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.
• Parent's Guide to Helping your Child Learn
  Take an active role in your child's learning. Tips on how to help them using language, listen, write, read, develop social skills, think, and math concepts.
• A Place of Our Own
  These two companion resources offer online resources for early childhood educators and parents. The Web sites provide activities appropriate for toddlers to preschoolers and range in topic from Health & Safety to Language & Literacy to Science & Environment and more. (en Español)
• DadCanDo.com
  Advice and best tips on how dads can make the most of the time they spend with their kids.
• 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.
• Wonderopolis
  Check out the "Wonder of the Day" - simple activities for parents to share and explore the wonders of everyday life with children.

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 Readiness Screening Tool
  The Get Ready to Read! screening tool for four-year-olds will assess your child's pre-reading skills and provide suggestions for improvements.
• 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.
• Get Ready to Read!
  Resources to help your preschooler get ready to learn to read. As your child’s first teacher, you can set him or her in the right direction for a lifetime of reading and learning.
• 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.
• Easy Books for Young Children
  Suggested book list for young children.
• Rhyme Activities and Tips from the Mother Goose Club
  Reading, reciting and singing Mother Goose rhymes are an excellent way to help a preschooler get ready to read.
• Recursos en Español
  Oprima aquí para recursos de aprender temprano para los niños en español.

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)
• Play It Safe in the Sun: A Guide for Parents
  Learn how to protect your child from getting a sunburn and preventing skin cancer. (en Español)
• Booster Basics
  Booster seats can be the key to preventing tragedies. Find out more about why booster seats should be used until the age of 8, Utah Laws, how to properly fit a child to a booster seat, and fitting station locations.

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.
• Teach Preschool Science
  Free science curriculum for early childhood.
• 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.

Just for Kids

• Preschool Path
  An online collection of high quality educational resources for preschoolers.
• 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.