Match the Sounds Game

 

    

Exploring and experimenting with sound has fascinated both children and adults for centuries. The following activity is designed to help children explore the world of sound while simultaneously building cognitive and auditory-discrimination skills. 

Age Group: This activity is very moldable and can be used with children ranging from 3-5 years

Type of Activity:  This activity is designed to be done either one on one with a child or with a small group of children as close adult supervision is required.

Learning Objective:

Children will build their auditory-discrimination and categorization skills by matching sounds.

Materials:

• An even number of hollow plastic eggs or empty plastic bottles 
• Paper
• Tape
• Small household items to fill the eggs or bottles such as rice, dry beans, loose change, or paper clips.

Completing the Activity:

To complete this activity, you will need to start by setting out an even number of plastic eggs. Fill the eggs with small items from around your house that will make a noise when you shake them inside the eggs. For my eggs, I used pennies, ping-pong balls, dried beans, and paperclips. Make sure you create matching pairs for each sound. For example, I had two eggs with pennies inside, two eggs with dried beans, etc. 

If you don't have any plastic eggs, you can also use empty plastic water bottles with paper taped around the outside so that children can not see the contents. Here is an example of one I made when I was trying out this activity. 

Once you have your eggs or bottles filled, set them out on a table. Invite children over and encourage them to try shaking the eggs or bottles to see what they sound like. Make sure to explain that they can't open the eggs or bottles yet. Build children's vocabulary by talking with them about the different sounds and helping them describe what they hear. Once children have had a chance to explore the eggs or bottles, explain to them that the idea is to find two that sound the same. Help children take turns shaking the eggs and trying to find a match. Once they think they have a match, allow them to open the eggs to see if they got it right. If not, have them close them up and try again. The game ends when all of the eggs have been matched; however, you can keep replaying the game as many times as you want. As children play, watch to see whether or not they can correctly match the eggs. If children struggle, you may need to take a turn and demonstrate how to find a match. Also, you may want to try only setting out 4-6 eggs. Once children have mastered matching a few choices, you can add in more eggs. 

What Children Will Learn:

As children play the matching game they...

Practice cognitive skills- As children listen to the different sounds and find matches, they practice the cognitive skill of categorization by exploring which items make a loud or soft sound and which eggs sound the same. 

Practice language skills- As children play the game and discuss what they hear, they learn new words to describe sounds. Also, as children work to find eggs that sound the same, they develop their auditory- discrimination skills. The ability to discriminate between different sounds is a critical skill needed to produce and understand spoken language. 

Adapting and Expanding the Activity:

• For children who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing, fill the eggs or bottles with items that feel different when you shake them. For example, fill one set with pebbles and another with paper clips. Focus on having the children match the eggs or bottles that feel the same when you shake them. 
• Build children's cognitive skills by having them make predictions about what is inside each egg based on the sound. 

Experimenting With Pine Cones

One of the beautiful things about nature is that it is filled with opportunities and materials that can be used to help children learn and grow. Recently, nature unexpectedly gave me a gift when a wind storm blew pine cones all over my yard. After experimenting with the pine cones for a while, I realized that not only are they beautiful, but they also can be used to create several educational experiences. The following activity is designed to help children and adults explore the science of how pine cones open and close while also building children's cognitive and fine motor skills. 

Age Group: This activity is very moldable and can be used with children ranging from 3-5 years

Type of Activity:  This activity is designed to be done either one on one with a child or with a small group of children as adult supervision is required.

Learning Objectives:

1. Children will work on strengthening their pincer grasp (the motion of picking up an item with their index finger and thumb) by using tongs to pick up small items.

2. Children will explore cause and effect and making predictions by experimenting with water and pine cones.

Areas of Development Addressed:

As children play with the pine cones, water, and kitchen tongs they...

Practice fine motor skills- As children open and close the tongs to pick-up pine cones and other items, they strengthen muscles needed for writing, cutting with scissors, and even eating. 

Practice cognitive skills - As children experiment with the pine cones and water and make predictions about what will happen, they build critical cognitive skills, including understanding cause and effect and making predictions. 

Practice language skills- By engaging in conversations with adults during the activity, children learn new words related to science and nature. 

