of Self & Relationships Domain of Development refers to the social and emotional development children go through, especially in their first five years of life, during which they […]
First Feelings: Building A Healthy Foundation
The first step in helping your child learn to cope with their feelings is to embrace them – all of them. Sadness and joy,…
Supporting Your Child’s Communication Skills
The capacity to communicate is the ability and desire to connect with others by exchanging ideas and feelings, both…
Help Your Kids Become Better Listeners
Being a good listener takes concentration and practice, and it’s an important skill to develop. A good listener is an…
10 Things Babies Learn When We Sing to Them
Are babies really listening when we sing to them? Absolutely! Here’s what your baby is learning while you sing:
7 Developmental Benefits of the Arts
Simple creative activities are some of the building blocks of child development, including cognitive, social and emotional…
Why Dancing is Important for Child Development
Dance helps kids develop physically, socially and emotionally, cognitively and psychologically, because dancing involves…
Nurture Their Curiosity
Curiosity is a desire to learn, an eagerness to explore, discover, and figure things out. Nurturing your child’s curiosity…