Oct 27, 2020 | Child Development, Parents, Play
5 Ways to Engage in Your Child’s Development Your kids are growing and learning all day, every day. You can make a positive impact on their development by getting involved in these five simple ways. Talk, Listen, Respond Talk to your kids – talk about your day, make...
Oct 26, 2020 | Parents, Transitions
Transitioning & Adapting to Digital Learning Families and teachers of young children have had to face a lot of changes as traditional school and learning situations have transitioned to online settings. Amidst these big changes, your kids will continue to...
Oct 12, 2020 | Child Development, Parents, Transitions
Early Childhood Transitions – An Overview Transition means to change, and there are a lot of changes that happen in a child’s life. From everyday transitions like going to bed at the end of the day to more disruptive transitions like welcoming home a new sibling or...
Oct 2, 2020 | Child Development, Communication, Language, & Reading, Curiosity, Cognition, & Learning, Nutrition & Exercise, Social & Emotional
The Domains of Development Growing and learning go hand in hand. As young children learn and grow, interact with the world around them, and begin to understand how they fit into their world, they experience physical, cognitive, and social-emotional...
Sep 15, 2020 | Curiosity, Cognition, & Learning, Play
By incorporating a variety of materials that foster creativity into the spaces where your kids spend their time, you’ll enable your kids to express themselves, deepen their understanding of the world around them with hands-on experience, share what they know,...
Aug 14, 2020 | Curiosity, Cognition, & Learning, Play
Play, learn, imagine, and grow with your kids using a single sheet and things you already have around the house. 1. Shake It Lay the sheet flat on the floor and let your kids sit on top. Adults on either end can shake the sheet while your kids walk or crawl on...
Jul 23, 2020 | Nutrition & Exercise
Help set your kids up for a great ride by making sure they have all the right equipment in place. Wearing a Properly Fitted Helmet Adjust sizing pads or fit ring until the helmet is snug Position the helmet level on their head, covering the forehead Make...
Jul 9, 2020 | Communication, Language, & Reading, Curiosity, Cognition, & Learning, Nutrition & Exercise, Play, Social & Emotional
8 Things All Parents Should Know About Play Give your children time for play and you will see all they are capable of doing when given the opportunity. Children learn through play. Play develops cognitive skills, physical abilities, new vocabulary, social skills, and...
Jun 28, 2020 | Communication, Language, & Reading, Curiosity, Cognition, & Learning, Nutrition & Exercise, Play, Social & Emotional
The Six Cs of Playtime It’s never “just play,” it’s learning. Learning that emerges through play is deep and meaningful to children because they have shaped it themselves. The Six Cs are skills that are exercised during play, that support development, and that help...
Jun 5, 2020 | Communication, Language, & Reading, Curiosity, Cognition, & Learning, Nutrition & Exercise, Play, Social & Emotional
The American Academy of Pediatrics says lots of unstructured outdoor play is critical to the health of children. That’s because outdoor play benefits children in every domain of their development. Physical Fitness Gives children the opportunity to run, jump, climb,...
May 29, 2020 | Communication, Language, & Reading, Curiosity, Cognition, & Learning, Nutrition & Exercise, Play, Social & Emotional
Kids should play outside! Here are 5 reasons why. When kids are given unstructured time to play alone or with other children, especially outdoors, they make up their own games, figure things out, and amuse themselves, which allows them to practice important life...
May 21, 2020 | Nutrition & Exercise, Parents
Physical activity can start very early in life as part of your child’s everyday play! When you’re choosing activities, focus on activities that are fun. If children enjoy what they’re doing, they’re more likely to want to keep doing it!...
Apr 27, 2020 | Nutrition & Exercise
Good Nutrition Where to Start A variety of grains, dairy, proteins, fruits, and veggies is a good starting point for any healthy diet, but the necessary portions of each depend upon age. Here’s a good starting point. Toddlers Grains • 3-5 ounces per day • One ounce...
Apr 23, 2020 | Parents, Social & Emotional
In chaotic everyday life, parents can leverage the power of intention to ensure that they fit in what’s most important to them – the moments of fun, connection, and closeness with their kids! To begin, pinpoint the consistent, repetitive actions that you most...
Apr 22, 2020 | Parents, Social & Emotional
Outside is never canceled. Here are 20 new things to do outside with your kids while you stay at home together!
Apr 12, 2020 | Nutrition & Exercise
There’s no great secret to eating healthy. To help your family develop healthy eating habits, simply: Provide plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products. Include low-fat or non-fat milk or dairy products. Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, lentils, and...
Apr 8, 2020 | Nutrition & Exercise
Instead of focusing on foods your kids can’t have, help your kids think about foods they can have, and make eating them fun! Eat the Rainbow Having a variety of colors on the plate helps ensure your kids are getting different varieties of vitamins, minerals and other...
Mar 30, 2020 | Social & Emotional
5 Tips for Learning Conflict Resolution Manage Emotions Kids (and adults!) have every right to feel strong emotions, but it’s important to have strategies for remaining calm, like taking a deep breath or stopping and counting to ten. Talk & Listen Work together to...
Mar 27, 2020 | Curiosity, Cognition, & Learning, Social & Emotional
Here are 5 ways you can encourage your child to express themselves. ART Encourage your kids to try different art forms and artistic mediums. STYLE Let your kids pick out their clothing; this will help them feel confident and unique. CHOICE Give your kids freedom by...
Mar 18, 2020 | Child Development, Social & Emotional
Self-regulation is the ability to control behavioral and emotional responses. It’s having the skill to calm yourself down when you get upset, to adjust to a change, and to handle frustration without outbursts. And it’s a foundational developmental...
Feb 20, 2020 | Parents, Providers & Educators, Social & Emotional
From our earliest moments and at each developmental stage, mindfulness can be a useful tool for decreasing anxiety and promoting happiness. It’s helpful for children, parents, caregivers–everyone! The most effective way to bring mindfulness to your children is...
Feb 7, 2020 | Parents, Providers & Educators, Social & Emotional
Empathy is at the heart of good relationships of many kinds, and it begins with valuing other perspectives and other people. Parents can cultivate empathy in their children by showing their kids how to be empathetic and talking about why it’s important. Empathize with...
Jan 20, 2020 | Social & Emotional
Children have big emotions, but they often don’t have the words to talk about how they are feeling. You can help your children understand and express their emotions using the following strategies. Learn more about the basics of social and emotional...
Jan 6, 2020 | Child Development, Social & Emotional
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 begin to understand who they are, what they are feeling and what to expect...
Jan 3, 2020 | Social & Emotional
The first step in helping your child learn to cope with their feelings is to embrace them – all of them. Sadness and joy, anger and love can co-exist and are all part of the collection of emotions children experience. When you help your children understand their...
