Play It Forward

Week 1: Building Community – “Helping Ourselves, Helping Each Other” – Raising healthy, happy kids is hard, but it’s easier when parents aren’t alone. In this session, we’ll talk about the importance of a support system, introduce caregivers to valuable community resources, and encourage the caregivers to meet and talk with one another.

Week 2: Brain Development – “Healthy Children Happy Parents” – In this session, we will discuss how daily experiences shape a child’s brain development, with early infancy being a critical period when the brain develops more rapidly than at any other time. We will also explore specific ways to create opportunities that promote healthy brain development in children.

Week 3: How is your Child Developing? – “Healthy Children Happy Parents” – In this session we will talk about everyday activities to encourage and promote the healthy development of your child. We will also talk about the different areas of development and why every area is important for children’s success in life and in school. We will learn about developmental screenings and why is important to keep track of a child’s development. The ASQ-3 and ASQ-SE questionnaires will be introduced for parents to complete online.

Week 4: Helping Children Eat Healthy – “All About Nutrition” – We all want our kids to grow up to be healthy and strong, but understanding which foods are healthiest can be tricky. This week, we’ll talk about common nutrition concerns such as choosing healthy foods, dealing with picky eaters, and ways to encourage kids to try new foods.

Week 5: “Play = Learning” – Play is a child’s most important job. It’s how they explore the world and discover their place in it. In this session, we’ll discuss the benefits of providing plenty of time for play and share strategies to foster playful learning.

Week 6: Temperament – “Every Child is Unique” – Is your child shy or outgoing? Do they handle change well, or are they easily frustrated? These are some of the things that make up your child’s temperament. In this session, we’ll talk about what temperament is, why every person’s is different, and how important it is to interact with your child in ways that suit their unique temperament

Week 7: The Parent-Child Relationship – “Building Strong Families” – One important way to encourage healthy development is by ensuring that the parent-child relationship is strong and secure. In this session, we’ll talk about parents’ important role as a secure base and a child’s first teacher, and we’ll discuss tips for strengthening the parent-child relationship.

Week 8: Self-Regulation – Learning to regulate emotions, and behaviors is an important part of early development. This week we’ll talk about why self-regulation is so important and offer suggestions for opportunities to practice it with your child.

Week 9: Encouraging Positive Behaviors – In this session, we’ll talk about some of the reasons children behave in ways we wish they wouldn’t and discuss ways to encourage better behavior. Setting limits, positive discipline, and distraction are strategies we will discuss in this session.

Week 10: Promoting your Child’s Independence – “I Can Do It!” – Although it can be frustrating for parents, learning to do things independently is important for children’s healthy development. In this session, we’ll discuss why independence is important, why it can be difficult for parents, and ways to promote independence in kids.

Week 11: Promoting Social Skills – We live in a social world, and children aren’t born knowing how to navigate it. In this session, we’ll discuss how children develop social skills, what “friendships” look like in the first three years, and how we can encourage positive socialization.

Week 12: Reflections and Future Plans – In this session, we’ll reflect on what we’ve learned and brainstorm ways to maintain the momentum at home. Parents will receive information about community resources and programs to further support their children’s growth and development.