Materials:

• Bowl or bucket
• Dry pine cones with open scales
• Warm water 
• Small kitchen tongs
• Optional: items for children to pick up with the tongs such as small blocks, small plastic balls, or pebbles

Completing the Activity: 

To complete this activity, you will need to start by setting out a bowl with warm water, some kitchen tongs, and pine cones. (Note) Set aside one or two pine cones out of the water to use later. Also, if you gathered your pine cones while it was damp outside, make sure that they have had time to thoroughly dry out and their scales have opened. Once you have the supplies laid out, invite children over. Explain to children that the idea is to place the pine cones in water and watch what happens. If your children are verbal, encourage them to share their guesses about what will happen. Once children are done guessing, encourage them to use the tongs to pick up the pine cones and place them in the water. If children struggle with their pincer grasp, you can give them more opportunities to practice by having them use the tongs to add other items to the water, such as small blocks, pebbles, etc.

Once the pine cones are in the water, encourage children to observe what happens. Allow children to put their hands in and explore what the water and pine cones feel like. Build their language and observation skills by talking with children about what they see and feel. For example, you can talk about how the pine cones float or how they feel wet and sticky. Also, remind children to watch to see if anything changes with the pine cones. After about 10-15 minutes, the pine cone scales should start to close. If children struggle to pay attention, allow them to focus on another activity for a while and then gently bring them back to see if the pine cones have changed. 

Once the scales have closed, have children remove the pine cones from the water with the tongs. Bring the dry pine cones out so that children can compare them to the wet pine cones. 

Let children feel and explore the pine cones. Encourage them to think deeper them questions such as, "What is different about the pine cones now?" or "Why do you think the little scales closed up?" After giving children a chance to manipulate the pine cones, explain that the pine cones hold seeds that can be used to plant new trees. The little scales on the outside of the pine cones protect the seeds inside like an umbrella. When the pine cone gets wet, the pine cone scales close to protect the seeds inside. Allow children to continue exploring the pine cones and asking questions until they start to lose interest.

Ways to Expand the Activity:

• Practice math skills by having children count pine cones or categorize them by size and shape.
• Explore art by providing children with paper and paint and letting them roll pine cones through the paint to create a textured picture.
• Explore nature by taking a walk outside with children to gather supplies for this activity, such as pine cones, small stones, acorns, etc. 
• Practice literacy skills by encouraging children to write or draw about their pine cone experiment. 

Homemade Bowling

Physical games and sports are great ways for children and adults to socialize, exercise, and have fun. This activity is designed to help children and adults have fun playing a homemade version of bowling together while simultaneously building children's large muscle control and social skills. 

Age Group: This activity is very moldable and can easily be used with children ranging from 2-5 years

Learning Objectives: 

• Children will practice sharing and turn-taking.
• Children will practice rolling and kicking a ball.

Type of Activity: This activity can be completed one-on-one with a child or with a group of children.

What Children Will Learn: 

As children play bowling they...

Practice gross motor skills-  Gross motor refers to the large muscles that help us do activities such as sit, move our arms, jump, bend, and walk (The Early Childhood Advisory Council, 2012). As children roll, throw, and kick a ball, they engage these muscles and gain better control of them. 

Practice social skills- As children play bowling with other adults and/or children, they practice important social skills such as following directions, sharing, and taking turns. 

Materials

• 6-10 empty plastic bottles or plastic cups
• Small ball or socks to make a ball

Activity Prep

To play this game, you will need a few homemade pins and a ball. You can use several household items to make pins, such as empty plastic bottles, styrofoam cups, or plastic cups. For my pins, I used some tall plastic cups I had lying around the house. I ended up using six cups. However, the number of pins you use will depend on the level of challenge you want to create. If you want to make the game more challenging, add more pins, and if you want to make it easier, use fewer.

 For the ball, I tried a couple of random balls I had around the house. I found that balls that are a little shorter than the pins work best, but almost any size ball will work. If you don't have a ball handy, you can make one by rolling socks together.

Completing the Activity: 

Set up the pins on a hard surface. You can set them up in rows or in the typical pyramid shape. Invite children over to play and explain to them that the goal is to try to knock down as many pins as they can. Encourage children to roll or kick the ball towards the pins. For children who struggle with rolling or kicking, you made need to model how to use the ball or offer some physical assistance. Once children knock down the pins, have them help stack the pins back up for the next person. Again, some children may need physical assistance, especially if the pins fall over easily. Support children in taking turns and sharing by reminding them to let each participant have a turn and to hand the ball to the next person when they are done. If children really struggle with turn-taking, you can try setting a timer to indicate when a child's turn is over. Also, if children struggle with sharing, you can start by giving each child a ball and gradually work down to only having one ball. Continue the activity until children become tired or start to lose interest. 

