Partners In Play - DuPage Children's Museum

DCM is OPEN  | Sunday, March 31 | 9–5

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Partners In Play

A young child’s family caregivers are their first, best, and forever teachers. By engaging in purposeful play with young children, caregivers can greatly increase positive learning experiences in this crucial part of childhood, increasing the chances of greater academic success in school as well as supporting the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.

Relationships

Did you know that babies have a biological need for loving care? Relationships are the foundation for children’s social and emotional development. Through daily interactions with their caregivers, infants and toddlers learn not only about themselves but also about the world around them.

Early Interactions

School readiness begins at birth, and our earliest interactions play an important role in a child’s development.

Language & Communication

Learning how to communicate is one of the primary tasks in early childhood. In the first year, children use everything they see and hear to program their brains to learn language.

Exploration & The Power of Play

Play is fundamental to child development. Through play children develop important life skills. When children play, they are testing out ideas, learning and practicing new skills, and building relationships. When children seek to answer their own questions through playful experimentation, they are using critical thinking skills, and they gain a sense of understanding that makes play the most powerful tool for learning.

Scientific Thinking

Every child is born a scientist! Literally everything they do in the first few years of life is their way of gathering information about the world, about the things in the world, and about how these things work. When they drop their spoon on the floor while sitting in their high chair — that’s a science experiment. When they do it a second and third and fourth time, they are testing a hypothesis!

Early Math

Count, Sort, and Compare. Math is not as hard as you think it is; you do it all the time! We start laying the foundation for success in math in infancy. Here are some ways you can support your child to develop early math skills.