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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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AGE GROUP

0-1

Picture This

Relationships and communication

Do you have some books or magazines around? Show your child the pictures. They will like clear simple pictures, especially of faces. Talk with them about what you see. How do they respond? Now talk about their response!

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0-1

Picture This

Relationships and communication

Do you have some books or magazines around? Show your child the pictures. They will like clear simple pictures, especially of faces. Talk with them about what you see. How do they respond? Now talk about their response!

BRAINY BACKGROUND

One of the best ways for your child to learn about language is by looking at things with you and hearing you talk about them. When you talk back and forth with them, commenting on their responses, you build their brain!

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Brainy Background™

0-1

Sharing the Story

Attention and focus

When you're reading something yourself or with your child, let them explore it with all of their senses. Allow them to touch, pat, hold, and even taste (if it's clean) what you're reading. Describe their actions like, “You're patting the picture of the kitty cat. Meow!”

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0-1

Sharing the Story

Attention and focus

When you're reading something yourself or with your child, let them explore it with all of their senses. Allow them to touch, pat, hold, and even taste (if it's clean) what you're reading. Describe their actions like, “You're patting the picture of the kitty cat. Meow!”

BRAINY BACKGROUND

Children learn through touching, feeling, and putting everything into their mouths. As you talk about their experiences, you help them make connections between words, pictures, and objects. You not only share the story, you share your joy in reading with them.

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Brainy Background™

0-2

Body Language

Relationships and communication

Practice using gestures with your child as another way to communicate. You can wave your hand and say “hi!” or shake your head and say “no.” Or you can clap your hands and say “yay!” See if your child will mimic your actions and sounds. Try going back and forth like a conversation.

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0-2

Body Language

Relationships and communication

Practice using gestures with your child as another way to communicate. You can wave your hand and say “hi!” or shake your head and say “no.” Or you can clap your hands and say “yay!” See if your child will mimic your actions and sounds. Try going back and forth like a conversation.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

Many children use gestures before they speak. When you show your child how gestures and words work together, you add to their understanding of what it means to communicate. You also help them make connections between words and actions, an important part of talking, reading, and writing.

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Brainy Background™

4-5

Acting Out

Taking on challenges

When your child does something they should NOT do, tell them why they should not have done it. Then ask them to draw a picture of what happened on a piece of paper. On the other side of the paper, have them draw what they could have done in a better way. Talk about why this new idea would be a better choice.

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4-5

Acting Out

Taking on challenges

When your child does something they should NOT do, tell them why they should not have done it. Then ask them to draw a picture of what happened on a piece of paper. On the other side of the paper, have them draw what they could have done in a better way. Talk about why this new idea would be a better choice.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

Using this strategy changes your approach from “dealing with misbehaviour” to “promoting learning skills.” When your child comes up with new solutions, they're learning not to go on autopilot and instead think of more effective ways to deal with problems.

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Brainy Background™

0-1

Sing-Song Voice

Relationships and communication

Is your child making lots of sounds? Talk back to them by repeating their sounds or describing what they’re doing, using a sing-song voice. Do they respond by kicking their feet, waving their arms or making more sounds? Together, you’re telling your own story!

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0-1

Sing-Song Voice

Relationships and communication

Is your child making lots of sounds? Talk back to them by repeating their sounds or describing what they’re doing, using a sing-song voice. Do they respond by kicking their feet, waving their arms or making more sounds? Together, you’re telling your own story!

BRAINY BACKGROUND

Children’s brains are wired to hear you talk in a sing-song voice. When you talk slowly and stretch the sounds out in a musical way, their eyes light up and their heart rates increase. Toddlers who hear sing-song voices smile more often—proof that YOU are making connections and building a brain!

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Brainy Background™

1.25-2

Stair Count

Attention and focus

When your child is learning to walk up and down stairs, hold their hand, and count each step you take. This will help them become familiar with their numbers and think it's a fun game at the same time!

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1.25-2

Stair Count

Attention and focus

When your child is learning to walk up and down stairs, hold their hand, and count each step you take. This will help them become familiar with their numbers and think it's a fun game at the same time!

BRAINY BACKGROUND

Making connections between numbers and what they stand for (such as the steps your child climbs or the fingers on their hands), helps them see that numbers aren’t just words they memorise, but they actually stand for quantities of things. It’s the beginning of learning math.

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Brainy Background™

2-3

Category Convos

Attention and focus

Tell your child about a favourite food. Ask them to name a food they like that’s in the same category, like fruit, but different. Keep count of how many different things you both like in the same category. Play the same game with something else, like clothes!

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2-3

Category Convos

Attention and focus

Tell your child about a favourite food. Ask them to name a food they like that’s in the same category, like fruit, but different. Keep count of how many different things you both like in the same category. Play the same game with something else, like clothes!

BRAINY BACKGROUND

This game is teaching your child about categories; things that are the same in important ways, though different in others. They're also learning about your likes and dislikes compared to theirs, helping them learn about other people.

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Brainy Background™

4-5

Love Connections

Taking on challenges

Take turns talking to your child about love connections. “I love you as much as a bee loves flowers.” “I love you as much as ants love sugar.” “I love you as much as a car loves gas.” Ask them to come up with one. Keep going back and forth.

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4-5

Love Connections

Taking on challenges

Take turns talking to your child about love connections. “I love you as much as a bee loves flowers.” “I love you as much as ants love sugar.” “I love you as much as a car loves gas.” Ask them to come up with one. Keep going back and forth.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

When your child is challenged to find connections and make comparisons, they're learning new ways to sort and categorise information. These skills are important in math, reading, and science. You're also promoting creativity and a sense of humour.

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Brainy Background™

4-5

Practice Positivity

Relationships and communication

Practice saying things in new ways with your child. You can take turns saying something negative then try to talk about the same thing in a positive way: “I don’t like loud noises” can become “I like quiet sounds.”

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4-5

Practice Positivity

Relationships and communication

Practice saying things in new ways with your child. You can take turns saying something negative then try to talk about the same thing in a positive way: “I don’t like loud noises” can become “I like quiet sounds.”

BRAINY BACKGROUND

When your child learns how to describe things and people in different ways, they're learning communication skills and how to understand others’ perspectives. These skills are helpful in having good relationships now and in the future.

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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