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Heart to Heart: Ideas for Building Strong Ties Between Parents and Young Children
 

The parent-child relationship is dependent on the way the parent understands and reacts to the child’s behavior. This fact sheet provides staff with research-based recommendations for parent-child interactions.

The following fact sheet is provided courtesy of the Research and Training Center on Early Childhood Development.

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Heart to Heart: Ideas for Building Strong Ties Between Parents and Young Children

There are few experiences as enjoyable as happy parent-child interaction. To make this responsive interaction style a natural part of everyday life with your young child, put this three-point approach into practice. You might find it easier to use it if you think in terms of three simple questions. Think of it as the Three-What? Approach. Ask yourself:

  • What is my child doing?
  • What does this behavior tell me?
  • What will I do in response?

More>> [PDF, 164KB]

Heart to Heart: Ideas for Building Strong Ties Between Parents and Young Children. Research and Training Center on Early Childhood Development. ED/OSERS/OSEP. 2004. English. [PDF, 164KB].