Little ones use a combination of emotion, recall, and learning to understand the world around them.  If we stop and think about it, most of us are aware that emotions — pleasant or unpleasant — impact our learning. Developmental psychologist Michael Hoffman researched three different ways that this happens for children:  Emotion may […]
What is oral motor development? Â Oral motor development refers to the use and function of the lips, tongue, jaw, teeth, and the hard and soft palates. The movement and coordination of these structures is very important in speech production, safe swallowing, and consuming various food textures. Normal oral motor development begins prior to birth […]
 What is sensory integration?  The senses work together. Each sense works with the others to form a composite picture of who we are physically, where we are, and what is going on around us. Sensory integration is the critical function of the brain that is responsible for producing this composite picture. It is […]
From the start, babies want to explore their world. They are eager to move their eyes, their mouths, and their bodies toward the people and objects that comfort and interest them. They practice skills that let them not only move closer to desired objects, but also move desired objects closer to themselves. As they grow, […]
 Social and emotional milestones are often harder to pinpoint than signs of physical development. This area emphasizes many skills that increase self-awareness and self-regulation. Research shows that social skills and emotional development (reflected in the ability to pay attention, make transitions from one activity to another, and cooperate with others) are a very important […]
 Long before children can say words or join them into sentences, they are active language learners. Within a few short years, young children go from newborns without language to excellent communicators and lively inventers and tellers of stories.   From birth to 3 months, infants pay close attention to language. In the first […]
 Young children have many ways to communicate, including sounds, gestures, facial expressions, and body language, but once they begin to master language, they can more easily let parents and other caregivers know what they want or need, what they feel, and what matters to them. A good command of language appears to go hand-in-hand […]
An environment that encourages exploration and physical development is important for children of all ages. Be sure to allow your baby plenty of space for rolling, scooting and, eventually, crawling. Babies like to grasp and manipulate objects, so be sure you have rattles and other safe toys within easy reach. Make it a habit to […]
