TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF: Stress is normal, but too much stress is bad for a baby’s brain. Things that cause stress for an infant are loud noises or adults who seem upset or angry. It is important to have strategies for coping when your life gets stressful. #thebasics

MATCH AND SORT: Make a game of matching and sorting objects into groups. Your child can match and sort items by their shape, color, size, or other features. #thebasics

TALK ABOUT FEELINGS: Teach your toddler to name their feelings. This will help them understand and express emotions. Let them know that all feelings are OK, and that you are there for them when they are happy or upset. #thebasics

USE YOUR HANDS: When you talk about something, point to it. This helps your child understand what you mean. Encourage your child to point too. “Can you point to the triangle?” This will help them connect new words to the objects they represent. #thebasics

RESPOND TO THEM: Your infant depends on you to meet their needs. Watch and listen for clues about how they feel and what they need. For example, a cry or whimper may mean that they are hungry or hot. Over time, you will learn to read your infant’s signals. #thebasics

COMPARE: Provide opportunities for your child to touch and explore things that are the same and different. For example, let your baby shake things that make different sounds, or touch fabrics with different textures. Talk about how they are similar or different. #thebasics

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We Stand Together. smartstartofmeck.org/a-message-from…

How do you maximize love & manage stress when the world around us is chaotic? Teach your toddler to name their feelings. This helps them understand & express emotions. Let them know that all feelings are OK, & that you're there for them when they are happy or upset.

Make sure to subscribe to the official Smart Start of Mecklenburg County monthly email newsletter by June 17. We'll be sending a survey inviting you to share your ideas and help shape the future. Feedback helps us improve, and we'd love to hear from you. smartstartofmeck.org/#newsletter

Research shows that Parent Child Book Reading supports improvement of young children’s language, literacy, brain & cognitive development. It also improves psychosocial well-being of both parents & children. Learn more below. ow.ly/qOJj50A67Gd

Make sure to subscribe to the official Smart Start of Mecklenburg County monthly email newsletter before tomorrow, June 17. We'll be sending a survey inviting you to share your ideas and help shape the future for our little ones in Mecklenburg county. smartstartofmeck.org/#newsletter

If you're not subscribed to our monthly email newsletter, you missed our survey inviting you to share your ideas and help shape the future. Your feedback helps us improve, so we included a link to the survey below in case you missed it. survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07eh4n…

Happy 4th of July! We hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend.

Support local families between July 12-19 and #ShopforGOOD by donating items from MECKPreK’s Student Toolkit Wish List. Learn more & help spread the word! facebook.com/events/9765775…

The next census is just around the corner. Make it count! Your responses are always confidential. Learn more: MeckCounts2020.com

Today's the first day of #ShopforGOOD! Support local families between now and July 19 by donating items from MECKPreK’s Student Toolkit Wish List. Learn more & help spread the word! facebook.com/events/9765775…

We're halfway through #ShopforGOOD week! Support local families between now and July 19 by donating items from MECKPreK’s Student Toolkit Wish List. Learn more & help spread the word! facebook.com/events/9765775…

Tomorrow's the last day of #ShopforGOOD week! Support local families between now and July 19 by donating items from MECKPreK’s Student Toolkit Wish List. Learn more & help spread the word! facebook.com/events/9765775…

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