The Toddlers have been reading “Color Farm” by Lois Elhert during group time. Each day the children review the shapes and colors throughout the book. Today we focused on the color orange because it is the color of the month! The boys and girls found different objects around the room and placed them on the matching mat. Look at what they found!
During group time this month, the Toddlers have been working on a leaf poem. The boys and girls rake, pile, toss, and dance in the leaves. With the season changing, we were able to do this fun activity during our gross-motor outside time! I bet you can’t guess what their favorite part of the song is… Toss the leaves!
Today the toddlers worked on the concept of front/back and forward/backward. We read the story “Freight Train” by Donald Crews. While listening to the story, the boys and girls decided which was the front and back of the train. They did a great job identifying all of the colors of the train cars. After the story, the children made their own train and practiced walking forward and backward. They did a great job using gentle hands and following directions!
Reading to Toddlers lays the foundation for later independent reading. Not only does reading help develop speech skills and build on vocabulary, it also helps with logical thinking and enhanced concentration. Reading with your child is a nurturing experience where you can sit and have quality quiet time with your child. Toddlers are extremely interested in books. They enjoy looking at pictures and turing the pages. Allow time to read to your child everyday and you will be amazed how much they pick up from shape recognition to letter sounds. Check out how much the boys and girls love to look at books at school!
Today the Toddlers had a blast digging in the sandbox outside! Sand play promotes physical development. Large muscle skills develop as children dig, pour, and scoop sand. Eye-hand coordination and small muscle control improve as children manipulate sand play tools such as shovels and buckets. Sand play also promotes social skills such as sharing and working together. Exploring in the sandbox is considered open ended play which allows the child to use their imagination and play in any direction that they might like. Watch as the children build on these developmental skills!
Today the Toddlers worked on the cognitive development skill of matching. Matching is the ability to perceive that two items are identical. It hones in the concept of sameness and differences. During group time we read the book “Animal Babies on the Farm”. The boys and girls did a great job matching the animals based on the sound the animal makes! Next we dug through the sensory tub and tried to find matching mom and baby farm animals. Look around your house and see if your child can find things that match!
The Toddler room has be transformed into a farmer’s paradise. The play house is now a big red barn, there is a farmers market full of fruits and veggies, and tractors galore at the transportation center. The boys and girls have had a field day exploring with farm animals in the sensory tub full of chicken feed!
Today the Toddlers started talking about life on the farm. During group time we read “Color Farm” by Lois Elhart and sang “Old McDonald had a farm”. The boys and girls love chiming in on the animal sounds that they knew! The letter this week is “O” for October and owl. Our thematic vocabulary was incorporated into our art center today. The children made handprint owls using pink and blue paint. We reviewed those colors and practiced hooting like owls as we worked!
The Toddler class was able to spend some time outside today… enjoying the amazing fall weather! The playground is a natural place for physical development as well as for social and emotional development. Young children need challenging playground experiences to develop early self-confidence along with large muscle skills and coordination. The boys and girls are learning to share and take turns… they’re making new friends along the way!
Since we’ve been talking about water, we couldn’t leave out the ocean and all of the creatures that call it home! During group time we read “Mister Seahorse” by Eric Carle. The boys and girls were fascinated by the hidden fish in the pictures. During art center, we reviewed our colors and the boys and girls used their fine motor skills to sponge paint all over the paper. They loved the mess they were making and we loved the product that came out… check out our very own Mr. Seahorse!
Creative Tots has specialized in the private education of both toddlers and preschool age children for over 15 years. We began in the heart of Madeira and now also have a new Mason location. We are specifically designed to focus on early childhood development for children ages 18 months to 5 years.
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