Tips for Challenging Moments
Vroom
Whether it be picky eating, saying no, or meltdowns, Vroom has created tips to build life skills and strategies for children during challenging moments. This tip sheet includes a mix of Vroom Brain Building Activities™ for children ages 0-5.
Vroom recommends the following 5 brain-building activities below to help your child learn and develop new coping mechanisms.
1. Look
Children use their eyes to learn. See what catches your child’s attention and talk about it. Or connect eye-to-eye, then smile, chat, hug, or make funny faces!
2. Follow
Young children learn best when you follow their lead. Tune into your child’s words, sounds, movements, and ideas! Then respond with your own words and actions.
3. Chat
Children’s brains light up when you talk, sing, or make sounds back and forth with them. Chat about your day, food, and what’s around you, or string sounds together for a fun conversation!
4. Take
Turns 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!
5. Stretch
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!
Some tips that use the brain building actions to help children with challenging moments include:
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Hide and Peek
Is your child afraid of new people? Play Hide and Peek! Hide your face behind a pillow or crouch behind a chair. Now ask your child to find you. Let them move the pillow or find your hiding place. Take turns, laugh, and have fun with this joyful game
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Ready for Potty?
Learning to use the toilet will be easier when your child is ready. Look for clues and follow their lead. Do they talk about using the bathroom? Know when they need to go? Show interest in the potty? Understand wet and dry? Pull their pants on and o‑ on their own? Stay dry for two hours? They may be ready
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Messy Matching
Make clean-up time fun with a finding game. You can look for color, size, or type of object. For example, you and your child can put away all the red things. Let them pick the next color. Find all the things with wheels or the things that are soft. Take turns setting goals until everything is cleaned up
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Yes Places
Your child needs places they can explore without hearing “No.” Give them things they can use to learn safely, like cardboard or wooden spoons. Child-proof spaces or “Yes Places” also let you say “Yes.” When you save your “No’s” for when you really need them, it helps your baby learn what “No” really means.
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Nice to Meet You
Is your child nervous around new people? Try playing pretend with a stuffed animal or a sock as a puppet. Pretend to be the animal and introduce yourself to your child. You can say, “Hi. I’m Bear. What’s your name?” Let the conversation continue back and forth. Remind your child that it is fun to meet new friends.
To access the full Vroom tip sheet, check out Vroom Tips for Challenging Moments.