Ways to Expand and Adapt the Activity:

• For children with mobility restrictions, you can create tabletop bowling with paper cups and a soft foam ball.
• Incorporate art by having children help decorate the pins with stickers, paint, markers, etc.
• Use cups for pins and have children practice fine motor skills by stacking them on top of each other. 

References

The Early Childhood Advisory Council. (, 2012). New York State Early Learning Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.ccf.ny.gov/files/7813/8177/1285/ELG.pdf

Exploring the Five Senses Through Sensory Play

 

The five senses are an integral part of the human experience. They allow us to explore and understand our world and communicate our ideas. This activity is designed to help children, families, and teachers explore the exciting world of our senses through creating and playing with sensory toys. 

Age Group: This activity is very moldable and can easily be used with children ranging from 2-5 years

Type of Activity:  This activity is designed to be done either one on one with a child or with a small group of children as some adult supervision is required.

Learning Goal: Children will practice using their five senses to help them investigate and understand their world.

Areas of Development Addressed

Language Development: As children learn words for different sensations and describe how different items sound, feel, smell, etc. they build new vocabulary and expressive language skills.

Social Development: As children manipulate the sensory bags, they learn that their actions can affect objects. This is an important skill that is a stepping stone to understanding the concept that our actions can affect other people.

Cognitive Development: As children explore the sensory bags, they build several cognitive skills. For example, they learn about cause and effect by seeing how pushing or moving the bag makes the contents move. They also start to practice categorization by exploring what items feel cold, smooth, hard, or what objects make a louder or softer sound.

Materials

Container:

• Plastic resealable sandwich or freezer bags
• Glue 
• (Optional) recycled water bottle or plastic jar

Filling for Container. You can use many different items to fill your sensory bags. Some possible ideas include:

• Water
• Glitter
• Plastic confetti or sequins
• Cotton balls
• Dried rice or beans
• Hair gel
• Googly eyes
• Small stones

Activity Prep

To complete this activity, you will first need to assemble the sensory bags. For my sensory bags, I used some resealable sandwich bags and random items I found around my house. You can use similar items or something entirely different. The goal is simply to provide children with the opportunity to explore different textures, sounds, smells, etc. so the sky is the limit for what you can use. To give you some ideas, here is what I used. 

1. For bag number one, I poured some dried rice and beans and some sparkly pom-poms into a sandwich bag. 

2. For the second bag, I mixed together some blue hair gel and a handful of googly eyes.

3. For the third bag, I mixed together some colored water, plastic confetti, and sequins. (Note) If you decide to use water, I would recommend creating the bag the same day you plan to use it as I found that the water tends to start leaking after a few hours. 

When I created my bags, I started by only using one layer of sandwich bags. However, I found that they quickly started leaking. I would recommend using a double layer of sandwich bags because this seemed to slow the leaking. I would also recommend folding the zip lock end of the bag over and gluing it to the bag to help prevent it from accidentally coming open. 

If you don't have plastic bags or if you want to create more variety, you can also make sensory bottles. To do this, you will need an empty plastic bottle with a lid. I used a recycled juice bottle, but you can use any type of plastic bottle as long as it is clear and has a cap. I then filled the bottle with some colored water, glitter, and plastic confetti. If you don't have glitter or confetti, you could use dried rice or beans, small stones, or even beads. To finish it off, I glued the lid to the bottle to keep it from accidentally coming open during play. 

Completing the Activity: 

Once your sensory bags and/or bottles are finished, you are ready to complete the activity. Try setting the sensory toys out on the table and invite children over to play with them. If you have children who tend to mouth items, you may want to consider taping the bags to the table to avoid having children accidentally ingest any of the bags' contents. Encourage children to manipulate the bags by squishing them, looking at the contents, shaking them, or even smelling them if you have scented items. As children play, try to engage them in conversations and ask questions that expand their thinking. For example, help them label and understand the different sensory input they are experiencing by asking them questions about what they hear, feel, see, etc. Build their vocabulary and understanding of sensory concepts by commenting on texture, color, size, sound, etc. 

