AUGUST PLAYBOOK

Theme: Show Them You Care

We love babies! With La Fuerza, we celebrate infants every day.

And we celebrate the hard work and emotion of supporting children’s development. When parents and caregivers respond to their babies’ cues with kindness, follow their lead in exploring their world, and take their emotions seriously, their children have what they need to thrive.

It’s never too early to give our children a great start in life. So, let’s celebrate the powerful influence of responsive caregivers… from day one and every day.  

Let’s lift up all the ways that affection nourishes our children and ultimately helps them succeed in school and life.

Key Messages for Parents:

  • Your child’s story is just beginning. As a caregiver, you are writing the first chapter and setting the foundation and tone for the rest of their lives.

  • Exploring music, sounds of everyday objects and instruments with you is important in developing school readiness and early math. You can help your child become a strong learner by exploring movement together and following their lead to encourage curiosity.

  • Notice what grabs your child’s attention, point to it and give it a name to help to build early language skills while letting them know you care about their interests. This is just one way to build early communication with your baby and toddler.

  • Trying new practices like “serve and return” is a great way to build strong bonds and support future learning development. Your children benefit from patient back and forth interactions with you. Let’s play!

  • It’s never too early to explore books together by pointing and naming what they see, in whatever languages you know. Young children may have a short attention span and that’s okay. And sometimes they want you to repeat the same book multiple times!

  • For Breastfeeding Awareness Month, we are reminded of the miraculous way babies are nourished physically and through connections. Intimate moments of connection with your baby are important for you, too.

  • Caregivers come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Our caregivers might be our grandparents, the nurse, or babysitter. Honoring all the caregivers in your child’s life makes them feel cared for and builds healthy bonds.

How do you show your child that their feelings matter to you?

STEP 1: SHARE THIS STORY

“Show Them You Care” – Momentos de Conexión Video (Moments of Connection), 1 minute

An infant’s brain develops with your voice, smell, and touch.  In this video, Berenice tells us how babies also need to be spoken to, sung to, caressed. Letting them know that how they feel and what they think (even if it’s just moving their legs and arms) are important for you.

How do you show your child that their feelings matter to you?

Suggested Post:

    • An infant’s brain develops with your voice, smell, and touch. Babies communicate with their whole bodies and benefit when you respond to their coos and kicks. How do you show your child that their feelings matter to you? #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas

 

  • El cerebro de los bebés se desarrolla con tu voz, olor y tacto. Los bebés se comunican con todo su cuerpo y se benefician cuando le corresponden sus pataditas y sonidos. ¿Cómo le demuestras a tus bebes que sus sentimientos te importan? #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas

STEP 2: SHARE THESE CONSEJOS

Share these tip cards with parents to get them thinking about how to create loving moments of connection with their children. What advice can they provide?

LA CANCIÓN DE CUNA

THE LULLABY. Children benefit from your calm voice. How do you let your children know that they are safe? Relax, listen and whisper. Sway to the melody, Can you hear my heart? What song should we sing tonight?

How many ways can you sing, “I love you”?

Suggested Post for Breastfeeding Month:

  • Happy National Breastfeeding Month! Children benefit from your calm voice. Use this Consejo to create a lullaby for your baby and use your voice to let them know they are safe. How many ways can you sing I Love You? #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas

  • En este mes se celebró la Semana de la Lactancia. Los niños se benefician de tu voz serena. Utiliza este consejo para crear una canción de cuna para tu bebe y utiliza tu voz para dejarle saber que están sanos y salvos. ¿De cuántas maneras puedes cantar te amo? . #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas

VOLEA Y SAQUEA

SERVE AND RETURN. Patient exchanges with children builds strong bonds and supports all future learning development. . Notice your child’s interest with excitement, give it a name, take turns and allow it to end. Are you interested in the green ball? I like how it rolls! Your turn! You made it bounce!

Suggested post to prompt Serve and Return:

  • Latinx moms are great at validating their child’s point of view. Use this Consejo to build early communication skills. Watch their eyes to see what has their interest. Point and give it a name! What stories are your interactions telling? Learn more about the practice of ‘‘Serve and Return’ from the Center on the Developing Child on our page featuring resources for parents.  #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas #ServeAndReturn

  • Las madres Latinx son increíbles al validar el punto de vista de sus hijos. Utiliza este consejo para construir herramientas de comunicación temprana. Mira sus ojos para ver qué les interesa. ¡Apunta a eso y menciona el nombre! ¿Cómo estas apoyando a tus hijos a encontrar sus palabras? Aprende más sobre la práctica desarrollada por el Centro en el Desarrollo del Niño: “Saca y Volea” en nuestra página de recursos de nuestros aliados para padres. #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas #SacayVolea #ServeandReturn

STEP 3: MOTIVATE TO ACTIVATE THIS READ-ALOUD

Share this storybook read aloud in Spanish. Invite parents to try a new reading strategy with their child. How might they activate these stories?

