ESDM Online
Welcome to ESDM Online, a resource for parents and providers eager to discover ways to help children connect, communicate, and learn. Here, you will find examples, tips, activities, the latest research findings, videos, and much more to support your goals as a parent or provider. Join the community and become part of this mission to create positive learning experiences for children.
- Giving children opportunities to practice their skills through play and everyday activities.
- Creating a welcoming, accessible and nonjudgemental space to hear about and share ideas.
- Helping children feel calm, safe and supported.
Connect, Communicate, and Learn
Find out how to use tips from the ESDM for early social-communication skills important to life-long learning, behavior, and health with your child or with families whom you support in an early childhood learning environment.
This Quick Tip highlights Laurie’s approach to preparing for a coaching session with a 2.5-year-old child and his family. As part of the early intervention and coaching experience, Laurie emphasizes the importance of discovering a session flow and routine that helps both the child and family feel engaged, supported, and successful. After just two prior sessions, she observed early challenges with engagement and regulation, prompting a deeper look at how foundational skills—such as language, communication, following expectations, and managing frustration—can be nurtured through intentional activity planning. Laurie shares how rethinking the structure and sequence of activities can create a more meaningful and responsive routine for everyone involved.
Read monthly research about intervention outcomes for children with or at risk of autism; coaching supports for their families; and/or family-centered, culturally inclusive coaching tools to help early childhood professionals support families. Each monthly article is publicly available for free access.
This month's Latest News evaluated the PEACE Implementation Toolkit, a resource designed to support early intervention (EI) providers in delivering effective caregiver coaching for families of young children with autism. Developed through a community-partnered process, the toolkit responds to a persistent challenge in the field: training alone isn’t enough to ensure consistent, high-quality coaching practices.
What They Found
- While some EI providers improved their coaching fidelity after using the toolkit, not all showed gains.
- Interestingly, all providers had prior training in caregiver coaching, yet most use of coaching strategies fell below the level considered effective or consistent with best practices.
- This variability reflects a broader trend: traditional training models often fail to translate into sustained practice change.
- The PEACE Toolkit was designed specifically to address this gap—by offering structured supports, ongoing feedback, and implementation guidance beyond initial training
- Providers rated the toolkit as acceptable, appropriate, and feasible, suggesting strong potential for real-world use.
- Training is just the starting point: Providers benefit from tools that help them apply what they’ve learned in everyday practice.
- Structured support matters: Implementation resources like PEACE can guide providers through real-world challenges and reinforce coaching fidelity.
- Caregiver collaboration is key: Coaching works best when caregivers are active partners in learning and applying strategies.
- Feedback and reflection drive growth: Systems that offer ongoing feedback help providers refine their approach and better support families.
Caregiver coaching is a cornerstone of effective early intervention, but knowing how to coach isn’t the same as consistently doing it well. The PEACE Toolkit offers a promising solution—helping providers move from theory to practice with the support they need to succeed. By strengthening coaching fidelity, we can improve outcomes for children and empower families in their care journey.
Click the article (to the right) to read more about the findings and its implications for early intervention practice.
Paper plates aren’t just for snack time anymore!
This Play of the Month turns the humble paper plate into a launchpad for creativity, learning, and laughter. From toddlers just discovering how to paint and peel stickers, to preschoolers crafting masks, steering spaceships, or hosting pretend pizza parties—these open-ended activities invite children to explore, imagine, and build new worlds, one circle at a time. No fancy supplies needed—just a stack of plates and a spark of curiosity.
See below for activity ideas and learning goals linked to the ESDM Curriculum Checklist items to help you discover the play level that best suits your child or the children and families you support in early learning environments.
Pay attention to what children like (or seem curious about) and follow their lead as long as you are a part of the action, too. Remember, the most important thing is for children to have fun doing this with you! Fun means engagement and that excites children's brains and bodies for meaningful learning to happen.
Simple play actions that encourage children to explore, use their senses, and move their bodies:
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Paper Plate Painting: Children can paint freely on paper plates using brushes, sponges, or even fingers.
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Sticker Collage: Provide stickers for children to decorate their plates—great for fine motor practice.
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Hole Punch Fun: Use a hole punch around the edges for children to thread yarn or ribbon through.
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Color Sorting: Cut plates into wedges and color each one. Children can place, stick, or match small objects (buttons, pom poms) to the same colored wedge.
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Tearing & Gluing: Children can tear colored paper and glue the pieces onto a plate for a collage.
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Dot Marker Designs: Use bingo daubers or dot markers to decorate plates with patterns.
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Crayon Rubbings: Place textured objects under the plate and rub with crayons to reveal patterns.
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Paper Plate Drums: Tape a plate over a bowl for children to tap with fingers or spoons to explore sound.
Combination play that blends multi-step actions and skills for children to construct and accomplish goals:
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Animal Masks: Cut eye holes and add ears, whiskers, or feathers. Children can decorate and wear them for role-play.
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Paper Plate Shakers: Fill two plates with rice or beans, tape them together, and decorate. Shake to explore rhythm and sound.
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Weather Wheels: Divide a plate into sections to draw and decorate (sun, rain drops, snow, rainbow, falling leaves). Add a paperclip spinner and talk about the weather.
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Emotion Faces: Draw different facial expressions on plates and use them to talk about feelings.
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Counting Caterpillars: Glue pom poms in a line on the plate and number each one—children can count, touch, and even feed the caterpillar pretend leaves.
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Shape Sorters: Cut out different shapes from the plate for children to tape or glue to paper, window, or the fridge.
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Paper Plate Maze: Glue straws or pipe cleaners onto a plate to create a marble maze—tilt and roll to navigate.
Imaginary play that encourages children to make-believe and role-play:
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Clock Play: Draw numbers around the edge and attach paperclips to serve as the movable hands—children can “set” times for pretend events.
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Spaceship Control Panel: Decorate with buttons, dials, and foil—children can “blast off” and narrate their space missions.
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Story Plates: Draw or collage a scene (e.g., jungle, ocean, farm) and use small toys or finger puppets to act out stories
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Steering Wheels: Decorate a plate like a car dashboard—perfect for pretend driving adventures.
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Pizza Parlor: Create paper plate pizzas with felt or paper toppings. Children can “cook” and serve.
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Flying Saucer Craft: Turn plates into UFOs with glitter, paint, and alien stickers—then blast off into space stories.
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Paper Plate Puppets: Glue on yarn for hair, draw faces, and attach a stick. Use them for puppet shows or storytelling.
