Mount Vernon Basics

WHY?

Infants thrive when their world seems loving, safe, and predictable. When you express love and respond to their needs, you teach them that they can count on you. This is the foundation for your relationship. Over time, showing love and responding helps them learn to manage their feelings and behavior. Infants are affected by your emotions, both good and bad. So, it is important to find strategies that help you cope with stress. Caring for yourself benefits your child.

TIPS FOR INFANTS

(NEWBORN - 12 MONTHS OLD)

HOLD THEM

Hold, kiss, and cuddle your infant! Do not worry about spoiling them. There is no need to hold back on sharing love.

RESPOND TO THEM

Your infant depends on you to meet their needs. Watch and listen for clues about how they feel and what they need. For example, a cry or whimper may mean that they are hungry or hot. Over time, you will learn to read your infant’s signals. Respond to what you notice. This helps them learn that you care. It also teaches them about cause and effect.

COMFORT THEM

When upset, infants have a hard time calming down on their own. They depend on you to help manage their emotions, so comfort them when they get fussy or cry. Bit by bit, they will learn ways to help soothe themselves (like sucking their thumb). Some babies cry more than others. If your baby cries a lot, raise the issue with your doctor.

PLAY WITH THEM

Your baby loves to look at your face. Hold them close, smile, make silly faces, and talk in a playful voice. Around 6 or 8 weeks, they will start to smile back. This means they are happy and learning the basics of communication. Have little “conversations” where you respond to each other’s sounds and facial expressions. Take breaks if your baby seems tired or overwhelmed. They might show this by looking away from you.

MANAGE HOUSEHOLD STRESS

Stress is normal, but too much stress is bad for a baby’s brain. Things that cause stress for an infant are loud noises, adults who seem upset or angry, or when adults do not respond to their needs. It is important to have strategies for coping when your life gets stressful. Talk to friends, family, or your doctor about ways to deal with stress.

TIPS FOR TODDLERS (12-36 MONTHS OLD)

SNUGGLE UP

Regularly hug and cuddle your toddler to help them feel safe and loved. And, remember that boys need just as much love as girls do.

RESPOND TO THEM

Watch and respond to your toddler’s words, feelings, and behaviors when they are upset as well as when they are happy.

ENCOURAGE THEM

Toddlers get a lot of satisfaction and confidence as they master new tasks. Help your child try new things. Follow their lead when they seem interested in something. Be supportive and encouraging as they take chances. Reassure them as they try to figure things out.

INVOLVE THEM

Find simple ways to involve your toddler in chores and other activities around the house. For example, they could help you stir while you are cooking. This makes them feel helpful and provides opportunities for learning.

TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

Teach your toddler to name their feelings. This will help them understand and express emotions. Let them know that all feelings are OK, and that you are there for them when they are happy or upset.

OFFER CHOICES

Offer choices like what to wear or eat but give a limited number of options. For example, “It’s time for a snack. Do you want an apple or grapes?”

SET BASIC LIMITS

Focus on safety-related rules like not hitting people. Put "No" in front of the thing you don't want your child to do, then distract them with another activity. Use the same rules consistently so your child learns them. Do your best to stay calm.

HAVE A ROUTINE

Have consistent times and ways of doing activities like feeding, bathing, reading, and bedtime. Your child will have an easier time with activity transitions when they know what to expect. Another part of a routine is having rules that you use consistently.

MANAGE HOUSEHOLD STRESS

Stress is normal, but too much stress is bad for a brain that is still developing. Adults’ stress can trickle down to children, so it is important to have strategies for coping when your life gets stressful. Talk to friends, family, or your doctor about ways to deal with stress.

WHY?

Babies are learning language from the moment they are born. At first, to a newborn baby, speech is just sound. Then, day by day, they learn that the sounds have meaning. Every time you talk, sing, or point to what you are talking about, you provide clues to the meaning of what you are saying. You are providing important information to their brains about how language works and the thoughts and feelings that language communicates.

TIPS FOR INFANTS (NEWBORN - 12 MONTHS OLD)

TALK A LOT

Talk to your baby from the time they are born during activities like changing, feeding, bathing, and errands. Describe what you are doing. Label the objects around you by naming and pointing to them.

GO BACK AND FORTH

When your baby makes a sound, show excitement in your face and voice! Respond to their sound with words. See how long you can keep the “conversation” going. It is very powerful when the two of you can stay focused on each other for a while.

USE A PLAYFUL VOICE

Talk with a gentle, playful voice. Exaggerate the sounds of the words. This may feel silly at first, but it is actually very important. Babies pay extra attention and learn more when you talk this way.

