Children will copy everything they see and hear. Cartoons can help children learn how to solve problems or teach them letters and numbers. Shows or advertisements that include things that are not helpful should not be shown to children.

No, in may experience many toddlers do not have temper tantrums. If your child is doing that behavior, and they are safe, you can walk away from them. When they are calm you should talk to them about why they were upset so you can help prevent a temper tantrum in the future. Teach your toddler to use gestures and facial expressions when they are upset.

No, many toddlers do not bite. To help stop biting you should help your child learn how to talk. When toddlers can communicate their needs they tend to stop biting. Sometimes they will still bite objects. That is usually a need for sensory stimulation.

Yes, positive parenting does work for children with differing abilities. You can visit https://www.understood.org/ for more information about understanding children with disabilities.

Yes, there should be a sticker with the expiration date on the seat. As a general rule car seats expire 6 to 10 years after being purchased new. It should also not be used if it was in a car crash or recalled.

They usually learn more by using toys.

Example: A preschooler is told to color a worksheet with an apple on it. The child learned the color red and a fine motor skill.

A preschooler is given a toy apple. The child learned the color red, a fine motor skill, pretend play, taking turns and texture.

A preschooler is given a real apple. The child learned the color red, a fine motor skill, pretend play, taking turns, texture, and how it tastes.

Toys and real life experiences are also the developmentally appropriate way for preschoolers to learn.

A lot of bacteria is helpful for humans. They live on our sink and in our bodies helping us digest food and use nutrients. They also may be able to help prevent some chronic diseases.

The best way to help an infant with attachment is to be consistent with them. Pick them up every time they cry. Use eye contact with them. Talk to them. When they get older set logical consequences for their negative behavior. Be consistent by following through with the consequence every time the behavior happens.

Adults can help children improve their self-esteem by saying, “You did it!” instead of “Good job” “You did. You tied your shoe!” teaches a child their actions caused something good to happen. “Good job” teaches I like what you did. I approve of your behavior.

Talk to your infant or toddler about what is happening around them. Point to interesting things and say the name of it. Use words that they do not hear everyday. Use descriptive words. Example: “This is a block. It is blue. It is made out of wood. It is a cube. This side is a square. It is hard. It is smooth.”

1. Do one thing at a time, using a planner, instead of multi tasking.

2. Solve the problem instead of overthinking about it.

3. Break hard tasks into manageable steps.

4. Practice mindfulness meditation by closing your eyes, taking deep breaths, and thinking about nothing.

5. Move your body

6. Get more information about what is making you anxious.

7. Use pressure points

Paying a lot of attention to your child when they are being good can help reduce attention seeking behavior. Paying attention to them when they are not listening reinforces them to keep doing bad things.

A few children may hurt themselves when they are upset. Try to help your child calm down in a safe way. Tell your pediatrician about this behavior. Your child may have a need that is not being met.

A child crosses midline when they use their right hand to reach the left side of their body or vise versa. Your feet can also cross midline when you stretch your legs to the other side without moving the truck of your body. When a doctor asks you to watch their finger move back and forth with your eyes this is also an example of crossing right/left midline. You can also cross midline by doing yoga, spinning around, and by touching your toes.

Verbal communication is a skill that takes years to learn. Many toddlers will cry, hit, bite, and push to get want they want. Most toddlers can learn basic sign language faster than talking. Sign language helps them communicate faster, so they can learn to solve their problems quicker.

Children normally have an attention span of 2-3 minutes times their age. So a 3 year old should have an attention span of about 6 to 9 minutes (3 x 3 = 9 minutes).

It really depends on what your definition is, but a general conciseness is around 15 to 20 minutes.

Skin is the largest organ on the human body. Sweat helps remove toxins from the body and increases the immune system. It also keeps us cool in a hot environment.

Yes, many studies show that for every tax dollar spent in early childhood education about $6 to $9 tax dollars are saved.

In my examples infants are birth to 12 months old, toddlers are 1 year to 2 year olds, preschoolers are 3 and 4 year olds, school aged children are 5 years and up in elementary school.

There are 4 kinds of attachment.

1. Secure – People with this attachment feel safe and secure.

2. Avoidant – People with this attachment usually avoid or dismiss their emotions and feelings.

3. Ambivalent – People with this attachment are usually very clingy to their loved ones.

4. Disorganized – People with this attachment may feel confused or fearful of others.

People need to feel: safe, comfortable, connected, loved, trust in others, etc. The need for safety includes: being free from neglect, abuse, and feeling safe in your neighborhood. Young children also need to move their bodies. They do this by running and climbing.

Some symptoms of learned helplessness are: not trying at all, giving up easily, frustration when they do try, low self-esteem, and using negative self talk.

Hopping is done with 1 foot. People jump using both feet.

self control
self monitor
emotional control
mental flexibility
task initiation
organization
working memory
planning and time management
etc.

There are several regions of the brain. They develop from bottom to top and include…

1. Brain stem – It is developed at birth and is responsible for keeping a person alive.

2. Cerebellum – It is used for physical skills such as balance and coordination. It develops from birth to age 1.

3. Occipital lobe – It is used for visual processing. It develops from birth to 2 years old.

4. Parietal lobe – It is used in touch and language. It develops from birth to age 6.

5. Temporal lobe – It is used in emotions and hearing. It develops from birth to age 6.

6. Frontal lobe – It is responsible for thought, memory, and behavior. Executive functions are in this region. It becomes fully developed when a person turns 30 years old.

Note: The ages above are sensitive periods when the brain develops the most in each region.

