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All children grow and change at their own pace through a set of Developmental Domains: social, physical, language, intellectual, creative and emotional (it can be helpful to use the acronym “SPLICE” to remember them). In April, we explored the social domain: what social development is, how it develops in the early years, and how caregivers can nurture children to enhance their development in this area. It is hard to imagine, but social development, or the ability to build and maintain healthy relationships with others, begins at birth. Your first kisses, touches and words impact the secure attachments, bonds, and social relationships that are built and maintained throughout your child’s life. This makes sense since we know that 90% of the connections in the brain are developed by age five. During the month of April, we will be examining the social domain-how it develops and how it is impacted through interactions and experiences. We will be exploring topics such as: Relationships: Serve and return’ interactions in the early years build the foundation for social development through the formation of healthy and secure attachments–allowing children to develop trust in their environment and the other people they share spaces with. These interactions also allow children to build a positive self-image. Social interaction focuses on the responsive and trusting relationships built between the child, their parents/caregivers, other family members, and their peers. Play provides opportunities for children to make social connections with others, allowing them to expand their learning, build confidence in their abilities, and grow in other areas such as in their use of language. Social Behaviors and Cues: The way we engage with others is based on our interpretation of verbal and non-verbal cues such as tone of voice, facial expressions and overall body language. Human communication is mostly non-verbal: only 7% of our communication focuses on words, 38% focuses on the vocal quality and tone of our words and 55% is on non-verbal cues such as body language and facial expressions. Social awareness is the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Caregivers can model social behaviour and actively guide children through their interactions with others. They can also provide opportunities for their children to be around their peers. Isolation and technology Human beings require connection with others and when this connection is absent, social isolation (a lack of connectedness and relationships) occurs and various cognitive functions are impacted such as planning, higher level thought, and ability to interact with others. While technology can be a useful tool used to maintain connection and attachment with others, it should not be a replacement for face-to-face social interactions. Parents/caregivers should monitor the amount of time spent using technology or screen time (amount of time spent in front of electronic devices for entertainment). Prolonged screen time impacts our ability to engage in social interactions which is critical in building our capacity to develop social awareness, communicate well with others and sustain healthy relationships. Sharing and turn taking Sharing and turn taking are essential to social development, and both are voluntary. Sharing is when a child decides to give part of something they have without expecting to get it back (e.g., a snack). Turn taking happens when a child is ready to move on from a toy or activity and let someone else play. Stages of social development Children progress through stages in their social development – from the time they build trust and secure attachments during infancy, building independence as toddlers, to gaining more autonomy and control over their choices from three years and onwards. Social development happens through the various stages of play - progressing from unoccupied to cooperative play. Social development involves progress in a child’s ability to: Take turns (using things alternately with others); Empathize with others (the ability to put themselves into someone else’s shoes) Negotiate (reach an agreement or compromise with others); Cooperate with others (the ability to work with others toward a common goal); and Accept differences (understand that people and things may not be the same all the time) Follow along with us on Facebook or Instagram and learn all about optimal development for your own child or any children you interact with. Or, you can subscribe to have the blog posts delivered to your email inbox via our monthly e-newsletter, which also provides information on upcoming parenting classes, parent and child drop-in play groups, and special events at Norwood Centre.

