Parents and caregivers play an important role in shaping the experience of social connection. Recognizing that strong, secure attachments are protective and a good...
3 Vital Components of Social Connections
Social connections are the interactions, relationships, roles, and sense of connection that humans experience. Social connection is dynamic - it changes over time - and...
4 Simple Rules for Healthy Interactions & Relationships
Kids learn about relationships and how to interact with others from the adults in their lives – adults are their most powerful models. Use these four simple rules to...
Supporting Kids in Transition Times
Transitions are hard. For young kids, feelings of anxiety or worry that pop up during transition times can lead to whining and stalling, tantrums and meltdowns – behaviors...
Foundations for Developing Self-Identity & Relationships
Relationships that are tied to family, culture, and community help kids develop a sense of belonging, and once kids have a sense of their own identity, they can also...
Foundations for Emotional Intelligence
Self-confidence and self-awareness are key signs of emotional intelligence – the ability to perceive, interpret, demonstrate, control, evaluate, and use emotions to...
Language Skills & Reading with Under-Threes
Why should reading and sharing stories with your babies and toddlers find a place in your day-to-day routine?
The Benefits of Letting Kids Choose What to Read
Let your kids choose to read books that are interesting to them, even if it’s not something you would have read when you were little. Here’s why:
Social Communities Strengthen Families
Parents have a lot on their minds. We are literally influencing the architecture of our kids’ developing brains, so it’s no wonder we pour our physical, mental, and...
Relaxation Techniques for Kids
Taking a few minutes to engage in simple, everyday relaxation techniques can help sustain your energy throughout your day. Even kids can relax and focus if you use movement,...
Self-Help Skills for Kindergarten Readiness
Many people focus on the basics of letter and number recognition or reading skills when they think of kindergarten readiness, but being “ready” for kindergarten is a lot...
Language for Validating Feelings
Careful listening helps kids feel heard. Language that communicates careful listening when kids have strong emotions is similar to paraphrasing, but in a way that signals...
Interpreting Baby’s Body Language
Your baby’s body language can tell you how they are feeling and what they may need. Responding to their body language helps your baby feel safe and seen, which also supports...
Exploratory Learning Experiences
Exploratory learning experiences are all about curiosity! They engage kids in hands-on investigation of materials, ideas, and concepts. During these experiences, kids get to...
Receptive and Expressive Language
Language is an important part of development, and it’s not just about the ability to say words. Expressive and receptive language skills are both required for effective...
Meaningful Learning Experiences
Learning new things is easier for kids when the new part connects to something they already know a little bit about. When kids can connect their own experiences and...
Benefits of Family Style Meals and Snacks
You can download this infographic HERE.“Family style” is when kids and adults sit together for a meal or snack. Food and drinks are served from shared plates, pitchers, etc....
Supporting Kids Who Are Slow To Warm Up
You can download this infographic HERE.Many kids are “slow to warm up,” meaning they are uneasy or cautious in new situations or with unfamiliar people. As babies,...
Facilitating Learning Experiences
You can download this infographic HERE.Learning experiences build on existing knowledge (something familiar) and invite children to extend their thinking in a way that...
Reciprocal Relationships
In a reciprocal relationship, each person is equally respected and valued. The relationship is balanced so that both people feel seen and heard. When you engage in a...
Curiosity Leads to Confidence
Confidence comes from who we believe and know ourselves to be, and what we believe and know we can do. This belief and this knowledge come from having experiences, and by...
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 and words in a positive and respectful way....
Raising Humane Humans
You can download this infographic HERE.Learning to recognize the emotions they are feeling will help your kids understand how to handle them – within themselves and with...
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 born, read books together about new babies,...
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 to be nervous, and normal to feel uncertain...
Building Authentic Relationships
You can download this infographic HERE.Children learn about relationships from the adults who care for them. Being genuine in what you say and do creates honest, authentic...
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 teach your kids to focus, help them regulate their...
Serve & Return
You can download this infographic HERE. “Serve and return” is about the everyday, back and forth interactions you have with your kids. It’s the practice of noticing...
Domains of Development: Sense of Self & Relationships
Sense of Self & Relationships refers to the social and emotional development children go through during which they begin to understand who they are, what they are...
The Domains of Development
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...
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 when given the opportunity. Children learn...
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 children because they have shaped it themselves....
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 because outdoor play benefits children in every...
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 children, especially outdoors, they make up their own...
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 to them – the moments of fun, connection, and...
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!