Early Childhood Learning at Home During the Pandemic

Are you keeping your children home from early childhood learning or education programs because of the pandemic? Are you concerned that they may not be developing the skills they need while at home? If so, tune in this week to learn what you can do to support your young children’s social and emotional learning and development while at home.   Many of us are working from home or keeping our children home to protect our families from the coronavirus. While children are at home, they likely do not have the same social interactions and learning experiences that they would have at their early childhood education program. Fortunately, Sheila Williams Ridge, Director of the Shirley G. Moore Laboratory School at the University of Minnesota, has tips to help our children stay on track developmentally.   On behalf of Help Me Grow MN, Ridge shares wise insights based on her many years of experience in early childhood. Tune in to learn what you can do to support your young children’s social and emotional learning and development, including opportunities for safe socialization with peers, online resources, and simple things you can do at home to keep your children's development on track. Rest assured that being home will not limit your children's learning and development. You and your family play an important role in this critical time in your children's development.   WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO SUPPORT YOUR YOUNG CHILDREN'S SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING AT HOME? What are you doing to make the most of this time at home? How have you helped your children stay connected to and continue to learn from their peers? What new activity will you try this week to support your young children's development?   WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT? ❉ 1000 Hours Outside. Kids spend more than a 1000 hours per year on screens. Let's change that into time outdoors with helpful suggestions from 1000 Hour Outside.   ❉ Very Well Family. Check out this helpful resources for tips from pregnancy to parenting.   ❉ HighScope at Home. This is an excellent source for tips on helping your family continue early childhood education at home.   ❉ The Three C's: Competence, Contribution, and Connection. Research and community wisdom converge to point the way to essential experiences that allow children and youth to grow up to be caring, responsible adults. Even in the face of high-risk conditions, these "three Cs" can serve as important protective factors that enable children to rise above risk. So where are the opportunities for children to experience these three Cs at each stage of their development? And what can each of us do in our own families, communities, and workplaces to ensure that all children have enough of the three Cs to see them through?   ❉ The Ultimate List of Age-Appropriate Chores.