Baby Sign Language

Signing with babies or toddlers helps to communicate with them before they can talk. It's not surprising that babies can learn how to sign. Both their understanding of language and their motor skills develop much faster than their ability to speak. Most babies, for example, discover how to wave and point long before they can say "bye bye" or "look at that!" More info.

Hearing Is Essential to Language Development

If a child cannot hear well, learning to speak can be hard. It is important to recognize the signs of hearing loss early to prevent or lessen any concerns. Find out more about hearing and development milestones here.

Playing is Learning

There has been an abundance of research around play and its positive effects on early childhood learning and development. In general, research shows strong links between creative play and language, physical, cognitive, and social development. Play is a healthy, essential part of childhood. Infants explore their world through their senses while adults in their world foster their development and learning through playing games with them. Toddlers engage in pretend play when they imitate actions and events they have experienced in their family life. As they grow into four and five year olds, young children engage more and more in play activities that expand their knowledge of the world around them, develop their motor skills, and focus on their peers. Here are some 'playful' tips.

Everyday Games for Parents and Caregivers.

Learning Through Play from Birth to 3

Mary Thomas Memorial ECE Scholarship 

Each year, BCACCS offers one $1000 scholarship for eligible Basic ECE Aboriginal students and one $1500 scholarship for eligible Post-Basic ECE Aboriginal students. The deadline to apply is July 31, 2015    More info.

Learning to Share

Healthy Families BC

By preschool age, most children have a basic idea about sharing. But your preschooler still might not be keen to put sharing into action, and can be impatient when waiting her turn. 

You can build your preschooler's sharing skills by watching for good turn-taking and encouraging fairness. You can help remind your preschooler how bad he would feel if someone took his toy, or didn't let him have a turn. Talking to him about other people's feelings will help him understand life from someone else's perspective, which is a great skill to have. 

Be realistic about your preschooler's ability to share, at this age most children are still very self-focused, and have little understanding of other people's thoughts and emotions.

More information on Helping Your Child Learn to Share and When Your Child Won't Share