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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!

As we wrap up our first month of Core Concepts in Early Childhood Development, let’s recap the irreplaceable value of the parent/primary caregiver as a child’s first and most important teacher! Missed the posts? Check out our Instagram feed and look for the posts with this tagline (and don't forget to follow us for more). When a baby opens their eyes for the first time, the world around them is big and unknown. They can see, but they do not understand the faces, images, and voices surrounding them. Slowly, with the help of their parents or caregivers, they start making sense of the world. A child learns their first life lesson when they cry and somebody responds to make them feel better. They learn that their needs matter. When a baby smiles or babbles and their caregiver responds with smiles and coos and little words, the baby starts to understand that a caregiver is watching and listening. This is called ‘Serve and Return’ and it is a cornerstone of healthy child development. Serve and return works like a game of tennis or volleyball between child and parent/caregiver: the child “serves” by reaching out for interaction—eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, babbling, touch—and the caregiver “returns the serve” by looking over, smiling, speaking back, playing peekaboo, or sharing a toy. Children develop best when they have consistent, supportive, and loving adult influences throughout their lives. When a consistent and supportive caregiver sends similar messages over and over, they help their young child understand what is happening around them and who is there to support and help them. When children realize they always have support and love, they start to feel safe in the world. When children feel safe, they will bravely explore their world and learn much faster. Everything you and your child do together teaches important lessons that help them grow and learn about their world. Every day, every moment children are trying to make sense of the world around them. As they get older, their world expands as well. They start meeting new people, going to new places, and seeing new things—and they rely on you to help them sort out what they are experiencing. This is a dog For example, when you are out for a walk and see a dog, you can support your child’s learning by pointing at the dog and saying, “This is a dog. A dog says ‘ruff, ruff.’” Your child learns that this this four-legged thing is a dog, and it can talk—the way it talks might be loud and strange, but this is how dogs talk. The next time your child hears barking and sees a dog, they will recognize and understand what it is. Children under five learn fast and remember well because this is the time their brains are rapidly building connections. This has four legs too, but is not a dog Later on, your child might see another four-legged animal, a cow for example, and think, “this is a dog.” You take this opportunity to teach your child about more four legged animals by adding on that this is a cow, and cows say “mooo”. You have started teaching that many things have four legs, but they are different from each other, and they make different sounds. "Why, why, why?" Once children get older and their language skills develop, they will start asking questions. The question “why?” becomes a powerful one. Adults take the world for granted, but children do not! To them, everything is interesting because everything is new. As a parent, you want to encourage that curiosity and critical thinking. If your tone is warm and welcoming, your child will learn to come to you with any thoughts and worries because you’ve made it clear that you’re always there to listen. That is the type of relationship we want to develop with our children. Parents don't have to know everything! Sometimes, parents get worried if they don’t have an answer but that is okay! In fact, it creates a wonderful opportunity to start teaching your child about problem-solving. Looking for answers together will encourage your child to explore, and exploring the world, exploring people, and exploring feelings brings many discoveries. The positive relationship you build with your child is their foundation for future social and emotional wellbeing Think about those precious moments when you cuddle and read a book with your child or play a simple game of hide and seek or tell jokes together. All those seemingly simple things build trust and attachment between parents and children, and healthy parent-child attachment is another cornerstone of child development. Teaching your child to value person-to-person interactions is setting a template for their future relationships. For every negative experience, a child needs four positive experiences to make up for it. The most important part of being your child’s parent and first teacher is showing your children they are loved and lovable. When you accept your children as they are, when you show interest in what they do and what they like, they become confident and self-assured. When you notice your child is working hard on something and praise them for it, you let them know that you are noticing and approving of what they are doing. Focusing on the process rather than a product (the end result) encourages children to try and do even more new things. Showing your delight in what you see your child doing helps them know when they are on the right path. Make sure you find many opportunities to let your children know you like what they are doing, what they are saying, and how they are interacting with others, because small and frequent praising can change your child’s life. Their first relationships with you and their other significant caregivers will build their personality and develop the self-esteem they will carry into the future. Next month’s core concept is “Play, the Work of Children." Learn more about how you can be your child’s best teacher and give them a leg up in the world simply by learning more about the fine art of PLAY! Sound like fun? Remember to subscribe to our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram!

Maybe you’re looking down at your first newborn in your arms or maybe you’re sending your third child off to kindergarten. In either case you may be thinking “Am I doing enough?” Science shows that the most crucial relationships in a person's life are those with their “primary caregivers,” whether that’s mom, dad, grandma, uncle, or nanny. The people a child spends the most time with in their early years will undeniably shape the person they become as they grow. So how can we make sure that we’re having a positive effect? Serve and Return “Serve and Return” is the conversational tennis match between two or more people and it is the driving force in healthy brain development. When a baby cries and their caregiver picks them up, they learn that they can affect the world around them, that they have a voice, and that the people that they love and rely on are listening! Serve and return doesn’t mean agreeing or giving your child everything they ask for. It just means letting them know that you hear and understand them. It may seem incredibly simple, and that’s because it is. The simple act of acknowledging and responding to your child’s bids for attention actually makes their brain stronger! Modeling It may be cliché, but “monkey see, monkey do” is a well-documented phenomenon in child behaviour. Though our children are listening to what we tell them to do, they are much more likely to copy ways of being, thinking, and problem-solving that they get to witness first hand. Trying to get your toddler to stay seated at the dinner table? Make a point to sit down and enjoy the meal yourself. Preschooler tosses their jacket, shoes and backpack across the living room on the way in from daycare? Take a moment to notice where your coat and bag ended up. Attachment Children and adults are shaped by their attachments to other people. A strong secure attachment for a newborn looks like being responded to quickly when upset, having diapers changed and feedings regularly, and having an emotionally open and supportive caregiver. For a preschooler, it may look like a parent waiting at the bus stop, a snack packed for later, or a genuine curiosity about their day. For an adult, it may be trusting that your partner will pick up dinner on the way home or counting on a friend to carpool to work. We all need each other in different ways as we age. The ways that we express affection and care towards our children will be translated into how they give and receive those things in all areas of their lives. The truth about the early years is that our children have a lot to learn about their world every single day! Let the ABCs and 123s come a little later, because it is you that is teaching them about how to think and feel in the world around them. A child’s first and most important teacher is YOU!