All Tip Sheets

All Tip Sheets are available in English, Spanish, and Polish. Selected Tip Sheets are available in Arabic, French, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. If you are an English speaker looking for a particular Tip Sheet in another language, go to the English page for that Tip Sheet and click on the language you want at the top right corner of the page.

• All
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• R
• S
• T
• U
• W
• Y
• Z

A

Additions to the Family: Help Young Children Prepare

Asthma: Easing the Wheezing

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

Autism: Be Aware of the Signs

B

Building Endurance: Let’s Get Physical!

Bullying Hurts Everyone

C

Children’s Social Competence Checklist

Children’s Votes Count!

Choosing Child Care for Infants & Toddlers

Collaborating with Interpreters and Families

Conference Time! Talking to Your Child’s Teacher or Caregiver

Connecting with Parents: “But He Doesn’t Do That at Home!”

Cooperation in the Preschool Classroom: Class Discussions

Counting Up, Down, and All Around!

CSI: Child Scientist Investigates!

The Curious Child

D

Dealing with Ableism in Early Childhood Settings 

Dealing with Distraction

Dealing with Parental Guilt

Dental Health for Babies and Young Children

Dining Away from Home with Young Children 

Discover Letters and Words

Discover Shapes in Many Places

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Drama and Young Children

E

Ease Those First-Day Blues!

Eating Right = Healthy Children

Encouraging Child-to-Child Conversation

Encouraging Scientific Thinking: Rain or Shine

Encouraging Words

Engaging Every Child

Eyes Right! Find Amblyopia Early

Eyes Right! Your Child’s Vision

F

Feelings Are Fantastic

Fight Germs! Wash Your Hands!

Five Tips on Choosing a Preschool

Food Allergy Awareness

Freedom to Grow

Fun at Home with Preschoolers: Getting Ready to Read!

Fun at Home with Preschoolers: Let’s Measure!

Fun at Home with Preschoolers: Play with Light and Shadow

Fuss Management: Comforting the Irritable Child

Fuss Management: Planning Ahead to Prevent Tantrums

G

Games for All Young Children

Get Growing: From Seeds to Sprouts

Get Growing: Learning about Seeds

Get Growing: Planning a Garden with Young Children

Get Growing: Planters and Preschoolers

Get Ready to Read

Get Them to School Every Day

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Getting Ready to Read and Write in Childcare

Going to Kindergarten?

The Gift of Words: Conversation and Routines

The Gift of Words: Reading and Games

H

Healthy Children Eat Right

Helping Children Develop “Impulse Control”

Helping Children Handle Disappointment

Helping Children Learn to Get Along

Helping Preschoolers Learn in Two Languages

Helping Siblings Get Along

Helping the Often-Angry Child

Helping Your Child Learn in Two Languages

I

Inclusion in Preschool Classrooms

Investigate Together

It Takes Money: Economics for Preschoolers

K

Keep Up the Good Work

Keep Young Children Safe in the Car

Keeping Healthy and Safe: Arriving at School or Childcare

Keeping Healthy and Safe: Face Coverings

Keeping Healthy and Safe: Fighting Germs

Keeping Healthy and Safe: Physical Distancing

Keeping Healthy and Safe: Play Time

Keeping Healthy and Safe: Smaller Group Sizes

Keeping Track of Important Information

Kids Who Care

L

Learning and Fun on Family Field Trips

Learning by Listening to Language

Let’s Talk About … Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Let’s Talk About … Race, Ethnicity, and Young Children

Let’s Talk About … Young Children and Family Structures

Let’s Talk About … Young Children and Religious Diversity

Let’s Talk About … Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families

Let’s Talk About … Young Dual Language Learners and Their Families

Lice Aren’t Nice!

Literacy across the Preschool Curriculum

M

Make Room for Blocks!

Making and Keeping Friends

Making Sense of Numbers

Making the Holidays Memorable and Meaningful

Manners and Preschoolers

Math Sense: Learning about Coins

N

Natural Illinois: Birds

Natural Illinois: Butterflies and Moths

Natural Illinois: Frogs and Toads

Natural Illinois: Insects

Natural Illinois: Leaves Are All Around

Natural Illinois: Mammals

Natural Illinois: Rock On!

Natural Illinois: The Trees You See

Neighborhood Geography with Young Children

No More Diapers: Getting Started

No More Diapers: Is Your Child Ready?

Noticing Signs of Voting in our Community

O

Observing Your Child in Preschool

Old Home, New Home, Our Home

Organized Sports and Young Children

Out and About with Preschoolers: Close Up with Visual Arts

Out and About with Preschoolers: Dancing on the Sidewalk

Out and About with Preschoolers: Literacy Activities

Out and About with Preschoolers: Make Some Music

Out and About with Preschoolers: Science in the “Built Environment”

Out and About with Preschoolers: Sunshine Science

Out and About with Preschoolers: The Places You’ll Go!

Out and About with Preschoolers: Visual Arts for Everyone

Outdoor Field Trips with Preschoolers: Being There!

Outdoor Field Trips with Preschoolers: Deciding Where to Go

Outdoor Field Trips with Preschoolers: Follow Up!

