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Message in a Backpack.â„¢ Encouraging Your Child to Lead

51³Ô¹ÏÍø promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
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parents on the computer with their child
Article
Teaching Young Children
January 2, 2024

Message in a Backpackâ„¢. Planning a Trip? Encourage Your Child to Help

No matter where you’re going—whether running errands around town or to a big gathering far away—you can encourage your child to practice their literacy skills as you plan together.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Deborah Farmer Kris
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children reading together
Article
Teaching Young Children
July 1, 2022

Message in a Backpackâ„¢ Using Sentence Stems at Home: Tips for Families

When reading together, families can support early language and comprehension skills by offering short sentence stems, or sentence starters, to help children share what they are thinking and learning.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Michele Coulombe, Erin Zuccaro
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close up on a childs hands playing with blocks
Article
Teaching Young Children
April 1, 2022

Message in a Backpack: Helping Your Preschool Child with Computational Thinking

Use the following tips to build on your preschooler’s math skills—including counting, pattern recognition, and sequencing to solve problems—to support computational thinking.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Heather Lavigne, Jillian Orr, Marisa Wolsky
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two teachers looking at a childs art project
Article
Teaching Young Children
July 1, 2021

Message in a Backpack™ Guiding Your Child’s Behavior

Challenging behaviors often happen when children feel they don’t have another way to express their feelings or another way to get what they need. Here's how to stay calm, patient, and consistent as you help your child understand your expectations.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Keri Giordano
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