Little Leaps Child Development Activities

SIU School of Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy, Hillsboro Area Hospital and Hillsboro Community Child Development Center are proud to share the Little Leaps program resources. These downloadable PDFs provide age-appropriate, play-based activities using common household items. Each activity is designed to improve the quality of  caregiver/child interaction while connecting that activity with a corresponding brain activation.

These resources were developed for a project to engage parents in "serve and return" practices designed to augment infant and toddler brain development and to inform parents the importance of quality interaction during an integral point in brain development. Learn more about the Little Leaps program at Hillsboro Area Hospital.

Downloadable PDFs:

0 to 6 months

7 to 12 months

13 to 18 months

19 to 24 months

2 to 2.5 years

2.5 to 3 years

3 to 3.5 years

3.5 to 4 years

4 to 4.5 years

4.5 to 5 years

5 to 5.5 years

Special thanks to Hillsboro Area Hospital and Hillsboro Community Child Development Center for making these resources available to the public.