Tips/Tricks from The 3 Squares

Team Up! For Your Toddler’s Health is based on motor development principles and research. Using the DVD on a regular basis helps children establish a foundation of healthy habits at a young age that will provide benefits throughout their lives.

Children love moving and they are filled with creative energy. Movement enhances every aspect of a child’s growth and development, specifically through motor planning and development.

Motor planning is our ability to “think through” or “plan” a new motor task. Sometimes, a lack of motor development or planning can lead to children acting out, performing tasks too quickly, losing focus easily or avoiding activities entirely.

“We have to know how our body parts can move before we can use them effectively,” says Jodie Bertish, licensed occupational therapist, who served as a consultant on the DVD. “We need information from sensory systems in order to regulate and monitor our motor skills.”

It is very important for parents and caregivers to realize how beneficial structure can be for children. The routines in the DVD are strategically sequenced to address specific learning potentials at optimal times. The program concludes with a cool-down that offers children a sense of accomplishment and puts them on a platform for development and continued learning.

Remember, Team Up! For Your Toddler’s Health is designed to engage children and keep the pace moving. If you notice that your child is having problems following the movements in the DVD, seek the care of a professional.

Adding learning benefits to playtime can help parents and caregivers launch children on a lifelong journey of education.