These activities aim to teach body awareness, social emotional skills, communication, and helping others. This is part of our series on National Child Abuse Prevention Month, as we explore the steps parents can take to help build protective factors that prevent child abuse.
Babies
- Body Awareness | Birth-6 months
Babies discover different body parts and become very interested in their feet and hands.
- Mirror on the Wall | 6-12 months
Babies love to look at themselves in the mirror!
- Cooperative Play | Video | 12-18 months
Engaging children in back-and-forth play with adults helps them get ready for playing with other children.
Toddlers
- Playing with Peers | 18-24 months
These activities lend themselves to children playing cooperatively together.
- Care for the Animals | 24-30 months
Toddlers have a difficult time taking on another person’s perspective. Having them help someone who is hurt or sick will help them understand, to a limited degree, others have feelings.
- Every Day I… | 30-36 months
This fun activity teaches children how to relate a sequence of events and prepares them to tell others about their day.
Preschoolers
- Mad Face, Scary Face | 36-42 months
Expressing ideas for dealing with feelings helps children improve coping skills and self- expression, and also assists with problem solving and creative thinking.
- Tell Me About It | 42-48 months
Drawing a picture and providing dictation is a fun way for children to practice putting their ideas into words.
- Helping with Family Chores | 48-54 months
Teach your child about being helpful by having them help with simple tasks around the house.
- Using Books to Support Social Emotional Development | 54-60 months
This activity uses a specific book, but you use any book that features emotions as a starting point to ask your child questions, do some crafts, make faces in the mirror, etc.
