Top Tips for Parents

• Tip #1: Aim for at least 1 hour a day total of physical and make-believe play.
• Tip #2: Set a routine to read to your child 15-20 minutes a day in your native language.
• Tip #3: Maintain healthy eating and sleeping habits.

Benefits

• Children who play are active and healthy. While playing, children develop coordination, creativity, problem-solving skills and other important skills used for learning.
• Reading to children enriches their vocabulary. When small children are read aloud to, they gain interest in books, stories and characters.
• Eating and sleeping well are healthy life habits that improve a child’s concentration and ability to learn. Eating and sleeping directly affect a child’s growth and emotional development.

At This Age Your Child Is Learning By

jumping & skipping…  singing…  using props…  playing alone, with other children, or with parents… tossing & catching… running… pretending… pretending to read… digging & burying… drawing & coloring… sleeping 9-12 hours nightly… making up stories… dancing… scribbling… writing… retelling stories

Simple Things You Can Do To Encourage Your Child’s Learning

• Play with your child and provide opportunities for them to play with other children.
• Talk about their games: Did you like this game? Why, or why not?
• Follow your child’s lead with what they want to read, including rereading your child’s favorite stories.
• Expose your child to literacy-based events, such as story times, theater plays or movies.
• Buy and offer your child nutritious meals and snacks; let them choose among healthy options. Set an example by eating a balanced diet.
• Limit sweets and don’t use them as a prize for accomplishing something. Offer your child water and milk to drink before juice.

Web Resources on Play

Tools of the Mind: http://www.toolsofthemind.org
Plans for playing while learning. Includes ideas for encouraging make believe play at home for children from 1 to 5+ years.

Power of Play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXyYQccegEk
Documentary film on how playing is critical to children’s development.

Web Resources to Develop Literacy Skills

Scholastic Lee y serás: http://www.leeyseras.net
Provides family fun guides, stories, reading lists, games and activities in English and Spanish to make reading, literacy and language come alive at home.

The Read Aloud Handbook: http://www.trelease-on-reading.com
Jim Trelease’s website offers excerpts of his book and extensive lists of great read aloud books for youth.

Bookflix: http://wyld.state.wy.us/dbloginform.html
(Have your library card and PIN number handy!) Found in the database section of the Teton County Library’s website. Offers animated films of several storybook favorites. Some storybook films are also in Spanish. Includes games and activities related to the books.

Web Resources for Healthy Eating and Sleeping Habits

Nourish Interactive: http://www.nourishinteractive.com
Information on childhood nutrition. Online games to learn about healthy food choices for kindergarten-5th graders. In English and Spanish.

Healthy Sleep for Children: http://www.videojug.com/interview/healthy-sleep-for-children
Expert information on benefits of healthy sleeping habits. Information about sleeping patterns.

Web-Based Educational Games

Dr. Seuss: http://www.seussville.com
Games, videos and resources based on Dr. Seuss books and characters.

PBS Kids: http://www.pbskids.org
Educational games, videos and activities.

Sesame Street: http://www.sesamestreet.org/games
Literacy and math building games.