Toys used during the Family Visit allow Instructors to demonstrate infant development, temperament, neuroscience and attachment. Only the toys in the Family Visit kit are to be used and Roots of Empathy families are requested not to bring toys from home.

The Family Visit provides a rich opportunity to demonstrate the baby’s growing competencies. The toys have been chosen to correspond with specific skills the baby is developing. It is important to remember and articulate for the children that although there are general developmental outlines, each baby is unique in his/her developmental timetable.

There are no “should’s” about a baby’s development, only “not yet’s”. For example, “Dylan is not yet able to take the wrist rattle off even though he wants to” with the inference being that this is not a failure; he’s just not ready yet. This is a reassuring message to children who struggle with school subjects. We will wait for Baby Dylan to be ready and then celebrate his success. Also tell students that, philosophically, there is no one right way to play with a toy. Babies’ unique approaches and individual ways of problem solving are to be respected and marvelled at.