Quick Tips

Is your child tired of the same old toys? Before heading out to the nearest Target, have him take a turn with his furry best friend's toy. It will not only bring a fun novel experience to your child's day, but it might actually improve your fur baby's sharing skills (hopefully).

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!

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.

Water play is a highly recommended activity that kids often adore. Here are some ideas to help enhance it! 1) Buy a water pump to keep the water spray going. 2) Get sea creatures that can swim under water- it will certainly hold your child's interest and will likely get her talking. 3) Add some squirt toys to allow for play between you and your child with repetitive routines (i.e., ready-set-go, 1-2-3-squeeze).

Kiddos love looking to see what could be hiding behind a mystery door. Use that to your advantage and hide pictures or images that you would like for your child to recognize, understand, and eventually learn to label (i.e., family members, toys, preferred foods, animals, etc.). If you don't have your own wooden door toys, you can make your own with wipes tops and cardboard or felt.

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).

Halloween is such a fun time of the year, so it can be hard to believe that a child may struggle with this holiday. What many parents often forget (myself included), is that this holiday is filled with a lot of new:
sensory experiences-many bright lights and blow-up decorations, walking around at night, wearing a costume
complex directions- while holding your bucket knock on the door say, "trick or treat"; either allow someone to put candy in your bucket or take one piece for yourself; say, "thank you"; put your candy in your bucket; and walk away
unknown social rules and expectations-ring on the doorbell, but do not enter the house; interact with many strangers; accept gifts from unfamiliar people

When children are teething they cannot help wanting to bite and mouth everything in sight! Although it is totally natural and expected, it is not the best practice for keeping a child safe from germs and choking hazards in shared spaces. Although it will likely take some trial and error, it is worthwhile to find a chewy/teether toy that your child loves. Once found, purchase multiples and carry them everywhere, including your diaper bag, purse, car, etc. As soon as your child starts to take a chunk out of something they shouldn't, immediately redirect her, saying something along the lines of, "Blocks are for stacking. Chewies are for biting. Here is your chewy!" Your friends, pets, and toys will be very grateful.

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.

Chalk is an easy way to keep kids occupied while practicing cause-effect, colors, making choices, fine motor skills, imitation skills, following directions, and labeling items drawn.

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.

Peek-a-boo is a fantastic game for babies to learn early on. It helps to teach them object permanence, social skills, gross motor skills, and most importantly...a great sense of humor!