Parent and Caregiver Resources - Early Childhood

Tips for ParentsPreparing for SchoolPlay It SafeNutritionHealth & FitnessSTEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, & MathJust for Kids

Tips for Parents

• Adventures in Parenting (pdf)
  Stories that demonstrate good Parenting Skills.
• Learn Some Positive Parenting Tips
  Discover (or rediscover) positive ways that you can help your child learn and develop.
• Just In Time Parenting eNewsletters
  Parents can sign up for a monthly email that helps them track their child's progress and ensure that they are receiving proper care and development opportunities.
• Words to Use with Your Kids Every Day
  Everyday phrases to instill confidence, self-respect, and thoughtfulness in your children.
• BabyWatch - Early Intervention Services
  Baby Watch Early Intervention is a statewide program which provides services to infants and toddlers, birth to three, with developmental delay or disability, and their families.
• 5B45 - Five before Five
  There are five ways we can help prepare our kids for the future before they turn 5 years old.
• Parent Connection
  The way a parent nurtures a child has a profound effect on the child’s development. Learn tips on how to improve your childs development.
  

Preparing for School

• Kindergarten Readiness Checklist
  A checklist that will give you an idea on what areas your child is doing well in, and where they may need some extra attention.
• Kindergarten ... Here We Come! (pdf)
  The items listed in this pamphlet can help identify and reinforce specific areas of kindergarten readiness. (en Español)
• Reading Rockets Bookfinder
  Search for a book by age level or theme.
• Reading Tips for Parents of Preschoolers
  Read early and read often. The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading. Here are some tips to help your child become a happy and confident reader. (en Español)
• Reading Rockets
  Here is a lot of great information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.
• PBS Early Math
  A site that helps nurture development of your child's early math skills.
• PBS Fun and Games
  Search for excellent activities and games from PBS.
• Learning at Home: 9 Early Literacy Activities
  Quick tips and simple games that can make everyday chores more fun and at the same time support your child's language and literacy skills.
• Sesame Street: Parents
  Learn how to use the Sesame Street website with your child and reading articles about a wide variety of parenting topics.
• Utah Kids Ready to Read!
  Utah State Library's resources for parents and caregivers to help them nurture their children's early literacy skills.
• Child Development Literacy Milestones: Age 5
  Learn what to expect of how children this age learning to read.
• Is my Child Ready to enter Kindergarten?
  The expectations of children who enter kindergarten can vary from school to school. However, here are some general social and educational guidelines about the skills children should develop by the time they start a kindergarten program.
• Waterford Upstart
  Help your child start school strong with fun lessons and activities in reading, math, and science.
• Head Start Preschool
  High-quality, no cost preschool programming and early childhood services to families in need.
  

Play It Safe

• What Do I Do in an Emergency?
  Instructions to help you with common childhood emergencies such as broken bones, cuts, insect stings, sunburns and more.
• Knocked out Tooth
  What to do when your child knocks out a tooth.
• Preventing Dog Bites
  Teaching kids a few basic dog manners will let them — and dogs — enjoy safer encounters. (en Español)
• Sun Safety: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers Learn how to protect your child from getting a sunburn and preventing skin cancer.
• Booster Seats
  Why Children should ge in a booster seat until the seat belt fits correctly.

Nutrition

• MyPlate for Preschoolers
  Use the MyPyramid as a guide to help you feed your preschool child as well as resources to help you preschooler grow up healthy, develop good eating habits and try new foods.
• Win Over Picky Eaters
  Here are some effective ways you can help make healthy foods like fruits and vegetables all-time favorite choices in your home.
• Strategies for Feeding a Preschooler
  Preschoolers want to do things themselves, but they are willing to learn from caregivers. This give-and-take creates opportunities to teach kids about healthy food choices in new and exciting ways.
• Healthy Eating
  5 strategies to improve nutrition and encourage smart eating habits. (en Español)
• Cooking With Preschoolers
  Cooking can help young children learn and practice some basic math concepts and build language skills.
• After-School Snacks
  Learn how you can make sure your child gets nourished but still has room for a healthy dinner. 

Health & Fitness

• Sleep and Preschoolers
  Help your child develop good habits for getting to sleep. (en Español)
• Eating Right = Healthy Children
  Good nutrition is basic for supporting preschoolers’ healthy growth while avoiding obesity. Parents can offer the foods that children need and help them develop good eating habits
• Raising a Fit Preschooler
  Instead of just running around in the backyard, a preschooler has the physical skills and coordination to ride a tricycle or chase a butterfly.
• Flu Prevention Tips
  Find out more about the immunizations your baby needs with this chart from the CDC, National Immunization Program.
• Immunizations and Checkups
  Find out more about the immunizations your baby needs with this chart from the CDC, National Immunization Program.
• Practice Mindful Eating
  Mindful eating is a great way to practice mindfulness infused with gratitude and work on your appreciation for our food.
• Building Endurance: Let’s Get Physical!
  Building endurance (increasing the length of time that one can continue a physical activity) is a central part of physical fitness.

STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering & Math

• Explore STEAM with Young Children
  This resource list provides additional web resources to help teachers and caregivers plan developmentally appropriate STEAM learning activities for young children.
• Science in Pre-K
  The Science in Pre-K website provides a foundation in physical science content and teaching methods for science inquiry in a preschool environment.
• Backyard Biosphere
  Slip some learning into your backyard.
• Playground Physics: Hang in There
  Playing with pendulums and swings can help preschool children find out more about gravity and motion.
• Create a Science Lab In Your Home!
  Tips on how to create your very own science lab at home.
• Experiment with Boiled Egg Science
  Explore the changing states of matter which transform an egg from raw to soft to hard-boiled.
• Yana & Egbert
  A gaggle of arguing aardvarks, some not-so-sneaky zebras, and a smarty-pants ostrich named Izzie. These are just some of the creatures Yana and Egbert meet as they learn how to reason like scientists.
  

Just for Kids

• PBS Kids Go!
  Learn with your favorite PBS characters.
• Learn to Read at Starfall
  The Starfall website helps make learning to read fun for kids.