The Basics
Dauphin County
80% of brain growth happens in the first three years of life.
Do The Basics every day to help your child become the amazing person you know they can be!
Help spread the word!
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Maximize Love, Manage Stress
Babies thrive when the world feels loving, safe, and predictable. Caregiving that is affectionate and responsive develops a sense of security and self-control.
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Talk, Sing and Point
Babies learn language from the moment they are born. They learn through loving interactions with their caregivers, not TV or phones. Eye contact, pointing, and real words teach the most about communication.
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Count, Group, and Compare
Children are born wired to learn numbers, patterns, sizes, shapes, and comparisons. What they learn about math in the first few years makes a difference when they get to school.
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Explore Through Movement & Play
Children are born curious about the world. They are like scientists. Pay attention to your infant or toddler's interests. Help them learn through play and exploration.
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Read and Discuss Stories
The more we read with young children, the more prepared they become to enjoy reading and do well in school. Even infants enjoy the shapes and colors in books. Let them hold the book, turn the pages. Point to the pictures and talk about what you see.
Fun. Simple. Powerful.
Latino Connection Foundation has joined the Basics Learning Network (BLN). The BLN is the international community of organizations focused collectively on learning, innovating, and continuously improving methods of spreading The Basics Principles.
Maximize Love, Manage Stress
Key concepts are showing love and responding to children’s signals, the importance of routines, and strategies for coping with stress.
Talk, Sing, and Point
Key concepts are expressing affection, eye contact, the importance of back-and-forth interactions and conversations, and the roles of singing and pointing in the development of communication skills.
Count, Group, and Compare
Key concepts are young children's capacity for learning early math ideas, counting sets, and finding everyday opportunities to engage children in math talk and problem solving.
Explore through Movement and Play
Key concepts are ways babies and toddlers play and explore their surroundings, supporting physical development, and ways to build on children's natural curiosity.
Read and Discuss Stories
Key concepts are how to read with an infant, strategies for making book time interactive, and tips for engaging children in back-and-forth conversations during reading.