I recently attended a training that went further into depth about how motor planning skills can affect how children play with toys. Does your child move very quickly from one toy to another without really stopping to play with them? Do they seem to play with a preferred toy in the same way all of the time? While we sometimes look at these types of play as being characteristic of children on the Autism spectrum, the simple play and quick movement to new toys may have to do with a breakdown in motor planning skills, from having a concept of how they want to play with the toy, all the way to whether they can take the feedback they get when their intent goes wrong and adapt to it and change their approach. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube.

Motor Planning: Learning How to Use the Body – BabySparks

5 Therapist-Approved Motor Planning Activities | NAPA Center

Lying underneath many of the other developmental skills that a child learns is their executive function skills. I cover what that term means, and touch on how deficits in these skills can affect other areas of development. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube.

Executive Function Skills By Age: What To Look For | Life Skills Advocate

Strategies to Strengthen Executive Function | Psychology Today Canada

How to Boost Executive Function in Children & Why It's Important to Helping Them Thrive - Hey Sigmund

There are lots of options available to have child care in the US. I go over the most common options, the star rating system for daycares, and additional things to look for when you are doing a walk-through of a center. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube.

How Points are Earned - How Points are Earned (ncdhhs.gov)

In a recent article I read, a child psychologist referenced a 2005 study that showed that self-discipline and perseverance was a better predictor of how a child would succeed in school than their IQ.  I give some tips to help enhance both self-discipline and perseverance.

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children-or visit my YouTube Channel Tiffany Thompson - YouTube.

Self-Discipline Outdoes IQ in Predicting Academic Performance of Adolescents - Angela L. Duckworth, Martin E.P. Seligman, 2005 (sagepub.com)

EJ746291.pdf (ed.gov)

8 Ways to Teach Kids Self-Discipline Skills (verywellfamily.com)

I mentioned Coaching in a prior episode; Megan Hardisty and I go a little further into the meaning of parent coaching and touch on NLEP's. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children.

Megan Hardisty joins me for another episode to talk about the AT lending library and the "magic" that can be created by using assistive technology to support a variety of developmental skills, while allowing children to explore their world and have new experiences as they develop. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children.

I interview Megan Hardisty, PT, DPT, who gives us insight into what physical therapy is and how it is used for young children. 

Pathways.org | Tools to maximize child development

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children.

I interview Lisa Costa, MA, OTR/L, who is certified in Hippotherapy, to give us a peek into the therapy, who does it, what ages of children can be involved in the therapy, and the benefits it has. We also go into Therapeutic Riding and touch on other therapeutic benefits that riding and interacting with horses can have. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children.

Does it hurt or benefit a child to be exposed to two (or more) languages? I talk about the different types of language acquisition, the concept of a dominant language when children are exposed to more than one language, the "silent period", and how best to present languages to children to help them build strong skills in both languages.

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children.

Responsive Feeding is another buzzword going around the parenting and childhood development communities. I discuss what it entails. 

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children.

What is Responsive Feeding? | The Nourished Child

Responsive Feeding Infosheet - Baby Friendly Initiative (unicef.org.uk)