Kid In Development Services - KIDS

We offer early intervention services that focus on helping your child and family within your daily life, culture, values, and priorities.

K.I.D.S. believes that the goal of family-centered early intervention is to empower families by:

Assisting them in locating, accessing, and utilizing services and resources within their community.
Providing families with new information and strategies to use in their everyday routines and activities that will support their child's development.

Service coordination to help bring together the different people, information, community resources, and other services that will support your child and family. Others who will work with you and offer support may include a physical therapist, speech pathologist, early childhood teacher, your child’s doctor, or other professionals.

5 Tips for Playing With Your Toddler and Pre-Schooler

Pretend… everything! Are you going to the grocery store later? Play grocery store. It may be the thick of winter, but you can pretend swimming in a pool or on a beach. Even driving around town to run errands can be a rich source of pretend – preschoolers love to be drivers of imaginary cars because it makes them feel powerful and act like the grown-ups in their lives. If you’re having difficulty thinking of pretend scenarios, look no further than your child’s favorite picture books.

In, Out, Up, Down, Under. The “preposition game” is a fun one to play when children start to understand the concepts of “in,” “out,” “up,” “down,” “under,” and “over.” Give them a stuffed animal and a direction: “Put Paddington under the pillow!” or “What happens when Paddington goes in the box? Show me!”

I Spy. Don’t forget the classics! “I spy with my little eye… something blue!” The beauty of this game is that you can play it in situations where you are waiting – in a doctor’s office, at the airport, standing in line at the post office. If you’re home and are less constrained, you can create an “I Spy” poster or display together: cut out pictures from magazines and glue onto a blank page.

Use “True” Toys. Toys with batteries, lights and flashy parts may seem better than an empty Kleenex box and a washcloth, but research shows that the simpler the toy, the richer the play. “True” toys like balls, scarves, simple trucks and dolls are more likely to engage the imagination by allowing children to think beyond what they see and create a new reality – rather than follow the prescribed narrative of a Saturday-morning-TV toy.

Watch, Comment and Ask. More than anything, your attention is what matters the most when you and your child sit down to play together. Watch your child carefully and make comments about what he or she is doing. And then don’t be afraid to ask questions and share suggestions! “I noticed that all of the foods in this bowl are yellow. Do yellow foods taste different from blue ones?”

Parents can also get discouraged comparing the growth and development of their own child against that of other children.

It is important to keep in mind that for each milestone, there is a range of ages during which a child will normally meet it.