Ways to Expand the Activity:

• Turn the sensory bags into a game by having children close their eyes or wear a blindfold and then guess what is in the bags using only touch. 
• Involve children in creating the sensory bags by allowing them to choose which items they would like to go in their bag and helping pour in the water, gel, rice, etc.
• Turn the sensory bags into a game of eye-spy by providing children with magnifying glasses and a list with pictures of items to look for in the bag. 

Exploring the World of Wild Animals

 

Wild animals are a topic that fascinates many children and adults. The following activity is designed to help families, teachers, and children explore the world of wild animals together while simultaneously building children's physical, cognitive, and language skills.

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Age Group: This activity is very moldable and can easily be used with children ranging from 2-5 years

Type of Activity:  This activity is designed to be done either one on one at home or in a small group in a classroom because it requires close adult supervision.

Learning Goals:

1.  Children will practice their cutting skills by cutting out pieces of paper and cardboard and/or building the muscles needed for cutting by tearing and gluing paper. 

2. Through listening to Polar Bear, Polar Bear children will explore places where you might see wild animals, such as the zoo, and work on building their animal vocabulary. 

Areas of Development Addressed

Language Development: Reading to children and engaging them in discussions helps build their language skills, vocabulary, and pre-reading skills.

Physical Development: Cutting out pieces of paper builds children's scissor skills. Also, tearing and gluing paper helps build fine motor skills such as the pincer grasp, which are precursors skills needed for cutting.

Cognitive Development: As children explore the topic of wild animals, they gain a better understanding of the world around them. They also practice the mental skill of categorization as they learn what types of animals can be classified as wild. 

Materials: 

• Colored paper. You can use construction paper, tissue paper, crepe paper, or even torn up magazines and newspapers.
• Glue
• Recycled cardboard. For example, empty toilet paper rolls, empty cereal boxes, or unused paper plates. 
• Child scissors
• (Optional) tape and popsicle sticks.

Activity Description:

This activity is divided into two parts. The first half of the activity involves watching a short video with children. In the video, I talk with a puppet giraffe about what wild animals are and some places you might see them, such as at a zoo or a circus. I also speak briefly about why we usually don't see wild animals at circuses anymore. I then move on to reading a book about wild animals called Polar Bear, Polar Bear by Bill Martin Jr., and Eric Carle. If you don't have a way to play the video for children, for example, you are in a classroom that doesn't use electronics, you can still do the activity. Instead of watching the video, you can read the book aloud to children and have a short discussion about places where you can see wild animals. If you don't have a copy of Polar Bear, Polar Bear, you can find it at most public libraries, or you can use a different book that shows pictures of wild animals. 

The second half of the activity involves giving children the opportunity to create an animal face mask. To prep for this activity, you will need to cut a basic mask shape out of cardboard.  You can use whatever cardboard you have lying around. I made a trial mask to get an idea of what works and what doesn't. I started by tracing a circle using a small mixing bowl on an old cereal box.

                                            

Then I cut out the circle, cut it in half, and cut eye holes into each half. This created two masks. You could also use a paper plate cut in half to save time.

 Once you have your masks cut out, gather together your paper, scraps of cardboard, scissors, and glue. After children have heard the story, explain to them that they can create animal masks like the ones the children in Polar Bear, Polar Bear had. Provide each child with a mask, glue, scissors, if they are ready for them, and an assortment of paper and cardboard. Also, try and set out some books with pictures of real animals to give children inspiration. If you are at home and don't have picture books available, you can print some photos out or even pull up some pictures on a phone or computer to show children. Explain to children that they can decorate the masks with the paper and cardboard to create any animal they want. Encourage them to try cutting or tearing the paper and gluing it on to their mask. For younger children, you may need to demonstrate this or offer some physical assistance. Also, this project may be too open-ended for some children. If this is the case, try to provide some gentle guidance that still allows children to make choices. For example, ask them what animal they would like to make or ask them what colors they would like to use. As children work, build their language skills and vocabulary by asking them to tell you about their animal. Comment on the colors they are using or talk about the animal they are making. For example, if they are making a lion talk about where lions live, what they eat, etc.

