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The ideas hub.

A child's brain is a remarkable little creature forming more than a million neural connections every second when activated. Babies learn through spending time with their parents and other special people in their life. Here are some ideas to help create meaningful moments with your child. These meaningful moments, especially if they occur early in a child’s life and often, build strong brains, providing a strong foundation for their life.

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Icon Attention and focus

Icon Responding to emotions

Icon Relationships and communication

Icon Planning and routines

Icon Taking on challenges

AGE GROUP

2.5-3

Big Time

Taking on challenges

Play Big Time to make waiting time fly by. Hold up an object—a magazine, an item from a bag, or a toy. Ask your child, “Can you find something bigger than this?” After they do, then ask, “Can you find something smaller than this?”

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2.5-3

Big Time

Taking on challenges

Play Big Time to make waiting time fly by. Hold up an object—a magazine, an item from a bag, or a toy. Ask your child, “Can you find something bigger than this?” After they do, then ask, “Can you find something smaller than this?”

BRAINY BACKGROUND

When you take turns posing questions, this game becomes a back and forth conversation about size. It provides a chance for them to focus on and explore the idea of size—a concept they can use to organise their understanding of the world.

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4-5

Pick a Hand

Taking on challenges

Play a game by hiding something small in your hand behind your back. First, show your child the object, like a coin or a pen, in your hand. Put it behind your back and change hands or leave it in the same. Ask them to guess which hand the object is in. Let them hide the object and you guess.

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4-5

Pick a Hand

Taking on challenges

Play a game by hiding something small in your hand behind your back. First, show your child the object, like a coin or a pen, in your hand. Put it behind your back and change hands or leave it in the same. Ask them to guess which hand the object is in. Let them hide the object and you guess.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

When your child guesses which hand the object is in, they're focusing, looking for clues, and making predictions. This game helps build an understanding of math concepts. And taking turns is important!

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Brainy Background™

3-5

Silent Game

Attention and focus

While waiting, challenge your child to see how long both of you can be silent. Let them be the timer. You can use facial expressions and body movements to communicate. Whoever stays silent the longest wins!

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3-5

Silent Game

Attention and focus

While waiting, challenge your child to see how long both of you can be silent. Let them be the timer. You can use facial expressions and body movements to communicate. Whoever stays silent the longest wins!

BRAINY BACKGROUND

When your child is challenged not to talk, they're focusing on their goal and using self-control to stay silent. Focus and self-control are important life skills in learning new things.

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Brainy Background™

3-4

Hot Potato

Planning and routines

You and your child can play this game anywhere you are. Find a small item to pass back and forth and sing a song as you do. As the song ends, whoever has the object does something special or silly, like blink three times or jump up and down. Take turns.

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3-4

Hot Potato

Planning and routines

You and your child can play this game anywhere you are. Find a small item to pass back and forth and sing a song as you do. As the song ends, whoever has the object does something special or silly, like blink three times or jump up and down. Take turns.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

Playing Hot Potato gives your child practice in following the rules and taking turns. It also gives them practice with self-control, a skill that helps them to stick with something long enough to meet their goals.

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3-4

Finger Marker

Attention and focus

While waiting, draw a shape (like a circle or a wiggly line), using your fingertip on your child’s open palm. Can they name it? Repeat the same shape until they can guess what it is. Take turns back and forth, drawing and guessing shapes.

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3-4

Finger Marker

Attention and focus

While waiting, draw a shape (like a circle or a wiggly line), using your fingertip on your child’s open palm. Can they name it? Repeat the same shape until they can guess what it is. Take turns back and forth, drawing and guessing shapes.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

When you play a Finger Marker, you give your child a chance to put together what they know about how shapes look with how shapes feel. It's a new and fun way to learn shapes through the sense of touch!

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4-5

Faces and Feelings

Responding to emotions

Next time you’re stuck in a waiting room with your child, pick up a magazine. Point out a face in one of the pictures and have them copy it. Ask them what they think the person is feeling. Discuss with them when both of you might have felt this way too.

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4-5

Faces and Feelings

Responding to emotions

Next time you’re stuck in a waiting room with your child, pick up a magazine. Point out a face in one of the pictures and have them copy it. Ask them what they think the person is feeling. Discuss with them when both of you might have felt this way too.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

When you talk about your own and others’ feelings you’re helping your child learn to take a new perspective, which is helpful in getting along with others.

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4-5

Find the Opposites

Attention and focus

When you’re waiting somewhere, ask your child to play Find the Opposites with you. You call out something big and they respond with the opposite, something small. Start with easy comparisons, like big and small, high and low, or near and far.

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4-5

Find the Opposites

Attention and focus

When you’re waiting somewhere, ask your child to play Find the Opposites with you. You call out something big and they respond with the opposite, something small. Start with easy comparisons, like big and small, high and low, or near and far.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

When your child learns opposites and distances (near and far), they're learning concepts they'll use in math, science, and reading. Remember, it's always important to play these games in a back and forth way because that is how your child learns best.

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4-5

Find the B’s

Attention and focus

While waiting at the doctor’s office or chemist, look around you and try to spot things that start with a B sound. Take turns spotting B’s (like babies, bottles, and baskets) and calling out the words to each other.

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4-5

Find the B’s

Attention and focus

While waiting at the doctor’s office or chemist, look around you and try to spot things that start with a B sound. Take turns spotting B’s (like babies, bottles, and baskets) and calling out the words to each other.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

By using waiting times for learning, you’re helping your child learn to wait as well as to make connections among letters, words, and sounds—all laying the foundation for reading.

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3-5

Reporting Live!

Relationships and communication

While waiting at the supermarket, chemist, or doctor’s office, pretend you’re a newscaster. Using your pretend microphone, ask your child questions: “What do you see? Who else is here? What do you think is going to happen next?”

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3-5

Reporting Live!

Relationships and communication

While waiting at the supermarket, chemist, or doctor’s office, pretend you’re a newscaster. Using your pretend microphone, ask your child questions: “What do you see? Who else is here? What do you think is going to happen next?”

BRAINY BACKGROUND

Giving your child a chance to tell the news provides them with an opportunity to observe what is happening around them and put it into words. They're learning to be an effective communicator. There’s nothing like a pretend microphone to get someone talking!

Vroom | Brain Building Moments

Brainy Background™

Every time we connect with young children, it’s not just their eyes that light up—it’s their brains, too. A global program of the Bezos Family Foundation, Vroom(R) helps parents boost their child’s learning during the time they already spend together. Vroom believes all parents want what’s best for their children. So we joined with scientists, researchers, and parents to take the science out of the lab and put it in the hands of caregivers. Vroom provides science-based tips and tools to inspire families to turn shared, everyday moments into Brain Building Moments(TM). Since 2015, Vroom has grown to impact nearly 1,500,000 families in 37 US states and 6 countries around the world. Learn more at Vroom.org.

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