If you’re a dad with kids age 0 to 3, sign up for The Basics. It’s a free program that provides everyday tools to intentionally improve on your kids’ learning potential. Take note of this and other community resources encouraged by HoCo’s Office of Children and Families to keep being the dopest dad that your kid deserves.
What Are “The Basics”?
Do all of the Basics every day to help your child become the amazing person you know they can be! You can’t go wrong with this solid and easy to apply foundation – it’s the basics!
Let’s Do It! How to Implement
The key to being intentional is reminding yourself of the long term goal when you’re in the heat of the moment & your kid won’t stop streaking through the hallways. The Basics has a simple plan, followed up with easy-to-apply advice, and text message reminders twice a week to keep you focused on the ultimate goal & gameplan.
Videos on the 5 Principles
1. Maximize Love, Manage Stress
Staying emotionally present for your child increases their happiness, strengthens their emotional health, and builds self-control skills.
2. Talk, Sing, and Point
Boost your child’s language development and knowledge of the world.
3. Count, Group, and Compare
Help your child make sense of the numbers and categories all around them.
4. Explore through Movement and Play
Encourage curiosity, discovery, and a healthy body.
5. Read and Discuss Stories
Build your child’s knowledge, reasoning, and early literacy skills
Josh’s Journey – my personal take
In the first moments of becoming a father, my wife was struggling with health complications & my baby wasn’t feeding well. I got through it, fuelled purely by instincts and coffee. I quickly learned that helping my family survive is different than my son reaching his potential. I wish I discovered tools earlier like, The Basics, that are great playbooks to use in daily routines to get you from survival to excellence.
If nothing else, sign up for the SMS reminders to keep these simple principles ready in your parenting toolbox. I personally memorized them. Try taking a deep breath and saying them to yourself. When you’re in the thick of it, losing your grip on parenting and at the end of your rope of patience, this is a way to tie a knot and hold on.
