Infants and toddlers are constant motion – touching, smelling, tasting almost everything thing they see! They are learning about the world through their senses and sensory play. Often, infants and toddlers ‘experience their world’ through art materials but we don’t think of them as ‘creating’. Offering infants and toddlers a variety of different materials to [...]
Early childhood educators spend critical time with the children in their care and program. Being intentional and purposeful in the learning activities and experiences should support all areas of development. Although this article was intended for parents of young children, there are good tips for all who interact with young children. Research on early brain [...]
The research is pretty clear and consistent about how brain development impacts children in their early years. The following article excerpt from the University of Maine, Extension office provides information on how the brain develops AND guidelines for the care of young children to promote healthy brain development and school readiness. Children and Brain Development: [...]
When educators talk about ‘approaches to learning’, they are referring to the attitudes, behaviors and learning styles children (and adults) use in social situations, in acquiring information and knowledge, and being flexible and resilient when confronted with change or conflict. Your child’s approach to learning is greatly impacted by their temperament. What is temperament? Temperament [...]
Early learning standards look at what a child should know or be able to do based on common development domains. One of the domains is ‘Approaches to Learning’. When educators talk about ‘approaches to learning’, they are referring to the attitudes, behaviors and learning styles children (and adults) use in social situations, in acquiring information [...]
Stacking blocks…. Eating with a fork and spoon…. Putting on socks…. Brushing teeth or hair.... These are all accomplishments that use fine motor skills and are an important part of your child’s development and school readiness. Fine motor abilities allow for increasing independence by being able to open doors, zip and button clothes, self-toilet and [...]
Rip, Snip, Cut – Heling young children develop scissor skills Yes, preschoolers, and toddlers with close supervision, should be using a scissors! Helping children to become independent means helping them master skills and safety rules for using many different tools. This is a key piece of development for school readiness and success, as well as [...]
Last week we explored the idea of being purposeful and intentional when providing learning opportunities and activities for children. Using best practices in early childhood education and care provides the foundation for being purposeful and intentional. The following practices are important in providing quality early childhood programming and implementing engaging learning activities for children. They [...]
“I loved the project because it was so cute.” “It was a really cute idea.” “It was easy and cute.” To me, these statements are almost as bad as being called a babysitter. Quality purposeful and intentional childcare and education is more than ‘cute’. The providers that care about their children being ready for school [...]
One Hundred and One Recipes for Fun is a great collection of fun and messy recipes that can be integrated into your daily planning and activities. These are not my original ideas; I have compiled these recipes over many years of snipping from magazines, borrowing ideas from fellow caregivers, and searching through resource books and [...]