When families come to Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre, one of the main goals they have for their children is to develop socially and be able to play well with others. This is after all, one of the most important aspects of being able to grow and thrive as a healthy citizen of the world! So let's explore how you -- as the parent or primary caregiver -- can set the stage for success in your child’s social development because you are your child's first and most important teacher. Children are not born with any social skills, or the ability to form and maintain relationships with other human beings. However, social development begins the moment that your child is born: from the first time you hold them, healthy attachments that influence social development and brain architecture begin forming. Around 90% of the brain's architecture is formed by age five; the social interactions experienced in this period heavily influence adult social skills and your child's future relationships. There are five key areas that we can have significant influence on in young children. These are: relationship building, stages of social development social behaviors and social cues sharing and taking turns isolation and technology Relationship Building How can you as a caregiver help your child develop socially? We know that having a strong, healthy, and positive self-image helps a child progress through the stages of social development toward creating and maintaining social relationships. Caregivers can help children build a positive self-image through 'serve and return' (back and forth) interactions like comforting them when they cry, smiling at them, making eye contact while speaking to them, and encouraging them when they try something new. Children begin to build their self-image based on how they are welcomed and accepted by others -- including their own parents! Providing opportunities to play with peers is also an effective way to help children build relationships and build a positive self-image. The caregiver is supporting the child by remaining physically close, making eye contact and verbally encouraging her to test her limits. When a child feels encouraged, they see themselves as strong and capable. Stages of Social Development Children progress through distinct stages of social development that begin in infanthood, starting with building trust and secure attachments and moving towards building independence as toddlers and making their own choices during the pre-school years. As children progress through the various stages of play, they are refining their social skills and learning to: Take turns (using things alternately with others) Empathize with others (the ability to put themselves into someone else’s shoes) Negotiate (reach an agreement or compromise with others) Cooperate with others (the ability to work with others toward a common goal) Accept differences (understand that people and things may not be the same all the time) Children can use play to help them move confidently through the stages of social development. Children can use play to help them move confidently through the stages of social development. Social Behaviors and Social Cues Having a certain degree of social awareness is critical to functioning well in our communities. Citizens need to be able to see and empathize with perspectives that differ from their own to be able to create and sustain healthy and diverse communities. Parents/caregivers can help build children’s social awareness through modelling appropriate behaviors in social settings, guiding children’s understanding of personal boundaries and how each person may be different. If your child notices the adults around them accepting each other regardless of differences, they will carry on and echo that same behavior. Parents and caregivers should also provide opportunities to be around others so children can practice their budding social skills. These opportunities can range from organized sport opportunities to spending time at local parks and playgrounds. Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre offers a wide range of children’s activities and parent and child drop-in programs, check out Norwood’s Programs and Services Guide for upcoming opportunities. Did you know that most human communication happens without words? Social cues are how we express ourselves without words: how we use facial expressions, tone of voice and body language. Social cues help guide our interactions with others: being able to read social cues helps us interpret other people's emotions and understand different situations. Sometimes being able to read social cues occurs naturally, and sometimes it has to be taught. In either case, it is an important skill because most of human communication is non-verbal. You can help your child learn to interpret social cues by: Practicing: notice facial expressions with your child “that person is frowning, maybe they are feeling sad.” “What makes you feel sad, happy, frustrated? Etc. Practice eye contact when appropriate: being on the same physical level when having a conversation with someone. Role playing different situations: role play problem solving situations with your child for example, how to ask for a turn with a favorite toy. Being able to identify and interpret social cues leads to more successful communication, which in turn builds self-confidence. Being able to read social cues in context allows us to interpret the intentions of others. Children can use play to help them move confidently through the stages of social development. These children are joyfully making silly and scary faces while playing together. Sharing vs Turn-Taking Sharing and turn-taking may seem like the same skill, but they are fundamentally different. When a child decides to share, they share a resource without the expectation that they will be getting any of that resource back (giving another person a piece of my candy is sharing). Sharing is a very sophisticated skill and is not easily understood or mastered by young children. Turn-taking on the other hand is a more developmentally appropriate skill for very young children. Turn-taking follows a give-and-take pattern: for example, a child can play with a toy car and when they are ready, they can give the toy car to a peer to play with. When we take turns, we understand that once something is given up, it may be returned, or our turn will come around again. Turn-taking involves being able to wait for a chance to use the desired toy. How to teach your child about turn-taking > Isolation and Technology Human beings are wired to interact with others. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many people discovered how important our natural support systems (the people we rely on in our everyday life for support) are. Most of us experienced, to varying degrees, feelings of isolation and renewed appreciation for how important a healthy social life is. The way we are connected to others, especially in our early years, impacts the way our brain develops. It has an impact on higher level brain functioning such as planning, thought, and the ability to form relationships. It is common in Canada to turn to technology to stay connected to others both at home and around the world, and technology can be a useful tool for people to stay connected to each other. However, technology is not a replacement for person-to-person interaction. Technology can become detrimental. Have you ever found yourself scrolling through Facebook or Tik Tok videos just to realize that you have been scrolling for more than hour? Have you handed your toddler your phone to watch a short video while you wait in line at the supermarket, then suddenly a half an hour has gone by and they are still watching? It happens to all of us! Caregivers should monitor the quality and length of screen time because too much screen time can impact a child's long-term capacity to develop social awareness, communicate with others, and sustain relationships. Relying on technology too much can lead to physical problems with eyesight, sleep, trouble paying attention, and sedentary lifestyles. When screen time becomes the norm for childhood entertainment, social development is negatively impacted because children are not playing with friends and practicing human-to-human social skills. Did you know that the Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years recommends less than one hour a day of sedentary screen time for children between one and four years old, and that for babies under one year old no amount of screen time is deemed appropriate? Opportunities for physical play and social development abound even in our sometimes-harsh Alberta climate! Remember, YOU are your child’s first and most important teacher! Anytime that a caregiver takes the time to intentionally engage with a child in or demonstrates social skills by modelling appropriate social skills and reactions, they are helping influence healthy social development! Follow along with us on Facebook or Instagram and learn all about optimal development for your own child or any children you interact with. Or, you can subscribe to have the blog posts delivered to your email inbox via our monthly e-newsletter, which also provides information on upcoming parenting classes, parent and child drop-in play groups, and special events at Norwood Centre.

Read bedtime stories together nightly! It sounds so simple but it means so much. When you read a book with your child, you are spending quality time with them and giving them your complete attention, which helps to create a positive environment where your child can feel secure and loved. This time is an opportunity to understand your child’s feelings and help them learn empathy as they explore stories of others' experiences. Additionally, it allows you to form a bond with your child, which will play a vital role in helping them maintain long-lasting relationships in the future. How: When setting up a bedtime routine, include reading books! You can have a short discussion about the story or review the storyline with your child afterward. Materials needed: An age-appropriate book or a story from your childhood.

Early this month, we introduced Science in Early Childhood through five topics including: Executive Function and Self-Regulation, Resilience, Serve and Return Interactions, Toxic Stress and Early Experiences and Brain Architecture, then followed up with a series of social media posts (if you haven’t been following, the easiest place to catch up is on Instagram). To wrap up this concept, we are recapping these same topics below with some tips on how you can help support your child’s brain development. After all, YOU are your child’s first and most important teacher. Executive Function and Self-Regulation What is executive function and why does it sound serious? The official definition for executive function is: “the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully”. As we grow, we rely on these skills every day for things like: focusing and paying attention in school or while we drive remembering instructions on the job or trying a new sport multitasking as a child’s caregiver! Self-regulation is the ability to process and control emotion. You might see an example of this when you drop your child off with another caregiver or when a conflict arises with another child over a toy. Self-regulation refers to the ability to feel strong emotions but control them before they control you. Self-regulation takes of patience and practice to develop—a child cannot learn to self-regulate without your help. So, how can you as a caregiver help support your child’s development of executive function and self-regulation? For executive function, you can: have a predictable and consistent routine for your child offer your child choices give your child small, specific instructions For self-regulation, you can: role model your own self-regulation and management of emotions notice what your child is feeling and encourage them to name their emotions support your child when they are overcome with emotion—for example, get them to take deep breaths or hit a pillow validate their emotions (‘I see that you are crying. It is hard to wait for a turn with a toy.’) Resilience The word resilience refers to the ability to “bounce back” in the face of adversity. You might see this is when your child is building with blocks and their tower falls down: they show resiliency by taking a deep breath and saying, “It’s ok, we can build it again.” Or when someone takes a toy from your child and they say “Hey, that is mine,” instead of crying or hitting. The ability to be resilient in the face of adversity is a skill that will help your child as they grow into successful and thriving adults. Supporting the growth of resiliency in your child can be done in many ways – one of the most important simply being to maintain your secure and loving relationship. You can: encourage them to try new things and take risks (climb high, run really fast!) help them problem-solve when things go wrong use I-messages to support them (I see that you are trying really