Activities to Support Development

Transition to Kindergarten: Resources and links to help with the transition from preschool programs to kindergarten

Strengthening Families™ is an approach to working with families that builds upon family strengths, rather than focusing on deficits. It is not a curriculum or a program, but instead offers a framework of five research-based Protective Factors that give parents what they need to parent effectively. 

Speech Development

• Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development

• Activities/Toys for Speech Development

• Sound Production

• Speech Therapy At Home:  30 apps, books, games, toys and websites

• Tips To Get Your Toddler Talking 

• Summer Fun Activities

Social Development

• Play and Social Skills  

• Teaching your child Social Skills 

• 100 Social Skills Activities for Preschoolers

Cognitive Development

• Tips and Ideas to Help Children Learn the Colors

• Tips and Ideas to Help Children Attend to Task 

• 30 Days of Activities for Infants/Toddlers

Physical Development

• • Gross Motor

• Toe Walking (About Kids) & Toe Walking  (Johns Hopkins) 

• GoNoodle® gets kids up and moving to fun, engaging content. Every dance party, yoga session, and mindfulness activity is an opportunity for kids to wake up their bodies, engage their minds, and be their best. 

• Movement Songs for Preschoolers

• W-sitting (Handy Handouts)

• W-sitting (NAPA)

• W-sitting (Brightest Beginning)

• W-sitting (Dinosaur Physical Therapy)

  • Fine Motor & Sensory

• Fine Motor Skills

• DIY Ways to Meet a Child's Service

• Sensory Activities

• Play: It's More Than What You Think

• Introduction to Sensory Integration

• Growing Hands on Kids blog focusing on 5 main areas: Hands-On Activities; Child Development; Fine Motor Skills/Gross Motor Skills; Handwriting and Pre-Writing Skills;  Behavior & Sensory Processing 

• The OT Toolbox

• Help Your Child Build Fine Motor Skills: activities at home

• Easy Sensory Ideas 

• When Should I Teach My Child to Write? blog post 

Self-Help Development

• Potty Training Tips for Special Needs Child

• Sleep Tips

• Naptime/Bedtime Tips

• Dressing

• Eating

• Cooking

Apps

• Text4Baby : Free text messaging app. Sends weekly texts messages on promoting child development from early childhood to elementary school.  In Spanish and English. 

• Ready4K : Free text messaging app.  Sends 3 text messages a week aimed at supporting healthy child development to parents of children aged birth to 3rd grade. 

• Vroom.org: App with activities to promote developmental skills in math, literacy, problem solving, self-control, and communication.  Developed by a panel of child development experts. 

Problem Solving APPS

• Breathe, Think, Do

• Lego Duplo Train

Reading, Language, and Math APPS

• Shapes!

• Play PBS Kids

• Fish School

• Peek-A-Zoo

• First Words Sampler

• The Reading Train

• Little Star Toddler Games

• Abby Monkey

• Laugh And Learn Animal Sounds

Creative and Imaginary Play APPS

• Balls

• Toca Kitchen Monsters

• Musical Me!

• Scribbaloo Paint

• Tiny Tiger and Friends

• Shapes & Colors Music Show

Entertainment and Video APPS

• PBS Kids Videos

• DisneyNOW

Listservs

• Learning is Everywhere is a free, monthly listserv sponsored by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning. In addition to ideas for families and professionals about how to support learning and development, each issue is filled with great stuff related to children from birth through kindergarten

• Disabilities Services Newsletter arrives about every other month with content, articles, videos, practice strategies, and other evidence-based information

Social-Emotional Development & Challenging Behaviors

• Tips and Ideas for Dealing with Behavior

• Positive Reinforcement 

• 115+ Emotional Regulation Strategies for Kids

• Plan Activities to Reduce Problem Behaviors

• Transition Smoothly Between Places and Activities

• Early Social Emotional Development

• Learning About Emotions

• Supporting Children with Autism Throughout Their Day

• The Imagine Neighborhood.org - has podcasts to help kids learn to recognize and talk about their feelings

• Mind Yeti - for calmness, focus, mindfulness, meditation

• Transition Ideas to Prevent Tantrums