Investing in Kids
Making the Most of Those Precious Moments with Your Child
These days it's hard for most parents to find quality time with their child. Hectic work schedules and busy lifestyles can take away from the moments that are most important.
As the amount of time parents have available to spend with their children decreases, the quality of the time spent with them matters more than ever before.
Invest in Kids, a national charity based in Toronto, is helping parents make the most of everyday moments with their children from birth to age five with a number of resources that support their child's healthy social, emotional and intellectual development. All of them are based on the Comfort, Play & Teach™ framework, an approach to positive parenting created by Invest in Kids' child development and parenting experts.
Developmental science tells us that when parents comfort their children, they feel secure, loved and valued. When children and parents play together, the child is encouraged to explore and discover the world and his or her own role in it. And, by teaching, parents help their child to relate to others, solve problems and communicate.
"Whether parents are with their children while driving, cooking, shopping or doing any other typical day-to-day activity, they can always find a way to either, comfort, play with or teach them, or do a combination of those things," says Chaya Kulkarni, VP Parent & Professional Education, Invest in Kids.
Doing the Laundry with your infant or toddler
Comfort |
||
| If You Do This |  |
Your Baby Will |
| Cuddle and sing to your baby between wash cycles | Enjoy sharing favourite lullabies and nursery ryhmes as you relax together | |
| If You Do This | |
Your Toddler Will |
| Give your toddler a job like carrying a box of dryer sheets or putting socks in the machine | Feel that he is doing an important job and develop pride in his abilities | |
Play |
||
| If You Do This | |
Your Baby Will |
| Hold up a clean dish towel and play peek-a-boo game with your baby | Love seeing your face and hearing your voice when you appear from behind the towel | |
| If You Do This | |
Your Toddler Will |
| Put your hand into a clean sock and pretend it's a puppet | Laugh when you use a funny voice and tell him you're going to kiss him and nibble his ears | |
Teach |
||
| If You Do This | |
Your Baby Will |
| Talk about what you're doing whether it's loading the dryer or folding pants | Feel included in an interesting conversation and learn many new words | |
| If You Do This | |
Your Toddler Will |
| Label different articles of clothing and describe their colours and things about them | Become more able to talk about familiar things in her environment and learn the function of buttons, zippers and pockets | |
Invest in Kids is a national charitable organization dedicated to helping parents become the parents they want and need to be. For additional activities and tips based on the Comfort, Play & Teach™ approach, as well as information about child development and parenting, visit www.investinkids.ca ™ A trademark of Invest in Kids Foundation, Toronto, ON, Canada. © 2007 Invest in Kids. All Rights Reserved.