In my experience developmental delays are common. There are many resources available to help children with developmental delays. You can…

Provide activities like the ones found on my activities page

Talk with your pediatrician about your concerns

Talk to your local school district about getting an IEP or 504 plan for your child

Look for an educational therapist for your child

Infants should be placed on their backs when they are sleeping to help prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). However if they roll over in their sleep, safe sleep trainings state that it is okay to leave them in a different position.

Safe sleep trainings state that cradles should not be used for infants.

Infants under 1 year old should sleep alone (without any toys, blankets, or pillows), on their back, and in a crib.

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness including:

Knowing that books are read front to back, top to bottom, and left to right.

Recognizing upper and lowercase letters; especially letters in their name.

Knowing that every letter makes a sound

Being able to rhyme

Knowing what letter a few words start with

Children usually learn to create a vertical line, horizontal line, circle, plus sign, square shape, forward slash, back slash, X, and triangle shape before they draw letters and numbers.

It is best to trust your instincts. Intervention services work best the younger your child is. You can request developmental screenings and assessments or get a second opinion from another doctor or specialist.

Download the CDC milestone tracker app www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones-app.html

Have your child attend a high quality childcare or preschool

Sign up for Parents as Teachers if it is available in your area https://parentsasteachers.org/

Schedule regular appointments with your pediatrician.

There are many things that affect a person’s behavior including:

age – level of brain development

relationships

personality

temperament

environment – where you are

weather

transitions

changes in schedule

stress

culture

expectations – from adults or yourself

trauma

mental flexibility

mindset

attitude

health

hunger

what things you ingest in your body

amount of quality sleep

how much you move everyday

feeling safe

feeling loved

feeling like you are trusted

feeling like you are in control of your life

feeling like something is not fair

being able to trust others

what people around you are doing

diagnoses

and more

Neurons are cells that send and receive messages in your body. There are neurons in your brain, your gut, and your heart. There are three types of intuition…

1. Head = thinks about the situation. People with a cephalic brain may say, “I think…”

2. Gut = listens to their gut instinct. People with an enteric brain may say, “My gut says…”

3. Heart = follows their emotions. People with a cardiac brain may say, “I feel…”

Each type of intuition has positives and negatives that come with it.

The core learning styles are: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic (hands on).

Children start holding a writing utensil with a palmer grasp. Later they may also use a digital grasp, jaw chuck grasp, etc. Eventually they learn to use a tripod grasp.

Physical science
Life
Earth
Health
Technology

There are 3 kinds of stress: positive, tolerable, and toxic. Toxic stress caused by trauma can slow brain development.

The temperament styles are sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic. In between each of these styles are ways a person reacts to situations such as having stable emotions or unstable emotions, being extroverted or introverted.

Immediately…positive parenting not only works for young children, but many of the strategies also work for teenagers and other adults.

Children learn from their experiences. This starts at birth. The best way to teach infants and children is to give them loving attention. This creates a positive relationship and trust. Remember that 90% of brain development happens before a child starts Kindergarten.

Talk with your pediatrician. They may have developmental screenings that you can fill out, such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ’s).  They should also have information on where to find intervention services in your area.

Infants need tummy time to strengthen their core muscles. Doing tummy time with an infant helps them learn how to sit up without falling over. It also helps with many other skills.

Generally children act out because they want control, attention, to be listened to, or have a need that is not being met.

Mom’s are generally nurturing and spend more time with their child than anyone else.

Bullying can be used to gain control over someone. Kids may bully because they want approval from their friends.

They may be bored or they have too much energy and need to move their bodies.

Toddlers and preschoolers may hit to get a toy that they want, because they want to play, or because they are upset.

A common reason why toddlers and preschoolers fall while sitting down is they do not have strong core muscles. Core muscles are used to balance, sit in a chair, write,  jump, etc. These muscles can be improved with exercise.

Toddlers and young preschoolers may say negative things because they do not like someone’s behavior. They don’t know how to distinguish a person from a person’s behavior yet. Toddlers are very forgetful and usually resilient. They do not hold a grudge and are very honest about how they feel in the moment.

Toddlers bite for a variety of reasons including: teething, to get a toy they want, sensory stimulation, experimenting with cause and effect, excitement, to calm down, frustration because they are not being understood or listened to, or because someone hurt them. Make sure you are giving the majority of your attention to the child who is bitten instead of the biter. When toddlers learn to communicate they will generally stop biting people.

Toddlers experience strong emotions. They may have a tantrum or meltdown when they are not getting what they want. Most toddlers will naturally feel calmer after a tantrum is over.

Toddlers brains grow faster than an adults. They are asking “why” to learn about their environment (the things around them).

Sometimes children will act like a baby because they want more attention or they want things to go back to the way they were before. They may also do it when they are doing dramatic play.

Crossing the midline of your body is important because it helps both sides (hemispheres) of your brain communicate with each other. It helps your brain strengthen neural pathways so your physical and cognitive skills will improve.

Schools put those skills on a child’s report card because good social skills and emotional development help reduce behavior problems, it encourages empathy, it helps with making decisions, it increases academic performance, it helps with problem solving, etc.

Schools grade work habits such as time management, organization, working independently, verbal and written communication because they asked employers, “What skills should students have to get hired or be effective at their jobs.”

Schools use technology to keep children’s attention. Many children focus better when looking at a screen.

Self-care is important because it helps you relax. It is almost impossible to help someone else when you need help.

The sense of touch is vital to infants. If infants are not held they can stop growing. There have been cases where infants in orphanages have died because they were not held. Good touch, such as hugging, is important in healthy relationships.

A broad definition of visual discrimination is noticing minor differences in things that you see. It helps with learning to read because p, q, b, and d look similar but have different letter sounds. An example is looking at 2 pictures and finding what is different or missing.