 As children create, it may not look like a discernable animal to you, but that's okay. Research has shown that one of the best ways to build children's creativity is through projects that are open-ended and focus on experimenting with various art mediums rather than creating a picture-perfect product (Fox & Schirrmacher, 2011). 

Once children are done creating their masks, you can help them attach a handle. For my mask, I found it worked best to tape a popsicle stick to the back. However, if you don't have these materials, you could also cut a strip of cardboard and have children glue it to the mask to create a handle. 

Ways to Expand or Adapt the Activity:

• After children create their masks, they could be used in the dramatic play area to play pretend zoo or animal parade.
• If children aren't interested in cutting and gluing paper, try having them paint the masks or draw on them.
• If you have children with advanced scissor skills, try having them cut their own mask out of paper or thin cardboard. 

References

Fox, J. E., & Schirrmacher, R. (2011). Art and Creative Development for Young Children (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Move Like an Animal Game

Exercise is an important part of maintaining health in children just as it is for adults. Regular physical activity in childhood has been found to help build stronger bones and muscles, contribute to better sleep, and even improve mental health (Gavin, 2018; The National Association of School Psychologists, 2017). For the majority of children, the best way to exercise is through regular physical play (Gavin, 2018). Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has created some barriers to physical play. In accordance with social distancing laws, many parks, playgrounds, and YMCAs have been closed. This means that many children no longer have places to run around and engage in physical play. The good news is that there are exercise activities that children can do at home. The following game is designed to get children up and moving at home while having fun.

The Move Like an Animal Game

Goal: Children will engage in a number of exercise movements including, running, jumping, and crawling by pretending to be different animals.

Age: This activity was created with children 2- 4 years in mind. However, some older children may also like to join in.

Players: You can have as many or as few players as you want. You can play one on one with your child, or you can include other family members.

Materials:

• Animal cards (printable template below)

              or

• Paper and drawing utensils. 

Prepping for the Game:

To play the game, you will need a small pile of cards that each give a different animal movement direction. For example, one card might read hop like a bunny or walk like a crab. I have included a link to a pdf of animal cards that you can print and cut out.

Printable Cards Link

If you don’t have access to a printer, the cards are simple to make. All you will need are several small pieces of paper and any type of drawing utensil. On each piece of paper, write a different animal movement direction. If you want, you and your child can also draw animals on each piece of paper. You could also cut pictures of animals from magazines and glue them on the cards. This can be a fun opportunity for you and your child to make cards that are personalized with their artwork and include their favorite animals.

Game Directions:

To play the game, start by placing the cards in a stack. Next, have a player draw a card. Read the card together, and then everyone has to pretend to be the animal on the card. Then, proceed to the next player and repeat. Keep taking turns until you run out of cards, or you and/or your child start getting tired. To mix the game up you could try making animal noises while doing the movements or see who can be the fastest bunny, crab, horse, etc.

What children learn 

Besides being a fun way to get kids moving and their hearts pumping, this activity helps children...

• Practice gross motor skills-  Gross motor refers to the large muscles that help us do activities such as sit, move our arms, jump, bend, and walk. As children jump, crawl, and run they engage their large muscles and gain better control of them (The Early Childhood Advisory Council, 2012).
• Practice reading skills- As you play the game, read the cards with your child. Try pointing out the words as well as the pictures. Reading with children helps build important reading skills. For example, children learn that English print is read from left to right and that pictures can be used as symbols of words. Also, using written language during a game shows children that writing has many uses that expand beyond books (The Early Childhood Advisory Council, 2012).

References

The Early Childhood Advisory Council. (2012). New York State Early Learning Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.ccf.ny.gov/files/7813/8177/1285/ELG.pdf

Gavin, M. L. (2018). Kids and Exercise. Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/exercise.html

The National Association of School Psychologists. (2017). Supporting Children’s Mental Health: Tips for Parents and Educators. Retrieved from https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts /mental-health/prevention-and-wellness-promotion/supporting-children's-mental-health-tips-for-parents-and-educators

Solving Problems with Music

April 11-16th is a special time of year called the Week of the Young Child. The Week of the Young Child is a celebration that was started by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). It is a time to celebrate children and the amazing families behind them. It is also a time to spread awareness about the importance of quality learning experiences and supporting children and families. Each day of the week has a different learning theme. To coordinate with Musical Monday, the following activity is a fun educational song you can sing with your child. 

