Resources for Parents of Young Children
Parent Resource Libraries
The parent resource libraries provide a connection with Birth-Five families by offering a media library of books, DVDs, audio tapes and other educational materials. The libraries are located at the CELC and were sponsored by grants from the Appleton Education Foundation.
The libraries provide a variety of relevant information, including but not limited to:
- Parenting
- Discipline
- Birth - Five development
- Language and literacy
- Special needs
- Mental health issues
- Self-esteem
- Other topics that will help families raise healthy and happy children
Literacy bags are also available for check-out through the Birth-Five Site Resource Coordinator at each of the five target schools. The literacy bags are topic based and include books, activity cards and other materials appropriate for families who have children under age 5.
Contact
AASD Birth-Five Outreach
(920) 852-5300 ext. 61016
Tips & Milestones by Age
0-15 Months
- Have a daily routine. Provide a predictable schedule for your baby with regular meal, bath, nap, and bedtimes. This gives your baby a sense of security and safety.
- During routines, talk about what you are doing. “When your bath is over, we’ll put on your pajamas and then read a book before bed.” “Let’s make sure you are buckled in safely before we start the car.”
- Respond to your baby’s cries. Immediately tuning in to your baby’s needs develops attachment and trust. You cannot spoil your baby by responding right away.
- Make sleep-time safe. Avoid toys, blankets, and pillows in your baby’s sleeping area and always put your baby to sleep on her back.
- Baby wants to move. Help her get ready for walking, but don’t rush her. Keep safe objects within her reach to use for pulling up. Put a toy on a sturdy chair or the couch so she will want to pull herself up to reach it. Later, give her a push and pull toy or even a cardboard box to push in front of her to help her practice walking.
Tummy Time Activities to Strengthen Baby
Tummy Time should begin as soon as your baby comes home from the hospital. Tummy Time is essential for infants’ core, motor, and sensory development and achievement of milestones.
- Helps improve neck and head control, and strengthens back, shoulder muscles, and core
- Prevents flat spots on baby’s head
- Promotes motor and sensory development
Tummy Time Activities to Strengthen Baby / Tiempo Boca Abajo Actividades Para Fortalecer al Bebé / टमी टाइम बच्चे को मजबूत बनाने के लिए गतिविधियाँ / Wakati wa kulala kifudifudi na michezo
Milestones
An infant's development is amazing! At the end of 12 months, your baby can be three times his birth weight and twice his birth length. Babies follow a similar path of development, yet each is unique. Here is what you can expect to see during the first 15 months of life.
Babies first gain control over their heads and then their bodies in the early months of life.
- 1-4 Months: Holds her head up and steady when you hold her on your shoulder
- 5-8 Months: Uses his arms to pull his body along on the floor
Rolling over, sitting, crawling, walking and moving with a purpose can happen over the course of the first 12–15 months of infant development.
- 5-8 Months: Rolls from her back onto her stomach
- 6-8 Months: Sits up with minimal support
- 8-12 Months: Crawls, easily switching from crawling to sitting and back again
- 10-15 Months: Pulls to stand at the edge of a low table and may “cruise” around the edge
Babies are like sponges, soaking up all of the talk around them. Thus, talking, singing, reading and interacting with your baby become critical to language development. Television and videos are not a substitute for face-to-face interaction with a loving caregiver.
- 1-4 Months: Pays attention to what is happening around him by looking around the room when held on someone’s shoulder
- 3-5 Months: Makes babbling or cooing sounds or waves her arms or legs when someone speaks to her or smiles at her
- 6-8 Months: Looks toward the sound of a familiar voice calling from another room
- 8-15 Months: Follows a direction such as, “Please give me the cup.”
Babies coo and babble, but the main way they communicate is by crying. Babies’ cries can change when they are hungry, tired, wet, frightened or overwhelmed. Responding to crying and holding your baby often develops a sense of trust.
- 1-4 Months: Fusses or cries to gain attention of familiar adults
- 1-4 Months: Snuggles and relaxes when rocked
- 4-8 Months: Understands emotions from your tone of voice
- 8-13 Months: Reaches to a familiar adult to be picked up when a stranger says hello
- 8-15 Months: Looks for his caregiver’s reaction before deciding if he should act hurt after falling down
- 8-36 Months: Actively clings, cries or tries to follow when her parent starts to leave
16-36 Months
- Be patient with your little explorer. Toddlers need to repeat activities many, many times.
- Acknowledge feelings. Give your child words for what he is feeling. “I know you are sad.” He has to know you understand before he can listen to you. Help your child understand how others feel. “Edney feels sad when you take his blocks. Let’s use these ones instead so you can both play.”
