Take-Home Strategies

Browse strategies families and caregivers can use at home to support children's development of Core Skills
Aerial view of child-sized shoes beside backpack

About These Strategies

This library contains strategies that family members and other caregivers can use to foster children’s Core Skills at home. The Core Skills are the foundation for children’s learning. Each Core Skill includes several individual skills that grow from infancy to preschool. Each activity can be adapted to support every child’s development and fit within their family’s routines, values, culture, and preferences.

This space is a work in progress! Visit often to explore new take-home strategies focused on additional skills, like building relationships, understanding emotions, expanding vocabulary, and actively exploring the world. We’re currently featuring Relate, Regulate, and Move Skills, with more Core Skills coming soon!

Relate

Explore how to help young children develop healthy relationships with their teachers and peers, problem-solve with others, develop empathy, and build their sense of self and self-confidence.

Help children develop secure relationships with their caregivers

Help children learn to connect with others and develop friendships

Empower children as they learn to solve social problems

Help children consider the needs, feelings, and perspectives of others

Help children learn about who they are and what makes them unique

Support children as they try new things and take on meaningful tasks

Regulate

Explore how to help young children develop skills to recognize and manage their emotions and behaviors, develop focus and attention, and deepen their cognitive flexibility and working memory.

Support children as they begin to recognize, label, and express their emotions

Help children work through their strong emotions and learn calm-down strategies

Guide children as they learn safe and positive ways to communicate their needs and wants to others
Help children develop their ability to stay focused on a task

Support children to learn to remember and use information during a task

Help children shift their thinking to adjust to a change or approach tasks in new ways

Move

Explore how to help young children develop their gross motor and fine motor skills, as well as foster their self-care and healthy habits.

Support children’s abilities to move around and engage in physical activity

Help children control and strengthen their small muscle movements to perform basic self-help and learning tasks

Promote children’s self-help skills and encourage children to do as much as possible on their own

Introduce and encourage positive thoughts and healthy habits from a young age