Quick Tips

Get your child involved in as many adult routines as you can. Children are fascinated with adult items and activities. Routines are repetitive, predictable, help with direction following, household vocabulary, basic concepts, cause/effect, sequencing, and so much more!

If you are looking to boost your child's understanding of "who", "what", "where" questions, social phrases, sequence play, and pretend play, then look no further! Play sets that include an environment along with corresponding characters and items (i.e., a pretend bakery with chefs and cooking utensils) are the perfect solution!

Reading to your child is one of the best things you can do to boost his learning. When you want to make reading a teachable moment, make sure that you hold the book and allow the child to turn the pages, keep it short and sweet (don't read every word on each page), and make it interactive and fun with sound effects, flaps to open, tabs to pull, etc. When you need some time get a task done, keep a few books accessible to your child so he can flip through them independently and explore them on his own.

Although it can take quite a bit of extra preparation and it can definitely get messy, involving your child in baking activities can be such an incredible learning tool. Through baking children can learn concepts (i.e., empty, full, more, less, hot, cold), sequences, 1-to-1 counting, fractions, time, and so much more…all while having fun!

A swing can be an ideal therapy/communication space. Your child for once is sitting down, getting calming movement, having fun, and watching other children playing. This becomes a great chance to practice: action words (i.e., swing, run, go, jump, walk), asking for continuation (more swing?), making choices (swing or slide?), and some basic concepts (on/off, up/down, fast/slow).

Holidays are such fun times of the year, so it can be hard to believe that a child may struggle with them. What many parents often forget (myself included), is that holidays are often filled with a lot of new sensory experiences (sights, smells, sounds, tastes), complex directions, and unknown social rules and expectations. It helps to prepare children for holidays weeks prior by reading books and watching videos about what occurs during the holiday as well as practicing some of the social expectations at home prior to the big day.

Children learn a lot in a short period of time when an experience is truly novel and has never been seen before. So, if there is a special occasion coming up (birthday or holiday), instead of saving for new toys, try saving for new experiences- a zoo, a water park, a splash pad, a theme park, an aquarium, etc.

If your child is the only child or youngest child in the house it is very import to teach her sharing and turn-taking tolerance at an early age. Instead of asking for an item or asking for a turn, simple say "my turn" or "mama/dada goes now" and add some extra fun with silly voices and movements. Initially it is important to keep your turns with multiple items or a single shared item very quick so your child learns that it is okay to let go of an item because she will get it back soon. This builds trust over time and helps encourage your child to share with others when the opportunities arise.

A train set is an amazing activity for teaching tons of language concepts, including cause and effect, prepositions (in, on, out, through, on top), counting, problem solving, along with imaginative individual and social play.

Is your kiddo going from toy to toy and not playing with them for long enough? This tends to happen when there are too many toys available in one play space. One quick fix is to take one or two toys into a new space for your child to explore with less distractions. Outdoor spaces are great for reducing the "toy chaos" and allowing your child to interact with their toys in creative new ways.

High fives and fist bumps are fantastic social gestures that help to boost a child's social skills and can serve as positive reinforcement. If a child is not comfortable with giving a hug or kiss to a less familiar individual, try redirecting with a high five or a fist bump to reduce the pressure and make the novel interaction more fun!