Coaching & Consulting Services for Early Childhood Development Through Play

Using Play as a Developmental Tool for Children

Welcome to Village of Littles, where we believe in the power of play and its positive impact on the parent-child bond. Our coaching & consultation services are designed to help you learn how to effectively utilize toys to work on different areas of development with your little one.

Through personalized sessions, we provide you with the tools, knowledge, and strategies to make the most out of playtime. Whether you’re a new parent or an experienced caregiver seeking fresh insights, we tailor our services to meet your unique needs and challenges

Coaching & Consulting Services for Playtime

Playtime Strategies: Learn how to use specific toys/objects to work on various areas of your child’s development. We’ll guide you on selecting the right toys, designing play environments, and modeling specific strategies depending on the area of your child’s development you’d like to work on.

Parent-Child Bonding: Strengthen the parent-child bond through shared play experiences. We’ll show you how to create a nurturing and supportive environment where your child feels safe to explore, learn, and grow alongside you.

Language Development: Explore how play can become a powerful tool for language development. We’ll show you strategies and techniques to work on your little one’s expressive and/or receptive language skills.

Cognitive Skills Building: We’ll help you understand how play can stimulate your child’s attention span, problem-solving and memory skills, and spatial awareness. We’ll model for you and guide you on how to use specific toys to support your child’s cognitive growth, and what to do to maintain their engagement when they become distracted.

Personalized Guidance: We’ll work closely with you, considering your child’s interests, strengths, and areas of growth. Does your child love trains? Cars? Puzzles? Our philosophy is take to take the child’s lead and use their interests as themes for play sessions. Together, we’ll develop a customized plan for you and your little one!

Benefits of Playtime for Young Children

Little People Farm and Animals

Little People Farm and Barn Animals:

  1. Foster joint attention by sharing your child’s interest
  2. Build on expressive communication by modeling signs, gestures and making animal sounds during play
  3. Work on receptive language by asking your child to put the cow under the blanket for a nap or asking them if the chicken wants to eat some corn or hay.
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Play-Doh

Playdoh:

  1.  Manipulating playdough (rolling, pulling, poking) helps to build finger and hand strength
  2.  valuable joint attention and social skill practice through sharing, discussing, and collaborating
  3. Language immersion – Pair action words with physical actions. When rolling, poking, pulling playdough, repeatedly say, “roll,” “poke,” “pull.”
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Wooden Stacking Blocks

Wooden Stacking Blocks:

1. Improves problem solving skills through the trial-and-error process of building.

2. Enhances fine motor skills by encouraging transferring, grasp and release, and hand-eye coordination.

3. Fosters spatial reasoning and critical thinking by helping them learn how pieces fit together best.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Playtime

When selecting age-appropriate toys for your baby’s playtime, consider their developmental stages and needs. Opt for toys that stimulate their senses, such as soft rattles, textured balls, or touch-and-feel sensory books during the early months.  A tummy-time floor mirror will distract your little one from the physical labor by having their cute little face to explore  As your baby grows, introduce toys that encourage exploration and promote cognitive development such as a rattle that lights up and/or changes color with a gentle tap from your baby’s hand. Consider playtime essentials such as an activity cube, stacking rings, and/or a shape sorter toy to help baby develop their fine motor skills by manipulating the objects, and by building their core and trunk strength as they sit independently to play. 

Parental involvement is key. Model enthusiasm and engagement and encourage joint attention. Engage in hide and seek (with people and objects) to work on object permanence. Utilize  the pound a ball  and/or pop up animal  toy to work on cause and effect. Activities like shape sorting, simple puzzles, and building blocks enhance problem-solving skills and spatial awareness. Utilize pretend play to foster creativity and imagination. 

Imaginative play significantly contributes to your child’s holistic development by fostering cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Through creative role-playing, toddlers enhance problem-solving skills, language acquisition, and emotional intelligence. Encourage imaginative play by helping your little one turn a cardboard box into a playhouse, cooking up a storm in a play kitchen and eating a delicious pretend meal, or giving a favorite baby doll a bottle. Dress up clothes and a pretend cleaning set are also great for sparking your little one’s creativity and imagination.