Supporting Parents

Through our work alongside families in their homes and communities, LEAP has recognized a significant need for accessible, practical, and developmentally appropriate parent education. Caregivers are a child’s most consistent communication partners, and everyday interactions provide powerful opportunities to strengthen emerging skills. For this reason, we believe that sharing our knowledge of language, play, cognition, and early childhood development is an essential part of supporting children beyond the therapy setting.

Research on early development supports the use of intentional, responsive interactions and purposeful play experiences to promote learning. The language adults use, the activities children participate in, and even the toys and materials available within their environment can influence the development of communication, problem-solving, attention, social interaction, and executive functioning skills.

LEAP’s parent classes are designed to translate developmental research into practical strategies families can use during everyday routines and play. We introduce parents to carefully selected activities, games, books, and toys while explaining the developmental purpose behind each recommendation. Rather than simply providing a list of “good toys,” we help families understand why certain play experiences are valuable and how to use them intentionally.

For example, puzzles can support visual-spatial reasoning, sustained attention, persistence, problem-solving, and fine-motor coordination. Pretend play provides opportunities to develop language, symbolic thinking, sequencing, cognitive flexibility, creativity, perspective-taking, and early executive functioning. Simple activities such as building with blocks, reading repetitive books, playing turn-taking games, or acting out familiar routines can similarly target multiple developmental skills at once.

Our classes are organized by age and developmental stage so that parents can better understand the skills that typically emerge during early childhood. Families learn what development may look like at a particular age, how their child’s current abilities fit within a broader developmental continuum, and which skills are likely to emerge next.

Our goal is not to turn everyday interactions into therapy sessions. It is to give parents the knowledge and tools to recognize the developmental opportunities already present in play, conversation, routines, and time spent together—allowing them to support their child’s growth with greater confidence, purpose, and understanding.