hard to cut that paper. I believe in you and am here if you need me!) Serve and Return Interactions Think of a tennis match. A ball is served from one player and is hit towards another. The other player then hits the ball back to player one. Now, think of when your child has asked you a question and you respond back with an answer. Or when they smile at you and you smile back. These are all known as serve and return interactions. As a child’s first and most important teacher, parents/primary caregivers can support brain growth just by speaking to, playing with, and caring for their child every day! Stress: from toxic to tolerable (and even positive!) There are many types of stresses that a child might go through on a day-to-day basis, ranging from toxic to tolerable and even positive stress. Toxic stress is harmful to the developing brain. Toxic stressors include things such as mental or physical abuse, neglect, or exposure to violence. Toxic stress can weaken synapses (or connections) in the brain and can have long term implications on your child’s physical and mental health throughout their life. Tolerable stress results from serious events such as a natural disaster or loss of a loved one—with the support of a reliable caregiver. While these events are very difficult, children are able to pass through the stress and become more resilient. Toxic stress can turn to tolerable stress with the ongoing support of at least one caring adult. How? Go back to what we wrote above on helping a child learn to self-regulate. Positive stress – sometimes stress is good! Some short-lived stresses are essential to healthy and robust development – such as the stress your child feels as they start their first day of school or ride a bike for the first time. Early experiences and brain architecture A child’s brain is constantly developing, making connections, and growing. So next time your child strikes up a conversation and you make the effort to be present and chat, know you are helping them build their brain. The next time your child express strong emotion and you help them work through it, you are helping build their brain. The next time you see your child ‘just playing,’ you can admire how they are independently building their brain and a solid foundation for their own future. Consider yourself not just a caregiver to your child, but a partnering architect!

"Turn-taking" is a back-and-forth interaction where each person has the opportunity to have a “turn”. This is a great introduction to sharing which is harder for young children to understand. The skill of turn-taking is essential for establishing friendships and navigating their way through life. What: Building a block tower How: Set the first block in front of a child and invite them to add a block by saying – “your turn”. Acknowledge when your child adds their first block by pausing and saying, “wow, you added a block. You then add another block to the tower and saying “my turn”. During this activity make sure to let the child know how much you enjoy taking turns and how proud you are of your child. Encourage your child to let you know when your turn is next – by asking – “My turn?” That will give your child the sense of empowerment and encouragement. For older children, you can also teach turn-taking by using a timer and/or by playing a game of cards. Older children will understand the rules of games like “Go Fish” and will have fun taking turns and laughing with everyone. Materials needed: set of blocks (wooden, plastic or carboard). you can also use other materials like rocks, boxes, etc.

A 'creation station' supports children to develop social skills such as turn taking, cooperation, negotiating, back and forth communication and identification of feelings. How: Place materials and items for your child/children to create with on a tabletop or the floor where everyone can be invited to get creative. Encourage children to explore and use materials they choose to develop their creations. Invite conversation by naming and noticing similarities and differences between each creation and asking how materials feel - for example, “Wow! I see you have a lot of green items and your brother has a lot of blue items.” Materials needed: Things to get creative with, like: Crayons, markers Loose parts – corks, lids, pebbles, sticks, boxes, q-tips, pom poms, spools, shells Scissors, glue Playdough Paint and brushes Paper – newspaper, magazines, construction

At Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre, we focus on optimal brain development for children under six years old. These early years are critical for child development—what children experience before they turn five years old sets the trajectory for the rest of their lives. We provide a school readiness program and a parent respite childcare program with trained staff that support children's healthy brain development through play. In fact, our commitment to early childhood development is so high that every member of our staff - from our early childhood educators to our finance manager - is required to attain Brain Story Certification. But we also recognize that every child's first teachers and biggest influencers are their parents and/or other primary caregivers. And we believe that every parent/caregiver, no matter what their circumstances, will work just as hard or harder than we do to nurture the biggest, healthiest brain possible in their child. They just need the knowledge and tools. That's why we offer a variety of completely free parenting classes, and why we are launching this blog series all focused on the core concepts behind healthy child development. Accompanying each blog article will be daily social media posts to illustrate, explain, and provide examples for each concept. The concepts we will be covering throughout 2022 are: January You Are Your Child's First and Most Important Teacher February Play, a Child’s Work March Science and Early Childhood April Developmental Milestones May Developmental Domains June Social Development July Physical Development August Language Development September Intellectual Development October Creative Play November Emotional Development December Growing Together Follow along with us on Facebook or Instagram and learn all about optimal development for your own child or any children you interact with. Or, you can subscribe to have the blog posts delivered to your email inbox via our monthly e-newsletter, which also provides information on upcoming parenting classes, parent and child drop-in play groups, and special events at Norwood Centre.

