These child development resources for parents are filled with information about developmental concerns, fun development-boosting activities, and great ideas for promoting developmental skills!
Parenting isn’t always easy – the sleepless nights, the messy house, the noise! And on top of that, at one time or another, most of us have something that we’re worried about related to our child’s development.
Why isn’t he walking yet? Why is she suddenly such a picky eater? And what is up with all the tantrums?
If you’ve ever worried or wondered about your child’s development, we want you to know that you’ve come to the right place. As pediatric therapists, we’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of kids over the years. And here at The Inspired Treehouse, we use that experience to provide information and resources to parents just like you.
Forget the fancy medical lingo, forget the long, boring research articles. Here, we’re all about practical, easy-to-read resources for parents that will help you learn more about your kids’ development and let you know when it might be time to seek out a little extra help.
Here are some of our most popular resources for parents…
Child Development Resources for Parents
Developmental Concerns
15 Tips for Picky Eaters
Do you know kids who are picky eaters? You’ve come to the right place! Here are some of our favorite tips for conquering picky eating!
Toe Walking: What Causes it and How You Can Help Your Child
Toe walking is a common reason for kids to be referred to therapy. Learn more about toe walking causes and treatment.
A Pediatric Physical Therapist Explores W-Sitting
In this position, a child cannot achieve active trunk rotation and cannot shift his weight over each side making it difficult to reach toys that are outside of their immediate reach. Find out more here!
10 Calming Techniques and Transition Strategies for Kids
Here, we’re taking a closer look at calming techniques and transition strategies that can help prevent tantrums in kids.
How to Tell if Your Child Has Weak Core Muscles
These core strength red flags will help you identify when it’s time to start working on core strengthening exercises for kids or when to get help from a therapist to support the development of the core muscles.
Play Dates and Sensory Issues: How to Support Your Child
For kids who have problems with sensory processing, social interactions with other kids can be tough. Find out more about how to support sensory issues during play dates.
Developmental Milestones
The ABCs of Child Development
There are a whole slew of child development terms that you might hear from your pediatrician or from your child’s therapists or teachers. This page is a great one-stop-shop to find all of the definitions you need to understand child development!
Developmental Milestones for Kids
Developmental milestones are the all-important building blocks of childhood. Every child develops differently, but there are general guidelines that pediatricians, therapists, and developmental specialists follow to ensure that your child is progressing with these skills. This is one of the most helpful child development resources for parents!
How to Keep Your Baby Smiling During Tummy Time
Learn more about tummy time and how to make this important developmental experience more fun and comfortable for your little one!
Teaching Developmental Skills
Helping Your Child Learn to Ride a Bike
Children typically learn to ride a bicycle sometime between the ages of 3 and 6. Find out more about our best tips for supporting this skill.
Helping Kids Learn to Climb Stairs Safely
When a child goes to school, they are expected to walk through their environment with their class without holding up the process — that means moving quickly on the stairs too!
10 Days to Conquer Series: Help Your Child Conquer a Developmental Skill, Day by Day
In this series of posts, you’ll find fun and simple 10-day workouts for kids to work up to a skill that they really want to master.
Teaching Kids How to Tie Their Shoes
Want to learn how to teach kids to tie shoes? Check out some of our favorite pediatric OT-approved methods!
Teaching Kids How to Complete Clothing Fasteners
Want to learn how to teach kids to tie shoes? Check out some of our favorite pediatric OT-approved methods!
Learning How to Open Food Packages
Here, you’ll find a few of our favorite ideas for helping kids learn to open food packages! All it takes is some strength, coordination, and a little bit of perseverance!
Teaching Your Child How to Jump Rope
Learning how to jump rope is a HUGE rite of passage on the playground! Find some tips for teaching this skill along with a free printable!
Learning How to Jump
Learning to jump off of the ground is part of typical child development and typically happens right around the age of 3 (for some kids before age 3 and for some a little later). Teach kids how to jump with these quick tips!
Learning to Walk
There are better ways to support little ones as she learns to walk…and we are here to tell you all about them!
Helping Your Child Learn to Swim
If you’re looking for a few basic swimming tips to boost your child’s confidence in the water…this post is for you!