Salsa Lullaby

Author: Jen Arena
Illustrator: Erika Meza

Who would have thought that bedtime would be a good time to dance Salsa? Salsa Lullaby is a bilingual songbook that invites parents to carry their children in their arms and dance until they fall asleep. This read-aloud encourages singing and movement while reading.

Suggested Post: 

    • Enjoy swaying your child to sleep with, Salsa Lullaby, a bilingual read-aloud by  Jen Arena and Erika Meza.  When you sing to your child, you support their early language development. Who would have thought that bedtime would be a good time to dance Salsa? #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas

 

  • Disfruten dormir a sus hijos con Salsa Lullaby, un cuentacuentos bilingüe escrito por Jen Arena e ilustrado por Erika Meza. Cuando le cantas a tus hijos, apoyas su desarrollo del lenguaje temprano. ¿Quién hubiese dicho que la hora de dormir es un buen momento para bailar salsa? #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas

STEP 4: WATCH OUR TALK SHOW

In this video, Gaby Rivero is joined by our parent leader, Lourdes de la Cruz, to discuss the importance of music in both our culture and to support math thinking in young children.  We see a mother responding to her child’s interests, as he explores instruments and sound patterns.

Música

Juntas en Casa with Gaby Rivero (Together at Home), 5 minutes

Suggested Post: 

    • It’s never too early to introduce math to our children. When they explore instruments., movement and our favorite music with us at home they learn about patterns and culture! Gaby Rivero joined by #FuerzaFamLatinas parent leader Lourdes de la Cruz, tells us all about it in this episode of Juntas en Casa! Subscribe to @fuerzafamlatina YouTube channel for more videos like this, link in their bio! #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas #STEM #MATH

 

  • Nunca es muy temprano para introducir las matemáticas a nuestros hijos. Cuando ellos exploran con instrumentos, movimiento y nuestra música favorita en casa ellos aprenden sobre patrones y cultura!  Gaby Rivero, nuestra anfitriona continúa la conversación con padres como tú sobre aprender juntos en casa. ¡Mira este video sobre cómo hacer la lectura con los niños pequeños divertida para ellos y para ti! Suscríbete al canal de Youtube de @fuerzafamlatina para más videos como este. Enlace en su biografía. #FuerzaFamLatina #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas  #STEM #Matematicas

STEP 5: SUBSCRIBE TO TEXT MESSAGES

Invite caregivers to subscribe to Text Messages promoting early learning at home.

Messages are informed by scholarly research, are crafted in plain language and disseminated by Univisión and Too Small to Fail.

Suggested Post: 

Recibe consejos en español para apoyar el desarrollo de tu hijo enviando la palabra CONSEJOS al 26262.

SUBSCRIBE TO TEXT MESSAGES

STEP 6: SIGN UP AND SHARE WORKSHOPS

Sign Up for a Parent Workshop

Share our free online workshop invitation to Spanish-speaking caregivers in your community of young children. Registered participants receive free books and create digital stories with their children. To find information about future workshops click and share here.

Suggested Post:

  • ¡Aprende cómo tu amor puede brindar soporte al cerebro de tu hijo! Si eres padre de niños de 0 a 7 años y hablas español inscríbete en el taller de @fuerzafamlatina GRATIS. Los días 18, 20, 23, 25 y 27 de agosto en diferentes horarios. Más información en @fuerzafamlatina. #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas #FuerzaFamLatina

Sign Up for a Professional Development Workshop

Share this invitation about online orientation for agencies serving Latinx families of children 0-7 years old. Organizations will learn about La Fuerza de Familias Latinas initiative and how to host a workshop for caregivers in their community. To find information about training events click here.

Suggested Post:

  • Become a facilitator for La Fuerza! This 4-day program is designed for Spanish-speaking staff members of parent-serving agencies. Certified facilitators are able to implement La Fuerza’s family engagement curriculum for Spanish-speaking families of young children. Learn more at @fuerzafamlatina’s website. #LaFuerzadeFamiliasLatinas #FuerzaFamLatina

STEP 7: LEARN MORE

Explore to find more resources in Spanish, from our Partners Too Small to Fail and Univision Materials embed positive parenting messages and research-based tips. Share the telenovela, La Fuerza de Creer 2, access activities, watch videos, and more.

Contact:
Clementine Morel
clementinem@literacypartners.org

Related Resources

July Playbook: Read Everywhere you go!
June Playbook: What it means to be a "real man"?
mother with kids at the playground
May Playbook: Believe in Yourself
April Playbook: Making art benefits your children