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3 ways for simple play with infants and toddlers

by Ayelet Marinovich, M.A., CCC-SLP | Jun 2, 2018 | 0 comments

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Hi, I’m Ayelet

Hi! I'm Ayelet Marinovich. I'm a mother of two, a parent educator, and pediatric speech-language pathologist. I'd like to help you along your early parenting journey.

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learnwithless

🐣We help new parents feel confident they can support & connect with their babies and toddlers, without having to buy a single toy! learnwithless.com

Hey there! We are getting into the final and 4️⃣th pillar of @learnwithless : MOVE!

➡️ Prefer audio? You can listen to the info on these slides & more over on this classic episode of Learn With Less® podcast: (link in bio) https://learnwithless.com/podcast/ultimate-guide-supporting-infant-toddler-families/

↔️↕️ with MOVE…

Movement. IS. Life.

A child learns about… everything…
🌀 by learning how their body moves, 👣 where it is in space,
🏋️‍♂️ by solving the problem of how to balance, lift & figure out elements of force, of gravity,
🔬& becoming the scientists that they are…

… through movement.

💡We want caregivers to remember that

Even with a tiny baby or a child with motor challenges, they can consider various movement planes:

Whether it’s during tummy time, a dance party or lullaby, or to stimulate or regulate.

↖️↙️↗️↘️ Exploration, which is learning, cannot be contained.

We might have some movement in & out of the location where the session started.

We might be sitting up/laying on the floor.

We might be mouthing something or exploring how one surface is different from the next.

⏩ The way forward in early intervention, in routines-based intervention, or in any family enrichment workshop or class…

Is not about you getting to show off all your cute therapy toys, or getting to use your laminator.

📦 🥄 In our use of everyday items, we are educating caregivers that

💡 They don’t need what you have:

they can use what they already have in their own home, regardless of how “much” or how “little” they have!

➡️ Want to learn more, & make lasting impact on your life & community leading “caregiver & me” classes with a high quality, evidence-based program that’ll have families coming back again & again?

Apply now to the Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program: https://learnwithless.com/certification

Follow @learnwithless for more great ideas for supporting & connecting with tiny humans & their families!

#learnwithless #mommyandme #caregiverandme #parentsupport #parenteducation #parenteducator #earlyintervention #playbasedlearning #earlychildhood #earlychildhoodeducator #openendedplay #looseparts #playbased

… 👋🏻 Aaaaand we’re back! Sharing today

… 👋🏻 Aaaaand we’re back!

Sharing today about the 3️⃣rd pillar of @learnwithless : SING!

➡️ Prefer audio? You can listen to the info on these slides & more over on this classic episode of Learn With Less® podcast: (link in bio) https://learnwithless.com/podcast/ultimate-guide-supporting-infant-toddler-families/

🎶 With SING…

Many have the most difficulty gathering resources & just “doing” this one 🙂

But “sing” doesn’t necessarily mean singing everyday & in every way:

There are soooo many ways to be musical with young children.

🤩 Because music is so powerful, I encourage you to give caregivers ways to feel at ease trying things out.

Often, we do this in Learn With Less® classes by modeling your imperfection!

Use music to add a silly element to a simple routine, like the diaper change:

💩 “Stiiiiinky diaper, it’s tiiiiime for a new one!”

💩 “Is there a poopoo in there, is there a poopoo in there? Was it only air or is there poopoo in there?”

We want to help parents & caregivers see that

💩 Simply by adding “you pooped, you pooped, you really really pooped”

Is adding joy into a routine!

🎵 Just by using a melody or a change in pace or rhythm,

We can distract a child or engage a child…

Using musicality!

🥁 We want to encourage families to remember that rhythms ARE everywhere

Nearly everything can become a percussive instrument:

Their child playing with a bowl and wooden spoon IS a musical experience!

They can make music with what they already have.

They might have a few lovely instruments

🧺 But they might also have an upside down laundry basket. And you’re here to show them how to make use of those!

➡️ Want to learn more, & make lasting impact on your life & community leading “caregiver & me” classes with a high quality, evidence-based program that’ll have families coming back again & again?

