Children’s brains grow strong when you help them stretch their learning further. Keep a moment going: ask your child a question that starts with what, when, where, how, or why!


A blue illustration of a mother and child. The mother is asking questions and the child is responding.

Stretch - Brain Building Basic

Stretch

Children’s brains light up when you talk, sing, or make sounds back and forth with them. So chat about your day, food, and what’s around you, or string sounds together for a fun conversation!


A purple illustration of father looks into his baby's eyes. The father and baby are babbling back and forth.

Chat Brain Building Basic

Chat

Children use their eyes to learn. See what catches your child’s eye and talk about it. Or connect eye-to-eye, then smile, chat, hug, or make funny faces!

A red illustration of a mother and child. Both are pointing to a butterfly.

Look - Brain Building Basic

Look

Young children learn best when you follow their lead. Tune into your child’s words, sounds, ideas, and movements! Then respond with your own words and actions.

A yellow illustration of a mother following her daughter's movements.

Follow - Brain Building Basic

Follow

Children learn from taking turns when you play, talk, or explore. After they go, take your turn. Then repeat: they go, you go, they go, you go!  

A green illustration of a father and child throwing a ball back and forth.

Take Turns - Brain Building Basic

Take Turns

Willner Family Professor Psychology and Public Policy, and University Professor, New York University

Dr. Larry Aber

Professor of Cognitive Psychology, NYU Steinhardt

clancy-blair-headshot

The Late Dr. Clancy Blair

Director, Center for Early Childhood Health & Development, NYU Langone

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Dr. Laurie Brotman

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Geoff Canada

Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, University of British Columbia

adele-diamond

Dr. Adele Diamond

President and Founder of the Children’s Defense Fund 

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Marian Wright Edelman

Director, Language Learning Lab, Stanford University

anne-fernald

Dr. Anne Fernald

President, Families & Work Institute & Founder, Mind in the Making

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Ellen Galinsky

Professor of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley

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Dr. Alison Gopnik

Director, Human Developmental Psychobiology Lab, University of Minnesota

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Dr. Megan Gunnar

Director, Infant and Child Laboratory, Temple University

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Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

Professor of Management Practice, University of Louisville

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Dr. Nat Irvin II

Co-Director, Institute of Learning & Brain Science, University of Washington

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Dr. Pat Kuhl

Executive Director, Joan Ganz Cooney Center 

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Dr. Michael H. Levine

Senior Advisor, Buffet Early Childhood Fund

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Dr. Joan Lombardi

Katherine E. Smith Endowed Professor in Child Development, Oregon State University

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Dr. Megan McClelland

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Dr. Andy Meltzoff

Professor of Medical Psychology in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center

Dr. Catherine Monk

Director, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

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Dr. Jack Shonkoff

Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professor at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota 

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Dr. Philip Zelazo

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Life Skills that Promote Executive Function

Diamond, Adele. “Why Improving and Assessing Executive Functions Early in Life Is Critical.” Executive Function in Preschool-Age Children: Integrating Measurement, Neurodevelopment, and Translational Research., pp. 11–43.

Blair, Clancy, et al. “Two Approaches to Estimating the Effect of Parenting on the Development of Executive Function in Early Childhood.” Developmental Psychology, vol. 50, no. 2, 2014, pp. 554–565.

Allan, Nicholas P., et al. “Relations between Inhibitory Control and the Development of Academic Skills in Preschool and Kindergarten: A Meta-Analysis.” Developmental Psychology, vol. 50, no. 10, 2014, pp. 2368–2379.

Best, John R., et al. “Relations between Executive Function and Academic Achievement from Ages 5 to 17 in a Large, Representative National Sample.” Learning and Individual Differences, vol. 21, no. 4, 2011, pp. 327–336.

Back and Forth Interactions

Weisleder, Adriana, and Anne Fernald. “Talking to Children Matters.” Psychological Science, vol. 24, no. 11, Oct. 2013, pp. 2143–2152.

Brooks, Rechele, and Andrew N. Meltzoff. “Connecting the Dots from Infancy to Childhood: A Longitudinal Study Connecting Gaze Following, Language, and Explicit Theory of Mind.” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, vol. 130, 2015, pp. 67–78.

Ramãrez-Esparza, Nairán, et al. “Look Who's Talking NOW! Parentese Speech, Social Context, and Language Development Across Time.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 8, 2017

Positive Adult-Child Relationships

Groh, Ashley M., et al. “Attachment in the Early Life Course: Meta-Analytic Evidence for Its Role in Socioemotional Development.” Child Development Perspectives, vol. 11, no. 1, 2016, pp. 70–76.

Brotman, Laurie Miller, et al. “Effects of ParentCorps in Prekindergarten on Child Mental Health and Academic Performance.” JAMA Pediatrics, vol. 170, no. 12, Jan. 2016, p. 1149.

Bindman, Samantha W., et al. “Do Children's Executive Functions Account for Associations between Early Autonomy-Supportive Parenting and Achievement through High School?” Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 107, no. 3, 2015, pp. 756–770.

Emerging Research

Vroom Guide: Talking About Race with Young Children

Una Guía de Vroom: Hablar de la Raza con los Niños Pequeños

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