Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development

01/13/2026

"Don't talk to strangers" isn't the only advice to help children protect themselves, and it's not even close to the best advice. Here's what it really takes, from the Hanna Perkins Grandmothers.

How young children learn to protect themselves Posted by: The Grandmothers Every day brings new reports of adults in some position of responsibility who take advantage of the trust that children place in them. All of us have to worry about our children’s safety, and it’s easy to wonder what we s...

01/09/2026

Today’s winner for best use of words.

01/08/2026

Babbling isn’t just adorable, it’s your baby’s first “conversation.” 💬 💕
New research shows that when babies babble and caring adults respond, it actually helps shape a baby’s growing brain. Those back-and-forth moments help strengthen the brain connections that support language, learning, and eventually reading, especially during the first year of life.
https://bit.ly/3LDvxbT

Rapid brain growth in a squirrel-size monkey, the marmoset, sets the stage for vocal learning and may explain how people similarly learn to communicate early in life

01/08/2026

A nice way to think about handling your child’s hardest moments.

01/08/2026

With Build Up Michigan – we just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers! 🎉

01/07/2026

Insight and ideas for handling those frustrating bedtime struggles with young children.

How to understand a child's bedtime struggles and address them. The issues may vary by age, but they always seem to involve exhausted parents.

01/06/2026

For every new skill your children learn, you'll go through 4 stages as a parent.

01/05/2026

As a parent, your job isn't to make things easy for your children. It's to help make the hard things bearable.

01/05/2026

The latest episode of Hidden Language of Children podcast discusses therapy for young children - reasons why and the way it works. Find the whole episode on your favorite podcast streaming platform.

A short clip from Ep. 16, about working with parents to provide talk therapy to very young children.

01/04/2026

A fascinating piece of history about early learning and child development. Get the full story in the new episode of the Hidden Language of Children podcast. On Youtube and all major podcast platforms.

Excerpt from episode 17, about two historic movements that came together in Cleveland to create a center of excellence in early child development - leading d...

01/02/2026

It can be hard to have a conversation with your child about difficult topics. If they see you try, they'll know it's OK to talk and ask questions.