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Families

Welcome to the TACSEI Families Community. Here you will find information and select resources that have been compiled specifically with the needs of familes in mind. Just as a community changes and grows over time, so will this page as new interactive elements and resources are created and added.

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Making Life Easier

TACSEI's "Making Life Easier" series is designed specifically for parents and caregivers. This series of tipsheets contains valuable information on how to make often challenging events easier to navigate, and even enjoyable, for both caregivers and children.

  • Making Life Easier: Bedtime and NaptimeMaking Life Easier: Bedtime and Naptime
    Many families find bedtime and naptime to be a challenge for them and their children. Sleep problems can make infants and young children moody, short tempered and unable to engage well in interactions with others. Sleep problems can also impact learning. Parents also need to feel rested in order to be nurturing and responsive to their growing and active young children. This first installment of the Making Life Easier series provides a few proven tips for making bedtimes and naptimes easier for both parents and children. Also includes a handy tip card for quick reference.(November, 2010).
    Trouble downloading? Read this document online    .
  • Making Life Easier: Running ErrandsMaking Life Easier: Running Errands
    Running errands (e.g., going to the store, bank, etc.) is one of those essential household routines that all families experience. It is often thought of as a “maintenance” activity that is necessary for the family, but not enjoyable for young children. While there can be huge benefits in taking your young child along, running errands can be extremely difficult if the child has challenging behavior. Still, there are several steps you can take to help you and your child get the most out of these outings. Also includes a handy tip card for quick reference. (November, 2010).
    Trouble downloading? Read this document online    .
  • Making Life Easier: DiaperingMaking Life Easier: Diapering
    For many families, changing a child’s diaper can be a major battle. This routine is usually not as predictable as other activities, is often unpleasant for adults and not an event that the young child enjoys. While it can be challenging, it is also an opportunity to build a positive, nurturing and responsive relationship with your child. This installment of the Making Life Easier series provides several proven strategies to help make diapering a positive and relationship building experience for you both. Also includes a handy tip card for quick reference. (November, 2010).
    Trouble downloading? Read this document online    .

