What Makes a Vroom Tip?
When organizations around the world adapt and use Vroom Tips with the families they serve, we are excited about the potential impact. But even adapted tips must still include all the signature elements of a Vroom Tip.
Key Components of a Vroom Tip
These are the essential elements of all Vroom Tips. We call them the Four Key Components:
- Age Range
- Activity
- Brainy Background
- Call to Action
Key Component 1: Age Range
Vroom Tips must include a suggested age range to help caregivers find appropriate activities for their child. An activity designed to be done with a 6-month-old is likely to be different from one intended for a 5-year-old.
Children develop at different rates, so ages are suggestions and presented as a range. To align with developmental science, one age range may be quite narrow (e.g., a few months), while another might be a few years.
We suggest keeping as close to our suggested age ranges as possible, but if your program uses different age bands, such as the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, that can be accommodated.
Key Component 2: Activity
Vroom Activities are designed for everyday life. They are meant to enhance real, everyday moments that parents already spend with their children, like mealtime and bathtime. Parents or caregivers can easily do Vroom Activities with their children during these everyday interactions.
More specifically, Vroom Activities:
Are safe to do
“Give your child different safe containers they can use to scoop and pour water.”
Build on universal moments (instead of specific ones)
Too specific: “When you’re reading to your child before bed…”
Flexible and universal: “When it’s time for bed…”
Are rooted in one or more of the five Brain Building Basics (remember these?)
Suggest behavior for the adults (instead of prescribing it)
“For example, ask your child to try to sort the cans by size, shape, or color.”
Provide specific examples that give caregivers an “on-ramp,” or an idea to kick off the activity
“Pick two food words, such as banana and apple...”
Should be part of meaningful, fun, everyday moments (instead of instructional)
“Make today a Counting Day! How many things can you count throughout the day with your child?”
Strive to be culturally relevant
“Tell your child about your favorite food.”
In Your Context
Take a look at the two examples below. Can you identify any of the elements of Vroom Activities listed above? How do you think they add to the caregiver’s experience and how would you address them in adaptation?
Key Component 3: Brainy Background
Every activity must be paired with a Brainy Background that highlights the science behind the activity.
The Brainy Background tells parents and caregivers why and how the interaction matters. It provides insight into the science behind the activity with an emphasis on the skills the child can develop. The activity helps parents know what to do, and the Brainy Background shares why it works. Helping parents understand the science behind the activity is the most important part of Vroom.
All Vroom Activities require Brainy Backgrounds.
A Brainy Background must have the following characteristics:
Highlight and celebrate the brain-building that happens within the activity
Focus on big-picture skills, rather than specific academic outcomes
"Thinking about the things objects have in common, like colors, sparks connections in your child’s growing brain." instead of "This will help Anna learn her colors."
Be written in simple terms, without jargon or complex words
E.g., use “back and forth” (simple term) instead of “serve and return” (jargon).
A Brainy Background may also:
Give more guidance on how to do the activity
“It’s OK to use words they may not know yet.”
Reinforce the adult’s role as a brain-builder and encourage more of what they may already be doing well:
“When you do this, you are a brain-builder” OR, “Interactions like these spark new connections in your child’s brain.”
In Your Context
Try to identify each of the above characteristics in the Brainy Backgrounds below:
Key Component 4: Call to Action
The Call to Action (often referred to as the CTA) prompts the caregiver to use the activity in a specific time or place, or it directs them to where they can learn more. It gives the caregiver an easy, actionable way to engage in the content, and it should always be supportive of a caregiver's growth as a brain-builder.
E.g., "To learn more, visit [website]"
-Or-
"Hey, parents! Try this Brain Building Activity while you are waiting in line."
Anatomy of a Tip: The Card Format We Use
Here is an example of how Vroom Tips are presented in some of our Vroom Materials. Notice how these four components work together. Your presentation and design for sharing Vroom Tips may differ.
In addition to the key components, all Vroom Content must be consistent with Vroom Values. Do you remember the Vroom Values from Module 1?