USE REAL WORDS

Don’t just use “baby talk,” also use real words. The more words your baby hears, the larger their vocabulary will grow. Think of words as nourishment for your baby’s brain! Sing songs to your baby. This is a fun way for them to learn language. You might have certain songs for special times of the day, like bath time or before bedtime.

USE ANY LANGUAGE

It doesn’t matter what language you speak with your infant. All languages are equally beneficial.

TIPS FOR TODDLERS (12-36 MONTHS OLD)

DESCRIBE LIFE

Talk about the things you’re doing and what is going on around you. Have conversations as you walk around the neighborhood or do errands.

BE SPECIFIC

The more specific you can be with words, the more your child will learn. For example, instead of saying “Let’s go,” you could say, “Let’s go shopping at the grocery store to buy some food.”

USE YOUR HANDS

When you talk about something, point to it. This helps your child understand what you mean. Encourage your child to point too. “Can you point to the triangle?” This will help them connect new words to the objects they represent.

ADD IDEAS

Help grow your child’s vocabulary by expanding on what he says. For example, if he says “doggie,” you can respond with, “Yes, that is a doggie. That doggie is brown and soft.”

LISTEN AND RESPOND

Listen to your toddler’s questions and answer them. Have a conversation. This is when the most powerful learning takes place.

ASK QUESTIONS

Get your toddler thinking. Have them explain what they are doing or what they think is going to happen. You may get some funny answers!

SING AND RECITE

Sing songs and recite nursery rhymes. Choose ones you remember from your own childhood, read in books, or make up new ones.

USE ANY LANGUAGE

It doesn’t matter what language you speak with your infant. All languages are equally beneficial.

WHY?

Infants are pre-wired to learn simple math ideas, including small numbers, patterns, and making comparisons. You don’t need to be a math teacher to start preparing your child to be a problem solver. There are fun and simple activities that you do now to build math and thinking skills.

TIPS FOR INFANTS (NEWBORN - 12 MONTHS OLD)

PLAY MUSIC

We all have a natural love of music. Share this love with your child. Play gentle music or sing when you are together. This is a fun and easy way to expose your child to rhythm and patterns. Lots of nursery rhymes and children’s songs involve counting.

MOVE IN RHYTHM

Clap, tap, rock, or kiss your baby in a steady rhythm. Count while you do it. For example, while dressing your infant, tap their tummy three times. Repeat this. Have fun and make silly faces. This is a good way to teach your infant about counting.

COUNT OBJECTS

Count groups of things, starting with small numbers. For example, count your child’s toes or pieces of fruit. Infants learn through all of their senses, so hold objects up for your child to see and touch. “Look, there’s one…two bananas. Two bananas.”

COMPARE

Provide opportunities for your child to touch and explore things that are the same and different. For example, let your baby shake things that make different sounds, or touch fabrics with different textures. Talk about how they are similar or different.

USE MATH WORDS

When you talk to your infant, use words related to math ideas like quantities and comparisons. For example, words like “more, less, big, small, tall, short, round, square.” You don’t need to set aside special time to do this. You can use math words whenever you are with your child.

TIPS FOR TODDLERS (12 - 36 MONTHS OLD)

COUNT

Count with your toddler. Move to bigger numbers as they get the hang of it. Young children learn through all of their senses, so have them point to and touch the objects you count.

ADD AND SUBTRACT

Explore what happens when you add or take away items from a group. “You have three crackers. How many will you have if you eat one?”

NAME SHAPES

Look for shapes around you. “The clock is a circle. Do you see any other circles?” This could be a fun game when you are out doing errands.

MATCH AND SORT

Make a game of matching and sorting objects into groups. Your child can match and sort items by their shape, color, size, or other features.

COMPARE SIZES, AMOUNTS, and WEIGHTS

For example, describe things as “large, small, light,” or “heavy.” Ask you child which objects are larger or smaller.

PUT THINGS IN ORDER

Practice putting things in order. For example, your child could arrange dolls from smallest to largest, youngest to oldest, or heaviest to lightest. See what other categories they come up with!

MAKE MATH PART OF LIFE

Math plays a part in life even when we don’t realize it. For example, to prepare dinner, you measure ingredients, set the oven timer, and count plates. Find ways to let your child help.

USE MUSIC

Clap and dance with your child. Your child will be learning about patterns while having fun.

WHY?

Newborns don’t have much control over their bodies. As they grow, they gain more. Along the way, they learn the rules of movement. They learn by touching, reaching, banging, dropping, stacking, and pouring. When they can crawl, they are excited to explore their surroundings. Their brains form mental maps of places and spaces. Helping your child become an explorer helps develop their “mind’s eye.” It prepares them for sports and even for being good at math!

