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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

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AGE GROUP

3-5

Guess Who!

Relationships and communication

Work together with your child to invent a story about people you pass on the street. Ask them, “Tell me about that man who just walked by.” See how they respond. You can help them by asking questions like, “What do you think he likes to do for fun?” or “What is his favourite food?” Use your imagination!

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3-5

Guess Who!

Relationships and communication

Work together with your child to invent a story about people you pass on the street. Ask them, “Tell me about that man who just walked by.” See how they respond. You can help them by asking questions like, “What do you think he likes to do for fun?” or “What is his favourite food?” Use your imagination!

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As you and your child create a story, they use their communication skills to figure out what they want to say and how, in order to be understood. They also have a chance to practice seeing through others’ eyes as they explore how different people might think or feel.

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3-5

Do as I Say, Not as I Do

Attention and focus

Ask your child to listen to your words and do what you say, instead of following what you do. Say, “Stomp your feet” while you clap your hands. They should stomp their feet and try not to focus on the clapping. Try new words and new actions when they learn to do this. Take turns!

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3-5

Do as I Say, Not as I Do

Attention and focus

Ask your child to listen to your words and do what you say, instead of following what you do. Say, “Stomp your feet” while you clap your hands. They should stomp their feet and try not to focus on the clapping. Try new words and new actions when they learn to do this. Take turns!

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Your child has to focus carefully on what you say and use self-control to not be distracted by what you do. It’s hard, but playing this game helps children develop life skills that they'll use now and in the future.

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3-5

Pretend Packing

Planning and routines

Pretend you and your child are packing for a trip. It can be for a visit to a family member’s house or an imaginary trip, like to outer space. Take turns naming things to bring. As they get older, you can try coming up with things in alphabetical order.

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3-5

Pretend Packing

Planning and routines

Pretend you and your child are packing for a trip. It can be for a visit to a family member’s house or an imaginary trip, like to outer space. Take turns naming things to bring. As they get older, you can try coming up with things in alphabetical order.

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When you take turns, you help your child practice their self-control. As they think of items to bring on your trip, they must use what they already know to imagine the future. This involves thinking critically to plan and thinking flexibly to come up with new and creative ideas.

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4-5

Word of the Day

Attention and focus

Come up with a word of the day, like “play.” As you and your child go through your day, point out moments or things you see that remind you of the word of the day. You might say, “Look, those dogs are playing!” Encourage them to find their own examples of the word of the day.

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4-5

Word of the Day

Attention and focus

Come up with a word of the day, like “play.” As you and your child go through your day, point out moments or things you see that remind you of the word of the day. You might say, “Look, those dogs are playing!” Encourage them to find their own examples of the word of the day.

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Your child must use their memory to remember the special word all day, and use focus and self-control to play the game. They're also exposed to many words and learns about the different ways that words can be used, important parts of learning to read and write.

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2-4

Sound Pattern Play

Attention and focus

In the car? Take turns with your child making sound patterns. For example, say to your child, “Coo, coo, ca, coo.” Ask them to repeat your sounds. Then ask them to come up with a new pattern, and you repeat it. See if you can make the patterns harder by going faster or adding more sounds.

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2-4

Sound Pattern Play

Attention and focus

In the car? Take turns with your child making sound patterns. For example, say to your child, “Coo, coo, ca, coo.” Ask them to repeat your sounds. Then ask them to come up with a new pattern, and you repeat it. See if you can make the patterns harder by going faster or adding more sounds.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

Your child must use their focus, memory, and self-control to pay attention, remember the pattern, and follow the rules of the game. Playing sound games like these are a great way to do early literacy activities with them in a fun way.

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1-2

Sing, Rhyme, Repeat

Relationships and communication

Help your child recognise patterns and familiar words by singing simple songs with repetition or rhymes. For example, try “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” or “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Encourage your child to join in by repeating the words or by adding their own ideas.

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1-2

Sing, Rhyme, Repeat

Relationships and communication

Help your child recognise patterns and familiar words by singing simple songs with repetition or rhymes. For example, try “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” or “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Encourage your child to join in by repeating the words or by adding their own ideas.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

The more you sing with your child, the more they're able to predict sounds and words and join in. Songs and sound games are great activities for early literacy. They make connections between sounds and words as well as build their vocabulary in a fun and interactive way.

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2-4

Picture Detective

Responding to emotions

Encourage your child to be a Picture Detective. See if they look at a picture in a book, magazine, or newspaper, and talk about the picture. Ask them to find certain objects or ask questions like, “Look at that boy’s face. How do you think he feels?”

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2-4

Picture Detective

Responding to emotions

Encourage your child to be a Picture Detective. See if they look at a picture in a book, magazine, or newspaper, and talk about the picture. Ask them to find certain objects or ask questions like, “Look at that boy’s face. How do you think he feels?”

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Pictures are important at this age as your child begins to understand that words and pictures have meaning. When you encourage them to look closely, they make connections and build their skills of focus and self-control and their ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of others.

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1-2

Sing, Read, Repeat

Relationships and communication

Your child enjoys listening to their favourite stories and songs over and over again. After singing or telling stories with them, ask if they want more. How do they respond? Do they nod or squirm away? Talk about their actions like, “You said yes!” or “You look like you’re all done.”

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1-2

Sing, Read, Repeat

Relationships and communication

Your child enjoys listening to their favourite stories and songs over and over again. After singing or telling stories with them, ask if they want more. How do they respond? Do they nod or squirm away? Talk about their actions like, “You said yes!” or “You look like you’re all done.”

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Children learn through repetition and shared back and forth conversations. Repeated storytelling and singing helps your child understand the meaning behind words and sets the stage for talking and eventually reading. They're learning the basics of communication!

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1-2

Words All Around

Relationships and communication

Your child learns best from what you say and do, so read everything you can out loud. Read signs outside, recipes, or ads in a magazine. Be sure to point! Do they imitate any of your words or sounds? Do they point, too? Go back and forth with them, pointing and reading out loud.

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1-2

Words All Around

Relationships and communication

Your child learns best from what you say and do, so read everything you can out loud. Read signs outside, recipes, or ads in a magazine. Be sure to point! Do they imitate any of your words or sounds? Do they point, too? Go back and forth with them, pointing and reading out loud.

BRAINY BACKGROUND

By introducing your child to different types of things to read, you help them make the earliest connections between written words and what they stand for. This kind of back and forth conversation, even before they have words, is building their communication skills.

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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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