Parenting Moment: Describing
The way you talk with children matters! Your words have power.
Caregivers can support children’s development by describing—saying what they’re doing, as if you’re a sportscaster giving the play-by-play narration of a game!
Describing lets your child know you’re paying attention and you’re interested in their world. It also builds self-esteem, increases their focus and attention span, and builds vocabulary. It also helps children learn new words and basic concepts like numbers, shapes, and colors.
It all starts with following children’s lead. For instance:
- If your child is drawing a smiley face, you can say, “You’re using a thick crayon to draw an orange smiley face.”
- If your child is on a scooter, you might say “Zoom zoom, you’re cruisin’ along behind daddy. You just made a good turn!”
- If your child is showing a baby a ball and saying, “This is my fuzzy ball,” you might say “You’re showing Baby Jojo your fuzzy ball… you’re telling her all about it!”
Go To Sleep, Elmo!
Handling a middle-of-the-night monster moment.
Monster Meltdown
Meltdowns happen… but they are somewhat predictable! As you try to handle them, curiosity and patience go a long way.
Cookie Monster’s Beach Day
When children are in the hospital, their imagination can become a valuable tool in soothing themselves.
Milestones: Your Three-Year-Old
All children grow and develop at their own pace; use this chart to guide your expectations and observations so you can talk to your child’s pediatrician about questions or concerns.
Milestones: Your 18-Month Old
All children grow and develop at their own pace; use this chart to guide your expectations and observations so you can talk to your child’s pediatrician about questions or concerns.
Milestones: Your Two-Year-Old
All children grow and develop at their own pace; use this chart to guide your expectations and observations so you can talk to your child’s pediatrician about questions or concerns.
Milestones: Your One-Year-Old
All children grow and develop at their own pace; use this chart to guide your expectations and observations so you can talk to your child’s pediatrician about questions or concerns.