Resources

  • Positive Solutions for FamiliesPositive Solutions for Families
     This four-page brochure provides parents with eight practical tips they can use when their young children exhibit challenging behavior. Each tip includes a brief explanation and an example to show parents how they might use the specific approach with their own family in everyday life. This product is also available in Spanish.
  • Teaching Your Child to: Identify and Express Emotions Make the Most of Playtime
    Playtime is special. Playing together with your child is not only fun, but a critical time to support your baby or toddler’s healthy development. Making time for play, especially active play, can also help in reducing your child’s challenging behavior. So what can you do to make the most of your child's playtime? To answer this question, check out the many tips and ideas for children of varying ages in this fun and useful six-page resource. (CSEFEL Resource)
  • Teaching Your Child to: Identify and Express Emotions Teaching Your Child to: Identify and Express Emotions
    Young children deal with many of the same emotions adults do. Children get angry, sad, frustrated, nervous, happy, or embarrassed, but they often do not have the words to talk about how they are feeling. Instead, they sometimes act out these emotions in very physical and inappropriate ways. This four-page handout describes specific steps and strategies adults can use to help children express themselves in ways that are appropriate. (CSEFEL Resource)
  • Teaching Your Child to: Cooperate with RequestsTeaching Your Child to: Cooperate with Requests
    Young children can learn to follow adult expectations, including performing simple chores, if the expectations are developmentally appropriate (meaning they match what can be expected for children at that age) and are taught to the child. This four-page handout provides information on what you might expect from your preschooler and some tips for helping your child learn and follow your requests. (CSEFEL Resource)
  • Responding to Your Child's BiteResponding to Your Child's Bite
    Many toddlers and young children bite. Developmentally, most toddlers don’t have enough words to express how they are feeling. They primarily rely on sounds and actions to communicate what they are thinking and feeling. Biting is one of the ways toddlers express their needs, desires, or feelings. This handout provides information on why children bite, what to do and what not to do, and when to seek professional help. (CSEFEL Resource)
  • Teaching Your Child About FeelingsTeaching Your Child About Feelings
    Understanding feelings is an important part of a child’s social emotional development. Babies and toddlers experience feelings just like you do, and know when you are feeling happy or down as well. When you use words to describe emotions, share in their good feelings, and comfort them when they feel sad or overwhelmed, young children are learning important social emotional skills. (CSEFEL Resource)
  • Reading Your Child's Cues from Birth to 2Understanding Your Child's Behavior: Reading Your Child's Cues from Birth to 2
    Babies and toddlers experience and express thoughts and feelings. Often they communicate their strong feelings through behaviors that adults understand right away. Other times, very young children’s behavior can be confusing or even frustrating to the adults who care for them. Being able to stay calm, make a good guess at what the behavior might mean, and then respond helps children understand that they are powerful communicators. Over the long-term, this helps children learn how to connect with others in ways that are healthy and respectful—a skill they’ll use for life. (CSEFEL Resource)
  • Teaching Your Child to Become Independent with Daily RoutinesTeaching Your Child to Become Independent with Daily Routines
    Young children can learn how to do simple daily self-help activities—they just need to be taught what to do. When teaching a child to do self-care skills, you first need to know what you can typically expect of a young child, your child’s skill level, and how to provide clear and simple instructions about how to do a task. In addition, providing children with ample encouragement that is both positive and specific will help promote their success. The information in this handout will help you understand what you can expect from your preschooler and provides tips for helping your child learn how to become more independent with daily routines. (CSEFEL Resource)
  • What Works Brief 15: Using Choice and Preference to Promote Improved BehaviorWhat Works Brief 15: Using Choice and Preference to Promote Improved Behavior
    Offering choices to children involves allowing them to indicate their preference at specific points in time and throughout their day and then giving them access to the items or activities they choose. This Brief explains why it is important to provide children with choices and provides examples of how teachers, parents, and other caregivers can do so to help children improve their behavior. (CSEFEL Resource)
    [Accompanying Handout]
  • What Works Brief 16: Fathers and Father-Figures: Their Important Role in Children’s Social and Emotional DevelopmentWhat Works Brief 16: Fathers and Father-Figures: Their Important Role in Children’s Social and Emotional Development
    There are several ways to conceptualize fathers’ impact on children. This Brief provides one way that emphasizes three areas to consider when thinking about father involvement: engagement and interaction; availability and accessibility; and day-to-day care. (CSEFEL Resource)
    [Accompanying Handout]

Videos

The videos described below are available on DVD and can be ordered through CSEFEL by completing and submitting this order form.

  • Promoting Social Emotional Competence VideoPromoting Social Emotional Competence was designed to provide a foundation for understanding the Teaching Pyramid as a framework for promoting young children’s social and emotional development and preventing and addressing challenging behavior. This 22-minute video is a perfect way to be introduced to and become familiar with the pyramid framework and is available with both English and Spanish open captioning. View this video online at the CSEFEL website.
  • Practical Strategies for Teaching Social Emotional SkillsPractical Strategies for Teaching Social Emotional Skills. This 28-minute video highlights strategies and approaches that early childhood personnel and families can use to systematically target social emotional supports that build young children’s skills in a variety of areas including making friends, problem solving, asking an adult for help, talking about feelings, and managing their emotions. The strategies rely on a 3-stage approach to supporting young children’s social emotional development by (1) introducing and practicing a skill, (2) building fluency and competency with a skill, and (3) ensuring there is maintenance of a skill. The video provides multiple examples of early childhood personnel demonstrating how to introduce a skill using a variety of tools, practice a skill through planned and unscripted activities, and maintain the skill by recognizing children for using the skill on their own. View this video online at the CSEFEL website.

Web Presentations

  • Moving Right Along Planning Transitions to Prevent Challenging Behavior
    This web presentation offers a discussion of why challenging behavior occurs during transitions, strategies for planning and implementing more effective transitions, ideas for using transitions to teach social skills and emotional competencies, and a planning process for working with children who continue to have difficulty during transitions. (May, 2008)

Websites

TACSEI Pages

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