2024 Growing Strong Calendar 8.5x11.pdf
2024
12-MONTH CALENDAR
Growing
STRONG
12 Months of Tips & Activities for Enhancing Child Development
Quote from Building Blocks for Teaching Young Children in Inclusive Settings, Fourth Edition by Susan R. Sandall, Ariane N. Gauvreau, Gail E. Joseph, & Ilene S. Schwartz, Brookes Publishing Co.
Activities adapted from Building Blocks for Teaching Young Children in Inclusive Settings, Fourth Edition by Susan R. Sandall, Ariane N. Gauvreau, Gail E. Joseph, & Ilene S. Schwartz, Brookes Publishing Co.
Sharing one's feelings is essential in building emotional intelligence in children.
Quote from The Social-Emotional Learning Toolbox by Kathy L. Perez, Brookes Publishing Co.
SUNDAY
3 Ideas for Teaching Kids About Emotions
Activities adapted from 10 Activities for Teaching Young Children About Emotions blog post (January 26, 2021), Brookes Blog (blog.brookespublishing.com).
Generate a list of feelings (start with basics like happy or sad before more complex feelings such as excited or surprised). Identify these feelings as good or not so good. Conduct a follow-up discussion where children can give an example.
Create a spinning wheel that features different feeling faces. Give each child a chance to spin. Ask them to identify the feeling and talk about an incident that made them feel that emotion.
Activities adapted from Talk to Me, Baby!, Second Edition by Betty S. Bardige, Brookes Publishing Co.
4 Fun & Easy Language Boosters
Role Play. Kids love taking on new and different roles—and it's the perfect opportunity to help them expand their language skills. As you engage in everyday activities, join them in pretending to be favorite characters from storybooks or TV shows.
Food Exploration. Let children handle, smell, and taste diverse foods with different flavors and textures. Chat about the colors, tastes, and textures, as well as where the foods come from and how they are harvested or prepared.
Quote from CHildren in Action: Motor Program for PreschoolerS (CHAMPPS) by Paddy C. Favazza & Michaelene M. Ostrosky, Brookes Publishing Co.
3 At-Home SPRING ACTIVITIES to Boost Your CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT
- Have a teddy bear picnic. Have your child bring their teddy bears or other favorite stuffed animals on the picnic. Pack a basket just for the bears with a blanket, napkins pretend food, and plastic plates and tea cups.
- Build a rainy-day hideaway. Ask if your children would like to build a special hideaway. Have the kids build a tent by draping old sheets or blankets over furniture.
- Set up a treasure hunt. Hide "treasures" such as a favorite snack, a bag of crayons, or some stickers in places your child can reach.
5 Steps to Cultivating Empathy
Activities adapted from The Social-Emotional Learning Toolbox by Kathy L. Perez, Brookes Publishing Co.
- What is the other person saying, and what does their body language convey?
- Remember
- Imagine
- Ask
- Let them know that you care through your words and actions.
4 Ways to Show Children That Diversity is a Strength
Activities adapted from 45 Strategies That Support Young Dual Language Learners by Shauna L. Tominey & Elisabeth C. O'Bryon, Brookes Publishing Co.
- Teach children it's okay to ask questions.
- Support children's development of compassion and understanding explicitly tackle stereotypes about looks, skin color, cultural beliefs, and gender.
- Set a good example.
5 Things Caregivers Can Do to Ease Young Children's Anxiety
Activities adapted from Tackling the Tough Stuff by Angela Tomlin & Stephan Viehweg, Brookes Publishing Co.
- Prepare children for events they might find scary.
- Encourage children's curiosity and play.
- Engage children with activities that are appropriate for their developmental level.
- Provide increased structure.
4 Activities to Boost Child Development this Fall
Activities adapted from ASQ-3 Learning Activities by Elizabeth Twombly and Ginger Fink and ASQ:SE-2 Learning Activities & More by Elizabeth Twombly, Leslie J. Munson, and Lois M. Pribble, Brookes Publishing Co.
- Get outdoors every day you can.
- Give kids their own day jobs.
- Enhance errands with simple skill-boosting games.
Activities adapted from 12 Ways Parents and Teachers Can Encourage Early Literacy and Language Skills blog post (April 28, 2020), Brookes Blog (blog.brookespublishing.com).
Help children make their own books.
Homemade books are a great way to practice literacy skills and preserve memories of special events.
Activities adapted from ASQ-3 Learning Activities by Elizabeth Twombly and Ginger Fink and ASQ:SE-2 Learning Activities & More by Elizabeth Twombly, Leslie J. Munson, and Lois M. Pribble, Brookes Publishing Co.
- Memory matching. Make a simple concentration game with pairs of duplicate playing cards.
Trusted tools to support healthy child development
- Education
- ASQ
- Check milestones and catch potential delays early
- Social-emotional screener
- Engaging activities to share with parents