Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida

Children enter the world with a singular goal: to be just like YOU. Luckily they’re born with just the right tools to begin this apprenticeship: rapidly developing brains and finely-tuned powers of observation. And this attention to how you do it is how they learn to speak. And move. And so much more. They’re such wonderful mimics, in fact, that they’ll often incorporate nuances that aren’t necessarily part of the lesson. Which brings us to this amazing video shared to TT by thetemplefam. Our hero has returned home after spending a weekend with his grandfather. And he’s learned a new lesson: when one gets out of a chair he does so stiffly and while groaning. I feel you, gentlemen. What a fantastic example of humankind’s great apprenticeship in action.

Let’s talk about language-rich environments. One of the determining factors in both the speed at which your child develops language and the size of his/her early vocabulary is exposure to (direct & interactive) caregiver speech. Even before your baby is using language conventionally, he/she is soaking up all of yours. (And I do mean ALL… keep it G-rated.) One way to support your baby’s language/brain development is to narrate your life together. (Engage your child by talking about the steps you’re taking as you fold the laundry, for example. Or describe what you’ve received as you sort through the mail.) This grandpa (shared to IG by Kesler.Brian) gets a gold star here - not only narrating, but turning the simple act of rolling a ball back and forth into a thrilling TV sports play-by-play that includes the baby’s name and actions over and over. What a lucky little guy to be so immersed in language. He’ll be better off for it… just you wait and see! What strategies have you used to ensure your child is surrounded by interactive talk?

How about a big round of applause for this little one, who has unlocked a new developmental milestone. Between 4-8 months of age, babies discover their feet. (Isn’t it funny to think there once was a time we didn’t quite realize we had them?) While laying on their backs, babies not only begin to watch and coordinate the movement of their feet, but begin reaching for them with their hands - and exploring them with their mouths. (Babies are flexible like that.) What you’re seeing here also involves the engagement of abdominal core muscles and supports baby in rolling over. It’s also a sign that she is soon to begin crawling. So get ready, mom and dad, this little one is about to go mobile. Did your baby put their feet in their mouth? 🎥 via honney_babies IG

As your baby grows as a language user, they are absorbing and practicing many things all at once. Check out this fantastic little “reader” shared to TT by carrierad. At 14 months, her articulation and conventional vocabulary are still developing - putting a faithful retelling of this story beyond her current abilities. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t learned a ton about what it means to be a reader from her parents’ daily story times. Listen to her babbled version of the story (Sam McBratney’s Guess How Much I Love You) and you’ll find so much complexity. She may lack the author’s words, but not expression. Her babbled vocalizations are sentence length. And the rise and fall of her pitch mimic the voices of her parents as they read to and with her. She’s telling the story. And knows exactly how books work. Fantastic!

Does your little one want to hear the same book over and over and over again? The repetition can be a little maddening for us as parents, but for children it’s actually very beneficial. Favorite books are not only familiar and comforting, but support vocabulary growth and - importantly - your child’s own participation in the reading experience. I just love this video of little Theo and his mom as they read Eric Carle’s Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too? Not only can you tell it’s a book they’ve read together many times, but the familiar, repetitive pattern of the text itself allows Theo to play a role in the reading. Watch as he provides an enthusiastic “YES!” at the beginning of each page. (Note too what a good job he does at matching his “yes” response to the appropriate point in the text itself. It’s the first thing said after each page is turned.) As for vocabulary growth, repeated exposure to new words helps children to internalize vocabulary more rapidly with one study suggesting that children are more likely to incorporate new vocabulary from a book read three times than from three different books read one time apiece. This fantastic little reader was shared to IG by theoriginal_captain.

Are you okay? ✅ Do you have self-control? ❌ I can’t quite decide what I love more about this video: mom’s expert modeling of how to de-escalate after a meltdown, or this little guy’s delightfully honest response. Like most things, the development of emotional regulation is something that begins in a shared space between you and your child. Look how mom provides instruction on how to calm big feelings - coaching her son to breathe and count. This is a fantastic example of learning in what we call the “zone of proximal development” - which is the area just beyond what your child can do independently. With mom’s co-regulation, however, he manages to return to a state of calm. As for self-control, have no fear. It’s what comes next! This fantastic interaction was shared to IG by sharonadrake.

Reading with your baby isn’t always as simple as it might seem.  Earlier this week, a parent asked how I’d advise reading to a toddler who may not have the attention span for a full book and who, when handling them, often tears the pages.  I’m so glad you asked!  This fantastic video, shared to TT a couple years back by hanzcakess, illustrates both the realities of - and several important lessons for - parents and caregivers when it comes to reading with infants and toddlers.  First, when reading with very young children it’s important to begin with realistic expectations. At this little guy’s age (which I’m going to guess is around a year, give or take 2 months) babies‘ attention spans are VERY limited. Think 1-2 minutes tops. What does that mean for you? First it means that you’re unlikely to make it through an entire book. And that’s just fine. Rest assured that there’s still great value in the activity. Further, don’t be surprised if your child is more interested in interacting with (or at the earliest stages, even chewing on) the book itself rather than attending to the story it contains. That’s ok too. For both reasons, beginning with sturdy, laminated board books is well advised. Not only do these tend to be super short (with most intended to accommodate for babies’ brief attention spans), but they’re made to withstand the rigors of handling by infants and toddlers.  Now, some might look at this video and (on first glance, at least) see primarily inattention. But not me! Here’s what I see: First, I see a completely normal toddler who’s already putting some really impressive book knowledge on display. Notice he’s advancing front to back and left to right as he turns pages sequentially. They’ve done this often. Also want to shout out what a truly fantastic job Dad is doing here. Notice that he’s totally letting his son dictate the terms the activity. He’s not insistent on completing the text, but goes with the flow as his son turns the pages. As the pages turn he’s helping to illustrate that the print on each one contains a unique message. And he’s singing the text! Brown Bear is a great book for this and many board books lend themselves particularly well here. Your baby isn’t judging your singing voice. Kudos on making the experience engaging. In light of all the above, don’t be afraid to stray from the text altogether as needed and use this time to simply engage in conversation about the pictures and introduce some new vocabulary. Finally, while lap reading is fantastic, at this age you may also find benefit in reading face to face, allowing your child to tune into your expressions alongside the book. Remember, there’s nothing your baby loves seeing more than you. Rest assured this stage doesn’t last forever. You’ll be snuggling up for longer sessions in no time. And while we’re on the topic of reading, I want to give a special shout out to my friends at @reachoutandread, which is a fantastic program you may know from distributing books and sharing advice like this via your pediatrician’s office. Today I’m thrilled to be the guest on their newest podcast, discussing my book The Daycare Myth. I’ll include a link in the first reply below.

This sweet video illustrates several important lessons for parents and caregivers when it comes to reading with infants and toddlers. What can we learn from it? Take a moment to watch (sound on) and then let’s unpack it a bit in the thread below. 🧵

What a fascinating developmental snapshot: This little guy clearly understands the purpose of a chair, but is still developing the body self-awareness needed to realize he’s too big for this one. This sense of physical self becomes more sophisticated late in the second year.

Such an emotionally intelligent little guy. What does this video tell you about his home environment and relationships?

For young children less can sometimes be more.