- Redirect. Head off a tantrum by offering another activity when you see your child is getting frustrated.
- Choose your words. Your toddler will repeat everything you say. In her presence, use only words you want her to learn and say only things that you don’t mind being repeated to others.
- Get her ready. Before you start a new routine, tell your child what will happen so that she can prepare herself. Use simple words such as, “Tomorrow we’re going to visit the library for story time.” Keep it simple and be ready to answer her questions.
- Can your child share yet? One-year-olds are not ready to share, but you can help your child learn to wait and take turns, which will help him prepare for sharing when he’s older. Help your child learn how to ask for a turn and wait for his turn. Encourage him to say, “May I have a turn?” and then offer to help him pass the time while he waits by suggesting another toy or offering to read a short book.
Milestones
Toddlers are busy and eager explorers with small bodies and big feelings! Toddlers are trying to do things for themselves, but still need to be reassured by the adults in their lives. They are experiencing the world and trying to make sense of it all at the same time. Here is what you can expect to see in the toddler years.
Vocabulary takes off as language development continues. Toddlers are learning many new words and putting them together.
- 15-18 Months: Uses several single words such as “bye” or “nite-nite”
- 18-24 Months: Points to several body parts when you name them
- 24-32 Months: Puts several words together such as “more cookie” or “go out now”
- 24-32 Months: Uses personal pronouns such as “we,” “they” and “us”
- 30-36 Months: Uses sentences that are three or four words long
- 30-36 Months: Answers questions such as “What’s this?” when looking at books
Toddlers start using words to interact with parents and other people in their lives. This stage is marked by the frequent use of favorite toddler words: “no,” “mine” and “I do it!”
- 18-24 Months: Points to appropriate pictures in a book when asked, “Where’s the ___?”
- 24-32 Months: Starts asking questions about the story you are reading or the things she sees as you go on walks together
- 30-42 Months: Talks about something that happened and waits for your response
On the move! Crawling, dancing, rolling and running all contribute to a toddler’s growth.
- 12-18 Months: Walks upright more often than he crawls
- 18-24 Months: Can squat down and stand up again with little difficulty
- 24-30 Months: Enjoys climbing on furniture or small climbing structures
- 24-36 Months: Throws a ball or rolls it back and forth with a partner
- 24-36 Months: Runs with ease and can stop and start easily
Although they often get frustrated, this is a temporary stage. As toddlers improve their language development, and gain a better understanding of how things work, their frustrations melt away rather than leading to a melt down.
- 12-18 Months: Cries when another child takes a toy from her
- 18-24 Months: Stacks a set of cardboard boxes, knocks them down and then stacks them up again
- 18-24 Months: Runs to get her favorite book for you to read at predictable times such as nap or bedtime
- 24-36 Months: Knows that the rectangle shape belongs in the rectangle-shaped hole in the box and turns it until it fits
- 30-36 Months: Calls for help, instead of hitting, after another child grabs a toy away from him
Toddlers are straightforward, concrete thinkers who truly believe a kiss and hug can make things all better!
- 18-24 Months: Looks worried or sad when another child is crying
- 24-36 Months: Pats another child on the back and says, “it’s all right,” when the other child cries because his mommy just left
3-4 Years
- Let your child see you writing and reading. You are the best role model for your child – if he thinks you enjoy reading, he will, too!
- Give your child crayons and paper to “work” alongside you. Ask her what she drew or wrote and write down what she says.
- Do chores together: Develop cooperation and responsibility early by letting your child help out.
- Be amazed. Let your child know how impressed you are with his accomplishments and abilities. Be specific. Say, “It’s great how you filled the whole page with color,” rather than, “Great job!”
- Help her manage feelings. If your child is angry, help her find safe ways to show that she’s upset. Encourage her to use words or to find a quiet place to calm down, rather than yelling or hitting. She may need your help to find the words for her feelings.
Milestones
Children this age like to use their fingers to build with blocks, use crayons and do puzzles.
- 3-3.5 Years: Alternates between a whole hand grasp and a thumb and fingertips grasp when using crayons or markers
- 3-3.5 Years: Tries to zip up his jacket and asks for help when the zipper gets stuck
- 3.5-4 Years: Fits together pieces like large Legos or pop beads and/or can dress a doll
You will see great growth in your child’s language development, imagination and ability to play with other children.
- 3-3.5 Years: Describes actions in a book when you ask, “What is happening?” or “What’s the dog doing?”