Welcome to March! So far this year we have explored two core concepts of early childhood development: 'You are Your Child’s First and Most Important Teacher' (January) and 'Play: The Work of Children' (February). As we move into March, we will be looking at 'Science and Early Childhood,' a core concept that covers brain development and its importance in a child's journey to successful adulthood. Roughly 90% of the brain is developed by the age of five, which is why the early years are so crucial and why this month's core concept is so important to Norwood. Throughout the month, we will be exploring science and early childhood through five main topics: Serve and Return From infancy, you begin helping your child build a big strong brain with the seemingly simple concept of ‘serve and return.’ Serve and return is like a tennis match: when your baby cries, they are serving; when you respond by cooing or picking them up, you are returning their serve. Speaking back and forth with your child, mimicking their sounds, answering their questions, and making eye contact with them help build neural connections in their brains. Executive Function and Self-Regulation Executive function is the ability to focus, pay attention, remember instructions, and practice self-control-all at the same time! You might think of an air traffic controller, sending all the different planes (or thoughts) to where they need to be. Self-regulation is being able to process and control emotions. Caregiver modeling is very important for children to learn how to self-regulate. Resilience Resilience is the ability to ‘bounce back’ from challenges. For example, if your child is stacking blocks and the blocks all fall, resilience tells them that the tower can be built again. If your child pours their own drink and it spills, resilience helps them take action to clean it up and pour again. Toxic Stress Toxic stress is just what it sounds like: stress that is a challenge for a child to handle, such as lack of nutritious food, witnessing violence, or experiencing neglect. Toxic stress prevents the brain from making connections. But the good news is that having a supportive and responsive caregiver (like you) can make toxic stress tolerable. Early Experiences and Brain Architecture Every single experience your child has, whether it be positive or negative, has an impact on their developing brain. Think of early experiences as the foundation of a house. Positive experiences create a strong foundation for a house to be built on. Negative experiences and toxic stress make the foundation weaker. We can’t wait to continue this journey of learning with you! Please keep following our blog and social media---be sure to like and subscribe to learn more about science and early childhood. Facebook Instagram Use hashtag #norwoodccbforecd

We call play the work of children. In play, children have a voice and are the creators of their own experiences and outcomes; play is something that children seek out and want to participate in. Through play children can explore and be problem solvers. They create and test theories, practice observation and interpret their observations. Play helps children develop skills such as listening, concentrating, paying attention, exploring, negotiating, exploring feelings, controlling impulses and problem solving. These skills are necessary in the development of executive functioning (being able to control more than one thing at a time) which strengthens our ability to regulate our emotions and behavior in various settings. Stages of Play All play provides opportunities that allow for progress within all developmental domains (social, physical, language, intellectual, creative, and emotional). Generally, play advances through stages and will follow a similar pattern for most children. This stages of play are: Unoccupied Play: When a child is moving about from place to place with seemingly no purpose. They are exploring their world and how their body works. Solitary Play: When a child prefers to play alone, they are learning to entertain themselves and are gaining self-sufficiency. Parallel Play: When children play side by side, maybe using the same toy or material, but are not actively engaged with one another, they are learning to play in the company of other children. Associative Play: When children play separately but are involved in what each other are doing, engaging with each other, but still making their own creations, they are taking their first steps towards playing together. Cooperative Play: When children are engaged together and there is a common purpose to the play - this is what parallel and associative play have been building to. It is