Apply now to the Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program: https://learnwithless.com/certification

Follow @learnwithless & head back tomorrow for our final pillar, MOVE!

#learnwithless #mommyandme #caregiverandme #parentsupport #parenteducation #parenteducator #earlyintervention #playbasedlearning #earlychildhood

We’re back again sharing about the 2️⃣nd pil

We’re back again sharing about the 2️⃣nd pillar of @learnwithless : TALK!

➡️ Prefer audio? You can listen to the info on these slides & more over on this classic episode of Learn With Less® podcast: (link in bio) https://learnwithless.com/podcast/ultimate-guide-supporting-infant-toddler-families/

🗣️With TALK…

We want to help caregivers recognize:

By having discussions with their verbal, pre-verbal or non-speaking baby/toddler

By making observations alongside their child... they are creating a language-rich environment.

We want to encourage caregivers to engage in the gold standard of learning:

🌀 Repetition with variation

Help them see the value in everyday experiences: they’re opportunities for repetition…

... And tiny variations they can make:

A change of pace, a change in attention, the addition of a choice-making opportunity, a little song, & so on…

Are developmentally beneficial!

💡 We want to help them remember that the drill and kill “what’s this, what’s this, what’s this” labelling that many parents get stuck in

Is just one of many reasons we communicate – labeling is just one way we can talk about things!

We want them to recognize that we ALL communicate using a variety of means and modes

👁️ 🤚 Not just with words, but all those other parts of language, like eye gaze, facial expression, gestures, moving closer to an object, etc.

We want to help them recognize that modeling our own curiosity, talking about our own feelings, imitating their vocalizations, verbalizations, & movements…

Are all supporting various areas of communication!

🦾We want them to realize that they are the primary language models.

They are the ones modeling what they want their child to then imitate.

Want to learn more, & make lasting impact on your life & community leading “caregiver & me” classes with a high quality, evidence-based program that’ll have families coming back again & again?

I invite you to apply now to the Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program: https://learnwithless.com/certification

Follow @learnwithless & head back tomorrow for our next pillar, SING!

#learnwithless #caregiverandme #parentsupport #slpmom #ot

It’s been a good while since I’ve talked expli

It’s been a good while since I’ve talked explicitly about the 4 pillars of @learnwithless - so I wanted to take this opportunity to start today with PLAY!

Prefer audio? You can listen to the info on these slides & more over on this classic episode of Learn With Less® podcast: (link in bio) https://learnwithless.com/podcast/ultimate-guide-supporting-infant-toddler-families/

So the 1st pillar of Learn With Less® is PLAY, and here’s how we’re thinking about it:

⭐️ Open-ended play is important for infants, toddlers & beyond!

We want to encourage caregivers to engage in exploration of the environment & of everyday objects.

⭐️ “Being playful” can simply mean:

Exploring, experimenting, & offering varied environments and varied objects.

⭐️ Most importantly:

We want to help adults see that “being playful” is a different way to look at what we, as we grown ups, come to define as play...

Many adults think “playing with their child” is only:

💡Following a set of rules of a game:
we hit the ball, we run, we score!

💡 A procedural exercise:
we open the book, read the page, turn the page, repeat!

⚠️ Encouraging caregivers to “play”
with NO specific end goal in mind can really require them to reframe their entire thinking!

In a therapeutic context, you weave whatever skill you’re working on into the play! But...

We want to create an environment where the caregiver is encouraged to be

♥️ Both flexible & accepting of what is happening, what might happen next, & what their child is doing.

And finally, within that play, we want to ensure safety with a variety of simple materials.

Want to learn more, & make lasting impact on your life & community leading “caregiver & me” classes with a high quality, evidence-based program that’ll have families coming back again & again?

I invite you to apply now to the Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program: https://learnwithless.com/certification

I can’t wait to learn more about your work & vision!

Make sure to follow @learnwithless & head back tomorrow for our next pillar, TALK!
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#learnwithless #mommyandme #caregiverandme #parentsupport #parenteducation #parenteducator #earlyintervention

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