Developing curiosity and interest:
- Play with your child every day (birth to 18 months).
- Make the places where your child spends time safe and fun to explore (18 months to 3 years).
- Help your child explore and learn about your family’s culture, community, and about other cultures (3 to 5 years).
- Help your child learn more about the things he is interested in by getting library books on a favorite topic or taking your child places where he can learn more (5 years to kindergarten entry).
- A child enjoys choosing a book and deciding when to turn the pages.
Developing learning from experiences:
- Play together with toys and objects that react to specific actions, like shaking or squeezing (birth to 18 months).
- “Think out loud” with your child about ideas (18 months to 3 years).
- Ask open-ended questions that encourage reflection, such as “How else could you do this?” Go for a walk and ask questions about what you see, such as “What do you think clouds are made of?” or “What if humans could fly (3 to 5 years)?”
- Give your child opportunities to share her experiences, such as a story time (5 years to kindergarten entry).