Outdoor Field Trips with Preschoolers: Planning Ahead

Outdoor Field Trips with Preschoolers: Preparing with the Children

Outdoor Play: Weather or Not

P

Partnering with Co-Parenting Families

Path to Math: Beginning Numbers

Path to Math: Classification

Path to Math: Geometric Thinking for Young Children

Path to Math: Measurement with Young Children

Path to Math: More Numbers

Path to Math: More Word Problems for Preschoolers

Path to Math: Real Graphs for Preschoolers

Path to Math: Word Problems for Preschoolers

Pets and Young Children

Physical Fitness for Preschool-Age Children

Physical Fitness for Toddlers

Play and Self-Regulation in Preschool

Play Right—Don’t Bite!

Play With Your Toddler—Indoors

Playground Physics: Hang in There!

Playground Physics: On a Roll!

Playground Physics: Watch for Falling Objects!

Please Don’t Go! Separation Anxiety and Children

Positive Guidance for Young Children: Be Consistent

Positive Guidance for Young Children: Be Thoughtful

Positive Guidance for Young Children: Plan Ahead

Positive Guidance for Young Children: Take a Break and Calm Down

Precoding Activities for Preschoolers

Precoding for Preschoolers 

Predicting: Helping Preschoolers Look Ahead

Preventing Lead Poisoning in Children

Project Approach for Preschoolers

Project Approach: Anticipating What Children Might Learn

Project Approach: Children Taking Surveys

Project Approach: Helping Children Ask Questions

Project Approach: Helping Preschoolers Represent What They Learn

Project Approach: Including Every Child

Project Approach: Phase 1—Choosing a Topic to Investigate

Project Approach: Phase 1—Getting Started

Project Approach: Phase 2—Doing Fieldwork

Project Approach: Phase 2—Getting Ready for Fieldwork

Project Approach: Phase 3—Concluding the Project

Protecting Children from Preventable Disease

The Power of the Pen: Drawing and Scribbling

The Power of the Pen: Let Children Choose Writing Centers!

R

Read and Write Together

Read with Your Toddler!

Real Work: Preschoolers Can Help

Remember When …

Represent and Celebrate Diversity in Your Classroom Library

Returning to Childcare During COVID-19

Rights of Families Experiencing Homelessness

S

Say What You Mean! Talking Straight to Children

Say Yes to Healthy Snacks!

Say Yes to the Mess! Play with Rocks

Say Yes to the Mess! Snow Time

Say Yes to the Mess! Water Works

Sensory-Friendly Events

Sharing Books with Your Baby

Sharing Books with Your Preschooler

Sharing Books with Your Toddler

SIDS: Back to Sleep

Sing, Play, and Hear: Music’s in the Air

Small Child, Big Stress?

Sorting, Classifying, and Organizing

Special Education Assessment for Preschool-Aged Children: Participating in the Assessment

Special Education Assessment for Preschool-Aged Children: Referral and Getting Started

Special Education Assessment for Preschool-Aged Children: Reviewing Results and Next Steps

Starting Kindergarten? Help Make It a Good Experience!

Strategies for Children Lost or Separated from Their Caregivers 

Supporting Adult-Child Relationships

Supporting Children with Limited Verbal Skills

Swim Lessons for Young Children

Swimming for the Ages

T

Take a Bold Approach to Shyness

Talk Together

Talk, Listen, and Learn

Talking to Your Child’s Teacher

Tattling Behavior In Preschool 

Teaching Children to Avoid “Stranger Danger”

Teaching Multilingual Early Learners  

Tearless Transitions

Tech Time for Infants and Toddlers

Tech Time for Young Children

They Said “No” … Now What?

Things Change

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Art Is All Around

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Art Works!

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Curious Young Scientists

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Get Physical

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Language and Literacy

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Learning Activity Kits

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Math

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Math Is Everywhere

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Music and Movement

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Music, Sound, and Movement

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Physical Activities

Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Science

Things We Need: Economics for Preschoolers

Time for Preschoolers: Duration

Time for Preschoolers: In Sequence!

Time to Play, Time to Dream: Unscheduling Your Child

Too Sick to Go to Child Care?

Toys from Throwaways: Boxes

Toys from Throwaways: Let’s Recycle!

Trauma-Informed Care in the Classroom

U

Understanding Trauma and Young Children

Using Predictable Books with Young Children

Using Words to Discipline Children

W

What Is “Reggio Emilia Inspired”?

What Is an IEP?

What Is Assessment?

What Is Developmental Screening?

What Makes a Good Toy?

What’s Next? Predictions at Story Time

When Children Mourn

When Should I Send a Sick Child Home?

When the Teacher Calls…

Where Are We? Maps and Young Children 

Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Who’s the Leader?

Work and Play Together

Y

Young Authors at Work: Literature Response Journals

Young Authors at Work: Story Dictations

Young Children Need to Play!

Young Children’s Mental Health: What Is Essential?

Your Child’s First Day in Preschool

Z

ZZZs, Please! Bedtime for Preschoolers