Session 1 –Welcome to the Wonderful ONEs®
Key Concepts
- ONEs view their world with wonder and curiosity.
- ONEs are positively motivated to get their needs met; parents can help them learn positive ways to do that.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- Understand the underlying themes of the Wonderful ONEs series.
- Experience a friendly and safe environment where they can feel comfortable sharing their experiences and learning about parenting.
- Agree on group guidelines.
- Understand that they are learning along with their children. Parents can use this series to explore new ideas and grow as parents.
- See themselves as friendly guides who help their children sort out what “works” in the larger world and within the family.
Session 2 – Little Explorers on the Move!
Key Concept
- The “child-friendly home” is a safe physical environment in which children are guided by helpful, caring grown-ups.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- View their families as continuously learning, growing, and changing.
- Be aware of how their lives have changed now that their ONEs are mobile.
- Be aware of how their personal styles affect their parental expectations and needs.
- Understand large and small motor development for ONEs.
- Know how to create a “child-friendly home.”
- Appreciate how shared play is fun and strengthens the relationship between parent and child.
Session 3 – Connecting with Others Through Language
Key Concept
- Language opens for ONEs an expanding world of thinking, actions, and relationships.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- Appreciate reading and joint play activities as excellent ways to connect with ONEs and to promote their communication and language development.
- Understand normal language development in ONEs.
- Learn effective communication tools to use with ONEs.
Session 4 – Creating Family Patterns That Work
Key Concepts
- Setting up routines helps both parents and ONEs know what to expect, which develops security and self-confidence.
- Parents’ roles as teachers and guides are expanding as their children grow.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- Learn the benefits of including routines in daily life.
- Learn more about helping ONEs “sort” distinctions.
- Explore discipline practices in their families of origin and think about how these influence their own parenting.
- Understand that discipline is about teaching, not punishment.
Session 5 – Positive Discipline for Curious ONEs
Key Concept
- Parents understand how to guide their ONEs more effectively when they look at the world through their child’s eyes.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- More fully understand the Learning Questions.
- Understand that working with ONEs and what they like to do makes discipline easier.
- Learn strategies that are effective with ONEs: Distraction/Attraction and setting up for success through language and action.
- Recognize the importance of encouraging positive behavior.
Session 6 – Your Child’s Emotional Development
Key Concept
- Parents can use emotional moments to help their ONEs to learn about feelings and to build closer relationships with them.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- Explore ideas for encouraging healthy emotional development.
- Have a deeper understanding and appreciation for their child as an individual.
- Become more aware of their own emotional responses to situations.
- Understand upsets from their child’s point of view.
- Learn how to handle upsets more effectively.
Session 7 – ONEs’ Social Journey
Key Concepts
- It is normal for ONEs to be self-oriented, independent, and want parents available.
- Parents can help ONEs meet their need for connectedness through development of healthy social skills.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- Learn that liking people is different from having social skills.
- Understand that even a ONE who enjoys others’ company will typically have a hard time “sharing” and taking turns.
- Gain ideas to help their ONEs begin to develop healthy social skills and an understanding of others’ needs so that they can make satisfying connections.
Session 8 – Nurture Yourself So You Can Nurture Your ONE
Key Concepts
- When parents take care of themselves, they have more to give to their ONEs and are good models as well.
- Children “nurture us back” in many ways – we experience fun, joy, wonder, and connectedness with them.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- Explore their feelings and values related to self-care.
- Recognize the importance of identifying their wants and needs.
- Think about how they’ve structured their lives and about how they might reorganize this structure to allow their needs to be satisfied.
- Consider what types of self-care activities they can incorporate into their lives and make a commitment to doing at least one the next week.
Session 9 – The Development of Your ONE’s Beautiful Mind
Key Concepts
- Parents can easily include rich experiences for their ONEs’ cognitive development through everyday activities.
- Children are “born to learn,” and ONEs are eager and curious learners.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- Gain some information about how ONEs’ brains develop during their second year.
- Understand why ONEs need direct experiences as “learning material.”
- Appreciate their child’s individual learning style.
- Understand the importance of everyday play activities in development.
- Learn some everyday family activities that can encourage ONEs’ cognitive development.
Session 10 – Celebrating Our Accomplishments
Key Concepts
- Principles learned in the Wonderful ONEs series will help parents encourage their ONEs’ healthy development.
- Developing a positive and effective parenting style is an ongoing process!
- In a Learning Family, parents and children grow and change as they learn new things and begin putting them into practice.
- Parents in Wonderful ONEs groups learn from and support each other through exploring new ideas and sharing experiences.
Goals – By the end of this session parents will:
- Recognize the progress they have made, the skills they have learned, and the goals they have met throughout the series.
- Make future plans, both for their families and for the group.
- Celebrate the completion of the Wonderful ONEs program.