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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

• 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 10 Activities for Teaching Young Children About Emotions blog post (January 26, 2021), Brookes Blog.

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.
• Story Adventure. Sit with a child on a rug or couch and pretend you're flying off on a magical adventure! Ask them to share their ideas on where you might visit, and begin a story about your adventure.
• 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.

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.

3 At-Home SPRING ACTIVITIES to Boost Your CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT

1. Have a teddy bear picnic. Have your child bring their teddy bears or other favorite stuffed animals. Pack a basket just for the bears with a blanket, napkins pretend food, and plastic plates and tea cups.
2. Build a rainy-day hideaway. When April showers put the brakes on backyard play, ask if your children would like to build a special hideaway.
3. 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.

Quote from The Social-Emotional Learning Toolbox by Kathy L. Perez, Brookes Publishing Co.

5 Steps to Cultivating Empathy

1. What is the other person saying, and what does their body language convey?
2. Remember
3. Imagine
4. Ask
5. Let them know that you care through your words and actions.

Quote from Coaching for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging in Early Childhood by Anni K. Reinking & Laycee Thigpen, Brookes Publishing Co.

4 Ways to Show Children That Diversity is a Strength

1. Teach children it's okay to ask questions.
2. Show children how to ask them sensitively and appropriately.
3. Support their development of compassion and understanding by tackling stereotypes explicitly.
4. Be a good example.

Quote from The Project Approach for All Learners by Sallee J. Beneke, Michaelene M. Ostrosky, & Lilian G. Katz, Brookes Publishing Co.

3 Skill-Building Summer Activities To Do with Young Children

1. Fine-Motor Practice: Glue sand to the bottom of a paper plate and decorate it with underwater creatures.

Quote from Sing & Sign for Young Children by Anne Meeker Watson, Brookes Publishing Co.

Help Children Make Their Own Books.

Homemade books are a great way to practice literacy skills and preserve memories of special events. Give favorite play areas a literacy infusion and encourage playing with rhymes.

Quote from Unpacking the Pyramid Model by Mary Louise Hemmeter, Michaelene M. Ostrosky, & Lise K. Fox, Brookes Publishing Co.

5 Things Caregivers Can Do to Ease Young Children's Anxiety

1. Prepare children for events they might find scary.
2. Encourage children's curiosity and play.
3. Engage children with activities that are appropriate for their developmental level.
4. Provide increased structure at home and in child care.

4 Activities to Boost Child Development this Fall

1. Get outdoors for activities that involve gross and fine motor skills.
2. Give kids their own day jobs.
3. Enhance errands with simple skill-boosting games.

5 Tips for BUILDING A RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP with Parents

1. Dedicate time to relationship building.
2. Be responsive, collaborative, and reliable.

Quote from Building Preverbal Communication & Engagement by Lesley B. Olswang, Julie Feuerstein, & Gay Lloyd Pinder, Brookes Publishing Co.

4 Activities

• Make long scarves out of fabric scraps, or playdough.
• Create a memory matching game with pairs of duplicate playing cards.