- 3-3.5 Years: Chooses an activity or place to play because a special friend is there
- 3-4 Years: Speaks clearly enough that adults and children can usually understand what he is saying
- 3.5-4 Years: Answers fairly complex questions, such as, “What is this?” or, “How did you do that?”
At this age, kids are curious about the world and want to understand how everything works. They often ask questions and share their own stories and experiences.
- 3-3.5 Years: Shows curiosity about almost everything he sees
- 3-4 Years: Asks questions in order to keep a conversation going
This stage often marks the development of imaginary play and role-playing when children create rich and involved fantasies.
- 3-3.5 Years: Pretends to be a parent by taking care of a doll
- 3-3.5 Years: Uses a toy as a pretend telephone
- 3.5-4 Years: Joins in games of dramatic play with other children. For example, playing house and giving roles such as, “You be the mommy and I’ll be the daddy.”
Busy preschoolers have a growing interest in playing together with other children. All the time you spent encouraging your toddler to take turns now pays off!
- 3-3.5 Years: Looks through a story book and giggles with a friend as they “retell” the story together
- 3.5-4.5 Years: Trades a red marker on the table for the green marker that another child is using. Preschoolers learn concepts of reading, math, writing and science as part of their play and everyday routines!
- 3-4 Years: Responds accurately when asked to put her shoes in the closet or to cover her baby brother with a blanket
- 3-4 Years: Scribbles on paper and then tells you what he “wrote”
- 3-4 Years: Holds books right side up and turns the pages starting at the front of the book
- 3.5-4 Years: Recognizes some letters, particularly those in her name.
5 Years / Kindergarten
- Encourage independence. Nurture independence by allowing your child to make certain choices, such as allowing him to choose his clothing. If he is not already doing it, teach him how to open his own drinks or food containers. Children may bring their own lunch to school and they will have to open their lunch on their own. Also, if your child will be wearing shoes that require laces, teach him how to tie his own shoes.
- Plan for the first day of school. If you can, take the morning off from work and take your child to school. If your child will ride the bus, be sure to put a nametag on her (or in her backpack) and include her first name, your phone number, and grade or classroom teacher name.
- Dress your child in comfortable clothing. Have him wear elastic waistband pants (zippers, belts, and buttons may be too much during the first few days). This way if he waits until the last minute to use the restroom, it will be easier for him. Also, if your child does not know how to tie his own shoes, have him wear Velcro or slip-on shoes.
Milestones
Kindergarten is a big transition for children. The following information should help you and your child get ready for this exciting time in your lives and ensure school readiness.
- Plays cooperatively with other children most of the time
Uses words suggested by an adult to express feelings, such as “I don’t like it when you push me” or “that makes me mad!” - Is able to help solve simple problems with adult support
Follows 2–3 step directions such as, “Wash your hands, go get your lunch and wait by the door.” - Shows hand-eye coordination by buttoning her pants or cutting around a large picture with scissors
- Recognizes some letters, particularly the letters in his own name
- Holds a pencil with her thumb and forefinger instead of using a whole hand grasp to draw or write
- Tells a story about a picture and asks an adult to write it down
- Can count 10 or more objects, such as the steps leading up to his home
- Asks questions about everything!
Community Resources
United Way 2-1-1 provides easy access to health and human services, to give callers an opportunity to give or get help and serves as a hub for community information in times of disaster. 2-1-1 is accessible 24 hours per day, seven days a week and is available at no cost to all residents of the communities they serve, just dial 2-1-1. Translation services and TDD access (920) 954-7202 are available.
The Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) website for limited income Wisconsin residents to screen, apply for, and maintain health and nutrition benefits. The ACCESS website includes three easy-to-use features: (1) a short self-assessment tool to find out if someone appears to be eligible for more than a dozen health and nutrition programs; (2) an online tool to apply for key programs (FoodShare, Family Medicaid, and family planning services); and (3) a benefit management tool so certain program recipients can check the status of their benefits and report required changes to maintain their benefits.
Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
Program to support families who have children and youth with special needs and the providers who serve them, through information and referral supports, as well as connecting families with Family Voices and the Parent to Parent Program to provide parent matches. They also provide training to parent and professionals who serve children and youth with special health care needs.
Contact
Monday through Friday
8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Phone: (920) 969-5325
Toll-Free: 1-877-568-5205
infonerc@chw.org
This parent education and support program is designed to Encourage, Strengthen and Support Families. The program offers a variety of services, each designed to ease the transition into parenthood and make parenting less stressful and more enjoyable. Services offered include: ‘Parent as Teachers’ Home Visitation, Family Wellness Workshops, Teen Parent Program, Fatherhood Programs, and Family Fun Events.
DPI Resources