TIPS FOR INFANTS (NEWBORN - 12 MONTHS OLD

DO TUMMY TIME

Give your infant regular “tummy time.” When they lift their head to look around, they strengthen the upper body and prepare muscles to crawl. They also get a new view of their surroundings!

PRACTICE REACHING

Hold a toy over your infant’s head, or put one on the floor just beyond their reach. This will encourage your infant to reach and build coordination.

PLAY PEEK-A-BOO

This game teaches infants that objects (and people) exist even when hidden. It’s also a fun way to bond with your child.

GIVE THINGS TO HANDLE

Provide objects of different colors, shapes, and textures to play with. Handling objects helps with hand-eye coordination and motor skills. Use everyday objects. You don’t need fancy toys to keep your baby’s attention!

SUPPORT DISCOVERY

Your infant discovers how the world works by experimenting. They also learn through repetition, so they might drop a spoon over and over to see what happens. Watch and assist!

PLAY SEARCH AND FIND

Put an object under a bucket or blanket and see if your child can find it.

LET THEM MOVE AROUND

Let your child explore their surroundings by reaching, rolling, scooting, and crawling. This is good for coordination. It also strengthens their “mind’s eye” as they see things from new angles and sense where they are in space. Just make sure they are safe!

EXPLORE THROUGH MOVEMENT AND PLAY (12-36 MONTHS OLD)

FOLLOW THEM

Toddlers learn a lot by experimenting on their own. If your child looks like they are concentrating on something, like pouring water in the bath or stacking blocks, stand back for a moment and let them problem-solve for themselves. This is exercise for their brain!

HELP THEM BUILD

Use blocks to build a tower. How high can you go? What happens when you knock it over? What other shapes can you and your child build? You don’t need to buy blocks to do this. You can also use cardboard boxes or plastic cups.

MAKE ART

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.

ROLL A BALL

Roll a ball or a bottle back and forth to develop coordination and teach about cause and effect.

PLAY OBSTACLE COURSE

Make a simple obstacle course. You can use blankets, pillows, or boxes. See if your child can go over, under, around, and through these objects.

PLAY HIDE AND SEEK

Your child can hide behind the couch or under the table.  Or you can hide objects around the room. This is a great activity for developing their thinking skills.

USE POSITION WORDS.

In all of these activities, use words like “over, under, near, far, through,” and “around.”

WHY? 

The more we read with young children, the more prepared they become to enjoy reading and to do well in school. It is never too early to begin reading. When you read to your infant, they will be learning how books work and developing new language skills. Reading is also a special way for the two of you to bond. Turn the page for simple tips on how to make reading fun for you and your baby!

TIPS FOR INFANTS (NEWBORN - 12 MONTHS OLD)

READ REGULARLY

Make book time part of your baby’s daily routine. They won’t understand for a while, but that’s fine. What is important is that they hear your words, see the pictures, and start to develop positive feelings about books.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

If you can, choose books that are sturdy, short, and have simple, colorful pictures.

SNUGGLE UP

Hold your child in your lap as you read so they can see the pictures and feel cozy.

DESCRIBE THE PICTURES

With infants, you don’t need to read the words on the pages. Instead, describe what is happening in the pictures. Talk about the colors, shapes, and what the characters are doing. Point to the page when you do this.

SPEAK WITH EXPRESSION

Use an exaggerated voice to make it more interesting!

ACTIVELY INVOLVE THEM

As your baby develops coordination, involve them more in the reading experience. Let them hold the book or turn the pages.

FOLLOW THEIR LEAD

Let your child guide the reading experience. When they start to lose interest, try another book or stop. Not being forced to keep going will keep them excited about reading!

TIPS FOR TODDLERS (12-36 MONTHS OLD)

COMMIT TO READ EVERY DAY

Try to set aside 15 minutes every day to read together. Get books from your local library.

WARM UP

Before you open the book, check out the cover. Read the title. Look at the picture. Ask your child what she thinks the book might be about.

READ AND DISCUSS

Your toddler will learn the most if you have discussions while you read. Respond to their comments and questions about the story. Ask questions that get them thinking. “Why is the boy sad?” “What do you think is going to happen next?”

HELP THEM FOLLOW ALONG

Point to the words and pictures. This helps your toddler understand how reading works. For example, we read from left to right on the page.

USE EXPRESSION

Use your best reader’s voice! Trying different voices for different characters is fun.

ENJOY THE PICTURES

Talk about what is happening in the pictures. You can talk about the colors and shapes you see or what the characters are doing.

DON’T BE TOO SERIOUS

Make it fun! Your toddler may want to turn the page before you’ve finished it. If they can’t sit still for the whole book, that’s okay.

SET A GREAT EXAMPLE

If toddlers see grownups reading and know that they enjoy it, they will learn that reading is a fun and important part of life.