Building Relationships

Birth & up. Encourage your children to expand their imagination with these diverse, friendly companions. The Cuddly Playdate Friends promote fine motor skills, social-emotional development, and dramatic play. These friends are a perfect addition to any interactive storytime. Each soft, huggable doll comes with their own little animal friend, a removable two-piece outfit, and shoes. The material is washable and dryable on low heat. For an extra activity have children point out the color of the… More »

18 months & up. From a friendly firefighter to a caring doctor, this set of eight community workers represents many of the occupations children see throughout their community. These figures are easy to grip and perfect for an interactive lesson about careers. Children will delight as they identify familiar faces from their community, some they may know personally. These Community Workers are the perfect way to have a conversation about children's future occupations all while promoting fine motor… More »

18 months & up. This set of familiar workers represents several current occupations that children might observe throughout their community. These brightly colored and easy to grip figures are perfect for an interactive lesson about making career choices. For discussion after the lesson, have children talk about someone they know in one of these roles. With diversity and non-traditional roles being represented throughout this set, children will know they can achieve any career they set out for.… More »

18 - 36 months. What do you want to be when you grow up? Children will pretend to be a race car driver, construction worker, zookeeper, pilot, astronaut, or veterinarian while wearing these detailed dress-up shirts in the dramatic play center. Each of the shirts have printed designs representing each occupation. Hook-and-loop closures allow children to practice dressing and undressing, encouraging independence. Promote an understanding of different careers in the classroom by encouraging dramatic… More »

18 - 36 months. What do you want to be when you grow up? Children will pretend to be a doctor, construction worker, chef, police officer, mail carrier, or firefighter while wearing these detailed dress-up shirts. Each of the shirts have colorful, printed designs representing an occupation children see in their community. Hook-and-loop closures allow children to practice dressing and undressing, encouraging independence. Promote an understanding of different careers in the classroom by encouraging… More »

18 months & up. Set includes a variety of people puppets, from children to adults, found in communities and neighborhoods throughout the country. Surface washable.

12 months & up. Excellent for creative role-play, career, and cultural awareness activities. These 8 puppets have appropriate outfits which illustrate different occupations. Set includes: doctor, chef, fireman, postal worker, construction worker, farmer, veterinarian, and policeman.

Birth & up. Roll or toss these colorful Photo Cubes to children and see if they can recognize their friends and family. These wonderful cubes promote gross motor functions and facial recognition. Simply slip photos of familiar faces into the clear sleeves, and have children identify the people in the photo. For an extra activity, put print outs of shapes, animals, or numbers in the sleeves and have children identify those objects. Each cube holds up to 6 photos that measure 3 1/2" x 5".… More »

Birth & up. Young children will enjoy looking at images of themselves, friends, and family in this soft and durable photo mat. Contain 8 vinyl pockets to insert 8 1/2" x 11" pictures or photos. Surface washable. Mat measures 51"L x 51"W x 1"H.

This set features 12 posters showing children and their friends experiencing a variety of activites. The 11" x 17" images are perfect for children to identify moments they have spent with friends.

18 months - 4 years. Help children build upon their social and emotional growth with this Expressions and Emotions Matching Game. This exciting game helps children develop vocabulary as they identify, describe, and become familiar with emotions. Have children look over each facial expression and call out the emotions they think the person is conveying. For extra fun have children match the pieces before identifying the emotions. This game is great for a small group or individual play. Set contains 64 cards (32 sets).

A teacher interacts with the children all day long. It's how the warm and responsive relationships in which young children learn best are built. But interactions in which teachers intentionally promote learning can be few and far between. A "Powerful Interaction" may last only a few minutes, but in that time the teacher tunes out any distractions, tunes into the child, and then presents a learning experience tailored to that child at that moment. This book with guild you through three… More »

When was the last time you got down on your hands and knees to see your classroom from a child's height? Research shows that effective early childhood classroom design begins from the ground up. Classroom design is a crucial component of an effective learning environment. This book brings a new approach to classroom design that begins and ends with the child's viewpoint. Each chapter details how the classroom environment influences children's learning, and the authors provide specific examples of… More »

2 years & up. This board book series explains how words can hurt someone's feelings, hitting friends is not nice, and biting hurts. Each book has simple words and pictures illustrating ways to cope with frustration, anger, or sadness.

2 years & up. Combine multiple facets of play - color, matching, construction and dramatic play - all in one magnetic construction set. The ball and rod construction along with accessories make up four mix and match figures with different personalities. Encourages fine motor skill development and creative thinking. Figures include police officer, fire fighter, construction worker, and mail carrier. Each measure approximately 7"H X 3"W.

2 years & up. Combine multiple facets of play---color, matching, construction and dramatic play all in one magnetic construction set. The ball and rod construction along with accessories make up four mix and match figures. Figures include astronaut, doctor, farmer, and chef. Each measure approximately 7"H x 3"W.

18 months & up. These six friends ready to go on adventures along with the neighborhood's dog and cat! These figures in brightly colored clothing are great for role-playing activities and developing oral language skills. Encourage dramatic play and fine motor functions with this easy to grip set of neighborhood friends. Use these figures in a lesson about the importance of diversity, friendship, and getting along. Each friend measures 2 3/4" tall and twists at the waist.

2 years & up. Real photos of adorable children in fun poses make up this set of 4 puzzles. Designed for toddlers, the chunky puzzle pieces and images underneath each piece will help increase visual perception and build fine motor skills. Each 3 piece puzzle measures 9" x 12".