important to remember that all children are unique and move through the stages at their own pace. One child may prefer the comfort of solitary play while another will gravitate to the social engagement that accompanies cooperative play. Whatever types of play children prefer, play and learning go hand in hand; meaning children learn best through active and varied hands-on play and engagement with their everyday environment. Supporting play At Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre, program staff actively embrace the idea that children learn best through play and play is the outlet in which children make sense of their world. Our programs are play based and child led. Educators carefully observe children and make provisions for use of time, space, equipment, and materials for use by the children. Children are encouraged and given the freedom to make decisions during their play in how the time, space, equipment and materials will be used and explored. This is considered open-ended play or play that is emergent (it is led and directed by the child.) This kind of play is not bound by limitations imposed by educators. This freedom helps children develop the capacity to be more creative as they grow, explore possibilities, problem-solve, and interact with others. In consequence, play experiences can and many times do, look different for individual children. By encouraging play and playfulness, children are naturally using their imagination and creativity to think about things in new and interesting ways. They are becoming our future scientists, explorers, architects, designers, chefs, engineers, teachers, caregivers, doctors, and more by using ‘out of the box’ thinking. How can you encourage play and playfulness at home? Through play children learn many important life skills. When you give your child materials from around the home, such as plastic bottles, recycled boxes, wooden spoons, etc., they use them to play. When they stack boxes from largest to smallest, they are learning about balance, about how to build, design, and solve spatial problems. Or in more academic terms, they are learning mathematical concepts such as sequencing; ordering; small, medium large; patterning, angles, weights, etc. This helps children explore their interests and prepares them for their future education and eventually occupations. Parents/caregivers support all this amazing learning by providing materials and asking open-ended questions such as, “how can you balance the boxes?” “can you tell me about what you built?” and, when something goes wrong, “how could you fix that?” Parents often feel like they should teach or explain when their child struggles. But this is the perfect opportunity to help your child learn and grow by asking questions, not providing answers. Play as a parenting tool Caregivers can use play as a tool to help smooth out transitions and create child friendly schedules within the home. Does your child have a hard time getting ready for bed? If your child is active and likes to climb out of bed often, incorporate some movement games as a part of your nightly schedule. A favourite game such as Simon Says is something to look forward to, helps burn off excess energy and is a clear signal of what is coming next. These moments can also create a special time between caregiver and child leaving both feel appreciated and loved. Play builds brains! When adults take time to play with children, actively following a child’s lead, they are signaling that they believe that the child is important, strong and capable. In addition, sharing many and varied experiences with children helps support healthy brain development by creating strong neural networks. Playing together also secures healthy attachments between the child and their caregiver. These responsive relationships support children when they encounter stressful or adverse childhood experiences by teaching them how to manage, tolerate and reduce stress.

For a parent, winter can seem like a good time to stay warm and cozy inside. For a child, winter can be a magical time to get outside. Outside time is great for everyone, so bundle up, parents, and try to see winter through the eyes of your children! Did you know that physical play promotes overall good health, stimulates healthy brain development and enhances creativity? We are a winter city and winter can be a beautiful and fun time to play outdoors. Some activities that you could explore are: tobagganing creating an igloo make snow angels by laying in the snow and opening and closing your arms and legs colouring the snow with food colouring and water in a spray bottle going on a snowy walk making snow people Get out and play!

