The Toddler 1 classroom is in full swing this month. The interns have begun the lead teaching component to their practicum experience. Each week the interns plan fun, engaging, and educational activities. Please be sure to check out the art work documentation in the hallway as well as their daily reflections to see all of the fun we are having in our classroom.
Socially and emotionally, toddlers are learning to develop a sense of self-identity. They are still trying to figure out who they are and how they fit in with their family and community around them. Even though we will not expect them to share, use manners, have empathy, or to give to others we model these concepts in the classroom. We model behavior we want the children to use in conversation, through reading books and singing songs. When the children demonstrate behaviors such as being gentle, having patience, showing empathy, or being a good friend we make sure to point it out through verbalizing what we see happening. As a result, we have seen more of these behaviors in the children recently.
The interns changed our dramatic play area to a grocery store. This area continues to be very popular. The children select food to purchase by placing the items in the shopping carts. There is play paper money as well as cash registers with buttons and levers for the children to explore. There are a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and carbohydrates on the shelf for the children to purchase. We are using the interest in food to talk about healthy choices when eating. Not only are they learning about the foods that are good for their bodies, they are learning new words and expanding their vocabulary by identifying the food items.
We look forward to more opportunities to learn and grow in Toddler 1.
