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Illinois Early Learning Project

Illinois Early Learning Project

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    • Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Children Birth to Age 3
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Pretend Play

children working on project

Fairy Garden

Learning at Home Activities
chlid playing with box

Drive-In Theater

Learning at Home Activities
group of children playing

Play

Tool Kits
child and mother playing

Play Along: Following Your Child’s Interests at Home

Blogs, Learning and Growing Together
Creativity, Inventiveness, and Imagination

Creativity, Inventiveness, and Imagination

Early Learning Moments
chlid playing with box

Box Fort

Learning at Home Activities
drawing of adult and two children

Bedroom Planetarium!

Learning at Home Activities
little girl with teddy bear and blanket

Bathtub Animals

Learning at Home Activities
child with broom and dust pan

Copycat!

Learning at Home Activities
child in playhouse

Puppet Show

Learning at Home Activities
child with magnifying glass

Go on a Safari!

Learning at Home Activities
mom and toddler at the beach

Go to the Beach! From Home…

Learning at Home Activities
little girl with teddy bear and blanket

Build a Fort!

Learning at Home Activities
adult helping child write

Forky Family!

Learning at Home Activities
children working on project

Fun with Sticks!

Learning at Home Activities
child carrying blue tub

The Blue Bowl

Benchmark Videos
The Pizza Project: A Delicious Learning Opportunity

The Pizza Project: A Delicious Learning Opportunity

Project Approach, Project Examples
Imagination and Fantasy in Early Childhood

Imagination and Fantasy in Early Childhood

Resource Lists
Pretend Play with Big Boxes

Pretend Play with Big Boxes

Parenting Videos
Going Camping

Going Camping

Parenting Videos
The Doggie and the Shark

The Doggie and the Shark

Parenting Videos
Tattoos and Teakettles: “Housekeeping” Conversations

Tattoos and Teakettles: “Housekeeping” Conversations

Benchmark Videos
Explaining Cradle Construction

Explaining Cradle Construction

Benchmark Videos
Super Story Time

Super Story Time

Blogs, Learning and Growing Together
Cherishing Children’s Treasures Can Create Many Opportunities to Learn

Cherishing Children’s Treasures Can Create Many Opportunities to Learn

Blogs, Learning and Growing Together
Playing with Sticks: A Childhood Tradition

Playing with Sticks: A Childhood Tradition

Blogs, Learning and Growing Together
children with puppets

What Puppets Can Mean to Children, Part 2

Blogs, Learning and Growing Together
What Puppets Can Mean to Children

What Puppets Can Mean to Children

Blogs, Learning and Growing Together

Read more

About IEL

The Illinois Early Learning Project Web site is a source of evidence-based, reliable information on early care and education for parents, caregivers, and teachers of young children in Illinois.

Funded by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

View IEL staff information.

Contact IEL online or call (877) 275-3227.We will do our best to reply to inquiries within one week.

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