Bring the Learning Home with Some of Our Favorite Parenting & Educational Resources!
Parenting is HARD! There are so many pressures placed on parents and the development of our children is a huge part of it. Each year, the requirements for children entering Kindergarten seem to get more advanced. This can make parents (and educators) worry that their children aren’t as prepared as they can be.
You are your child’s first teacher and just being present and involved with your child teaches them SO much. Here are some of our favorite resources that can show you how to bring more learning into your home – without needing to set up a desk and sharpen your pencils!
If you’re seeking more personal help, or have concerns about your child specifically, please reach out to Maya! She’s here to help!
Local Family Events
*Events listed are not sponsored or endorsed by Josie’s ECEAP unless otherwise stated. They just look like fun and we thought we’d share!*
Classes/Groups for Parents & Caregivers
Community Resources
Learning & Development
Vroom
A global program of the Bezos Family Foundation, Vroom helps parents boost their child’s learning during the time they already spend together. Vroom meets parents where they are, through the people they already trust and the places they already go.
With Vroom, parents and caregivers learn how to be intentional during everyday activities such as grocery shopping, folding laundry and more.
Receive daily tips and activities from Vroom based on the age of your child(ren.) Tips are available through the Vroom app, Vroom text, online, or by printing them off at home.
Ideas from Vroom
Vroom is a great resource for incorporating learning throughout your daily routines. Check out these ideas shared by United General WIC on their Facebook page.
Porch Reading Story Time with The Ooey Gooey Lady
If you talk with anyone in the Early Childhood Education field, it’s a pretty good chance they’ve heard of and worship Lisa Murphy, aka “The Ooey Gooey Lady.”
When COVID shut down the world, Lisa took to YouTube and created her “Porch Reading Story Time” where she reads some of her favorite books to viewers. There’s no such thing as a boring storytime with Lisa – her voices and animated movements keep kids (and their parents) engaged and entertained!
Scroll to some of her earliest videos and you can also find things like playdough recipes and activities to do at home that involve every day household items and helped contribute to earning Lisa the name of “The Ooey Gooey Lady!”
Also from Lisa Murphy…her famous Art handout that explains the difference between Process and Product art, the stages of handwriting development, some of her favorite items to use in process art activities, and more!
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is inspiring a love of reading within our earliest learners through the gift of a free, high-quality book mailed to a child’s home each month until their fifth birthday. If you have a child between the ages of 0-5, enroll them in the Imagination Library today.
Parenting
Positive Parenting Tips
As a parent you give your children a good start in life—you nurture, protect and guide them. Parenting is a process that prepares your child for independence. As your child grows and develops, there are many things you can do to help your child. These links will help you learn more about your child’s development, positive parenting, safety, and health at each stage of your child’s life from birth through age 17.
13 Signs Your Baby Loves You
When your baby is first born, it’s hard to know whether or not you’re doing the right thing.
“Attachment is a process,” says Debbie Laible, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. As part of that process, when you take care of your baby, they fall more in love with you every day. And while they may not be verbalizing it, babies do say thanks in their own way.
From 13 Signs Your Baby Loves You (parents.com)
Health & Nutrition
USDA MyPlate
Help your preschooler eat well, be active, and grow up healthy. On the USDA MyPlate website, you can find tips and resources to tackle healthy eating, picky eaters, and how to make sure your meal times are safe.
Children and families can learn together through MyPlate games, printables, activities, and even tips using your Alexa-enabled devices.
Helping Picky Eaters
Do you have a picky eater on your hands? It’s hard enough to get your child to eat healthy, but when you add in picky eating…it can seem impossible!
Here are some resources shared from United General WIC on their Facebook page that give insight into why children can be picky eaters, ways to get them to try new foods, AND a fun cookbook to try out together!
Social/Emotional Development
Ways Kids Can Help Prepare for a Family Gathering
Ways Kids Can Help Prepare for a Family… | PBS KIDS for Parents
Before a big event or family gathering, there’s much to do! My kids often ask, “How can we help?” because they want to participate, too. Everyone is important in a family and community — including the kids! Finding ways to include your kids in the event can make it more meaningful for everyone.
Samantha Gratton From Ways Kids Can Help Prepare for a Family… | PBS KIDS for Parents
Help Kids Be More Empathetic By Caring For Others
Help Kids Be More Empathic By Caring for… | PBS KIDS for Parents: Expand Your Child’s Learning Outside of the Classroom“Empathy is a skill we can practice and get better at. It means imagining how someone else feels and responding in a caring way. As picture book author Anna Dewdney put it, “Empathy is an understanding that other people have feelings, and that those feelings count.” Practicing empathy helps us learn how to engage with the people around us while building social problem-solving skills.”
Deborah Farmer Kris, From Help Kids Be More Empathic By Caring for… | PBS KIDS for Parents
How to Coach Kids Through Big Emotions
How to Coach Kids Through Big Emotions |… | PBS KIDS for Parents: Expand Your Child’s Learning Outside of the Classroom“Coaching can become a powerful way to help children become more self-aware, understanding their own feelings and how emotions impact their choices. It can also give them valuable practice in responsible decision-making. Parents who use a coaching approach express confidence that their child will succeed in their efforts. Rather than fixing a problem for their child, they focus on helping their child identify and better understand their feelings and then, think through their own solutions to a problem.”
Jennifer S. Miller, MEd, From How to Coach Kids Through Big Emotions |… | PBS KIDS for Parents