Success Basics
The Success Basics are five fun, simple, and effective ways to help your child grow smarter. Watch the videos to find out more!
- Respond to your child’s feelings and let them know that all feelings are okay.
- Have your child help you prepare dinner.
- For snack, offer limited choices. For example: apples OR grapes.
- Spend time outside together. Spread out a blanket and look at the clouds.
Activities
- Sing a nursery rhyme.
- Make up your own verses for the song, “If You’re Happy and You Know it.”
- As you walk or do errands, talk about what you are doing while do it and what it going on.
- Say and do the motions to one of your favorite rhymes.
Activities
- Help your child clap to the beat as you listen to a song.
- In the bath, fill up and dump out a cup. Talk about “full” vs. “empty” and “in” vs “out.”
- Count a basket of objects together and sort them into related groups.
- Share a counting book together.
Activities
- Put on a puppet show using stuffed animals or make your own sock puppet.
- Play search and find: hide things under a blanket and have your child “find” it or play hide and seek.
- Get out spoons and pots to make a kitchen band.
- Drawing is a good way to exercise little hands and be creative. Put out some crayons and paper. Your child can also experiment with tearing and folding the paper.
Activities
- Before you open a book, read the title and look at the pictures. Guess what it might be about.
- Read a story and act out movements to some of the action words.
- Reread your child’s favorite book.
- While reading, describe the pictures, talking about colors, shapes and characters.
- Read books together that are about people who are alike and different from you and your child.