Handwriting for Kids: Hints, Tips, and Strategies
Over the years, we have developed lots of great ideas and strategies related to handwriting for kids. Here are some of our best hints and tips!
Teaching Kids to Use Scissors: Creative Cutting Practice for Kids
One common reason students are referred for a school-based occupational therapy screening is because they have difficulty cutting with scissors. At first glance, this skill seems pretty simple – hold your scissors, snip your paper, and you’re good to go! But there are actually several more complex skill areas involved.
10 Great Balance Activities for Kids
These awesome balance activities for kids are so important for supporting healthy child development.
Fun Activities to Support Development at Home
35 Mess-Free Sensory Play Activities for Kids
Check out these sensory play ideas that will stimulate ALL of the sensory systems without making a mess!
10 Rules Kids Should Break for Healthy Growth and Development
When it comes to kids’ growth and development, sometimes breaking a rule or two doesn’t hurt! Read on to find out why!
Calming Games and Activities for Outings
Whether they’re riding in the car, waiting at the doctor’s office, eating at a restaurant, or on a trip to the grocery store, when kids are out in the community, they’re met with countless challenges and opportunities that can promote every developmental skill you can think of. But sometimes community outings can be overwhelming and frustrating, especially when they involve transitions and waiting!
Hand Strength: 35 Fun Activities for Kids
There are tons of creative and playful activities for kids that can target hand muscle strength. Some of our favorites fall into 3 categories: weight bearing, pushing and pulling, and squeezing!
10 Rough House Activities for Kids
We’re bringing you 10 fun rough and tumble games and activities that are all tried and true regulars at The Inspired Treehouse. Some of them are classics that you may know already, others will probably be new additions to your roughhouse repertoire!
Development-Boosting Bath Time Activities for Kids
Bath time is more than just a good time…it’s also a perfect opportunity for some great bath time sensory activities and motor play!
How Do Animals Say Goodnight?
Kids will get to learn about how animals say goodnight with these fun motor bedtime activities for kids that can be done right in your bed!
10 Board Games to Turn into Handwriting Games
Turn these awesome board games into handwriting games to increase interest and entice reluctant writers!
Core Strengthening Exercises for Kids
This post about Core Strengthening Exercises for Kids is consistently one of our most viewed articles at The Inspired Treehouse.
30 Games and Activities for Self-Regulation
How can you support the development of self-regulation in kids? Check out some of our best activities and ideas here!
Other Resources for Parents
Sensory Processing Resources: Helpful Hints and Information
Sensory processing is one of the most complex aspects of child development and we’re passionate about providing easy-to-understand answers to the most common questions we hear about sensory processing every day.
When Your Sensory Needs Are Different from Your Child’s
Sometimes our sensory needs don’t quite match up with our kids’ needs and preferences – and it can be intense. Learn more about how to navigate this parenting obstacle.
Childhood Development and Perseverance
As they move from rolling to crawling to sitting to standing to walking – kids fall, stumble, bump their heads, trip, tumble, and get right back up again. And they do it a lot! Find out about how perseverance impacts child development and attainment of childhood milestones.
7 Habits of Healthy Kids
Here, we take a closer look at some simple things healthy kids and families have in common. These 7 habits are some of the most important when it comes to supporting healthy development.
Products for Parents
The Developmental Milestone Handbook
Are you a new or expecting parent who is wondering what to expect from your baby’s development in the first few years of life? Are you an early intervention therapist looking for child development resources to share with parents and families? Are you an early childhood teacher or childcare provider who needs quick and easy child development resources and playful developmental activities? If you answered yes to any of these questions, our Developmental Milestone Handbook is the perfect place to start!
Developmental Milestones Printables
This colorful child development resource printable pack includes:
12 pages of colorful, easy-to-read information sheets; developmental milestone information for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers (ages birth to 5 years); emerging skills, everyday play ideas, red flags, recommended toys for each age group; information about developmental skills including: tummy time, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing and walking.
Developmental Milestones Mini Course
Overwhelmed by all of the child development information you find online? At a loss for how to keep kids and babies entertained while giving them exposure to important skills? Are you a therapist who is on the lookout for easy-to-read information to help with carry-over of skills in the classroom or at home? This is the course for you! One of our all-time favorite child development resources for parents!
