Parents and Families
Resources for Caregiving in Conflict, Crisis or Stressful Situations
Caring for children during conflict contexts can be extremely challenging when caregivers face so many competing responsibilities. Warm, positive parenting can help buffer children from psychological harm during conflict and displacement. The United Nations has developed this series of supportive videos, audio recordings and resources (in various languages) that provide caregivers with tips and advice on how they might best support children during any kind of conflict and displacement.
Free Online Course for Parents and Caregivers
Parents, caregivers and other family members are central to a child’s early learning and development. The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) launched a microlearning course aimed at parents and caregivers called Fun with Family Learning. Online and self-paced, this program offers short modules that provide parents and caregivers with support and fun ideas for learning with their children at home. The course is freely accessible until December 31, 2023.
WEBINAR: An Introduction to ‘Welcome Sesame’
Follow along for an introduction to resources designed to support families experiencing displacement or resettlement as a result of crisis. In this webinar, Sesame Workshop’s Shanna Kohn and Tara Wright introduce caregivers and providers to resources designed to support children and families experiencing displacement and/or resettlement after crisis.
7 Tips for Supporting Children in Times of Global Stress
Whether children hear the news directly or feel the impact of heightened strain through other people, they look to the adults around them to help make sense of their feelings and thoughts. With some thoughtful steps, we can support the children we care for, and ourselves, to better manage the impact of the news and avoid being overwhelmed. Here are seven tips and encouragements for adults who are supporting children through this time.
10 Fun Autumn Activities for Families
Developing physical literacy is a year-round journey, so Active for Life has picked some fresh ways to play this season. Here's a list of 10 fun autumn activities that you can use to encourage families to pull on some layers, grab a toque, and enjoy everything the season has to offer.
Newcomer Parent Resource Series: Available in 16 Languages
Refugee parents come to Canada with unique settlement needs, and language barriers that make it challenging to get information to support their parenting, children’s development, and the health and safety of their family here in Canada. We’ve developed a series of 14 parent resources to help - and they’re available in the 16 languages most commonly spoken by refugee families here in Canada!Ahlan Simsim Research Findings
Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee launched Ahlan Simsim in 2018 to address a humanitarian crisis: a generation of children raised amidst conflict, with limited access to early childhood learning and development opportunities. Another goal was to share our research and findings. Now, NYU has released the results of three landmark studies, with some good news for children.
Helping Newcomer Parents Start the School Year Strong
There are lots of multilingual resources on our website for you to share with parents to help start the school year strong! We’ve compiled a list of our favourites.Visit the Centre on the Developing Child Translation Library!
The Harvard Centre on the Developing Child has so many wonderful resources, and many of them have now been translated into 17 languages! Now you can browse the complete translation library of briefs, videos, and infographics, or filter by the language for which you’d like to find translated materials.Movie Sparks Reflections on Immigrant Parenting in Canada
A recently released Netflix movie called ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’ has ignited a flurry of conversations regarding cultural differences between Indian and Canadian parenting styles and their impact on immigrant parents. And sometimes, these cultural variations in parenting styles can put immigrant families at odds with child protection services.