Activity Name: The What Do I Do Song

Objective: Children will learn basic problem-solving strategies.

Age Group: I created this activity with children ages 3 to 5 years in mind. However, this activity is very moldable and could be used for children a little younger or older with some adapting. 

Areas of Development Addressed
This activity supports children’s development in several areas...

• Language Development: Music and singing is an excellent way for children to learn and practice new words and expand their language skills.
• Social Development: One of the goals of this activity is to show children that they can go to an adult for help with a problem. Recognizing that adults can offer assistance and going to them for help is an integral part of social development.
• Cognitive Development: This activity focuses on teaching children how to problem-solve, which is an essential cognitive skill.

Learning Standards
The New York State Learning Standards is a document developed by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) that serves as a guide for what children should be learning at different ages. This activity meets two of the preschool learning standards. These standards are...

• Standard: PK.AL.2 Actively engages in problem-solving: The idea of this standard is that children should be learning different methods for problem-solving such as trying different solutions and going to adults for assistance (NYSED, 2019). The song activity addresses this learning standard because the objective is to teach children what they can do and who they can go to when they encounter a problem.

• Standard: PK.ARTS.9. [MU: Pr4-6.PK] Performs Music The idea of this standard is that children should participate in basic music performance through singing, playing with instruments, and moving to music (NYSED, 2019). The song activity addresses this standard because it requires children to sing along and follow a rhythm.

The Importance of Problem Solving Skills

As COVID-19 continues to run its course, the whole world is dealing with a lot of uncertainty and stress. This stress can take a toll on children’s and families’ mental health. One way you can work to protect you and your child’s mental and emotional well being is through building resilience. Rachel Wagner (2016), from the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, explains that resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity. Resilience helps us get through difficult times as well as cope with everyday changes and stresses. One of the ways you can help build your child’s resilience is through helping them develop problem-solving skills. According to the National Association of School Psychologists (2017), building problem-solving skills helps children develop a sense of competency. They learn that they are capable of doing hard things and overcoming challenges, which is critical to maintaining a healthy mental state. Teaching problem-solving skills can also benefit families’ mental health by alleviating some stress. Often children become frustrated when they are met with a problem. This frustration can lead to challenging behaviors such as tantrums. Teaching positive ways to deal with problems can help reduce behaviors related to frustration and alleviate the stress of having to constantly guide children through frustration.

Activity Description

The What Do I Do Song is a song you can sing with your child that talks about different things they can try when they run into a problem. It is set to the tune of “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain.” In my version of the song, I talk about taking deep breaths to calm down, talking about our feelings, going to a teacher for help, asking family for help, thinking about solutions, and trying out different ideas. I have linked a video of me singing that you and your child can follow along to. Try singing this song with your child and talking about ways to solve a problem when they are calm. Later, when they become frustrated over a problem, you can use the song as a prompt. For example, you might say, “It looks like you are feeling frustrated right now. Do you remember our problem-solving song?” You can then sing the song together and try some of the different ideas in the song.

Adapting the Song
My version of the song includes some general problem-solving techniques, and if you want, you can use it as is. However, this song can be tailored to your family and child. For example, in the song, I mention going to Mom and Dad for help. However, I realize that families come in all different makeups, so feel free to adapt this song to fit your family. Also, you can add different problem-solving techniques that work for your child. You could even have a discussion with your child about different things they would like to try when they have a problem and add them to the song. The lyrics don’t need to be perfect. In fact, the sillier they are, the more fun you and your child can have.

References

National Association of School Psychologists. (2017). Supporting children’s mental health: Tips for parents and educators [Handout]. Bethesda, MD: Author. Retrieved from https://www.nasponline.org
/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/mental-health/prevention-and-wellness-promotion/supporting-childrens-mental-health-tips-for-parents-and-educators

New York State Education Department. (2019). The New York State Prekindergarten Learning Standards: A Resource for School Success. Retrieved from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/earlylearning/d

ocuments/new-york-state-prekindergarten-learning-standards.pdf

Wagner, R. [Hartfordfoundation]. (2016, August 9). Rachel Wagner Talks About Building Resilience in Children [VideoFile]. Retrieved from https://centerforresilientchildren.org/