In Discovery Community*, simple materials such as fabric help to promote imaginative thinking in children. One day, a scarf landed on the vent and was blown upwards in circles by the air coming from the vent. This motion captured a child’s attention who immediately responded by bringing in another scarf and a toy firetruck. They shared with an educator that the firetruck was “putting out a fire.” The play kept on until the child added a magnetic wand and a bean bag toy. “Marshmallow,” the child said. Supporting imaginative play helps children express and explore their ideas as well as promote the use of language through sharing stories. To encourage a child in play, ask questions like, "can you tell me about what you are playing?" or "what's going to happen now?" *Norwood's Discovery Community is for children aged three to six. It provides play-based care for our

Something crucial to healthy childhood development is too often overlooked in our busy scheduled lives today. This something isn’t complicated, it isn’t expensive, and it isn’t difficult to master. In fact, it’s child’s play. Your child needs free play time and lots of it! What is free play? Simple: it is just regular play, led entirely by your child. You provide time, space, and some materials, and your child chooses what they will play with and how they will play with it. There is no need to go overboard with the materials either – a child’s imagination can do wonders with a cardboard box or a laundry basket and a paper towel roll. That’s the entire point. Ample time for children to take the lead of their play is essential for them to grow in all developmental domains—social, physical, language, intellectual, creative and emotional. (Don’t worry, we will be covering all of these in more detail in future blog posts. Make sure you are subscribed). But allowing your child free play time doesn’t mean there is not a role for you! How can you support your child during play? Ask open-ended questions Open-ended questions are questions that cannot be answered simply with ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ such as: “Tell me about what you are making.” "What’s your plan?” "What will happen next?" Asking questions like this of your child as they play strengthens their vocabulary and helps them begin to think critically as they formulate answers to your questions. Narrate what they are doing If your child is too young to answer questions, narrate what they are doing as they do it! This might sound like “Wow! A red car” or “Crash!” as something falls. When your child hears a word or a sound with an object or action, they can better understand what that word/action means and make the connection. Encourage them to think outside the box! Play that is unbound by rules or structure is essential! A rock can be a pet, or your child could turn into a princess, a dragon, or a flying dog, and that’s okay! Play is how children make sense of their world, not just as it is, but how it could be. What kind of materials do you need to support your child's play? Anything! Objects from around the home can be used for play: a laundry basket and a pair of rolled up socks could be used as a fun tossing game, plastic cups from the cupboard can be used to build, and pots and pans can be used to create a band. The next time you are putting something in the recycle or garbage (such as a coffee can, milk jug lid or a cardboard box) ask yourself - and your child - how it might be used for play instead. Play builds your child’s brain When children are encouraged to take the lead in their exploration, they stay engaged for longer periods of time. And when a child is engaged in play, they are creating connections—or synapses—in their brains. Strengthening these connections early helps create a strong foundation on which your child will continue to build their brain and will ultimately help them thrive as they grow. Learning through play: 11 types of play There are many different types of play! You have probably observed your child engaged in some or most of the following, depending on their age. Here’s what they are doing: Unoccupied Play When a child seems to be moving randomly with no real objective, they are examining their world and setting the stage for future play and exploration. Solitary (Independent) Play When a child plays alone, they are learning to stay entertained, paving the way for self-sufficiency. Onlooker Play When a child observes others engaged in play without participating, they are learning about others’ ways of playing and seeking to understand social rules. Parallel Play When children play side by side, maybe using the same toy or material, but not actively engaged with one another, they are taking their first steps toward eventually playing together. Associative Play When children play separately but are involved in what each other is doing; engaging, but still making their own creations, they are taking further steps toward building friendships. Cooperative Play When children interact and engage in play together — there is a purpose or adoption of roles — they have reached cooperative play. This is what parallel and associative play have been leading up to and can include conflict as children learn to share and take turns. Dramatic Play When children assign roles and act them out. This type of play is important to developing intellectual and verbal skills and shows higher-level thinking: children are remembering, re-enacting, and understanding. Expressive/Creative Play When children express themselves and explore ideas, emotions and experiences through voice, music, rhyme, art, they are developing their intellectual abilities through memory, exploration, and creation. Physical Play When children use their whole bodies to play — climbing, rolling, kicking, throwing, running, catching, pinching/picking — they are learning their physical abilities (and limits). Rough and Tumble Play Building from physical play, this includes risky, adventurous, unstructured, natural play that contributes to skills such as resilience, independence, self-confidence, physical control and coordination, self-regulation and the ability to process fears and stress. Imaginative Play When conventional rules from the real world do not apply, children are engaged in imaginative play. While they are pretending to be a flying cow who saves puppies or a troll who steals a pirate’s gold, they are also making choices and experiencing outcomes of decisions in a controlled environment. This month on Facebook and Instagram, we will be posting all about the different types of play and how it helps your child’s long-term development. Make sure to follow along with us!