We are so excited to start a new semester with your little one. You will notice that we have three new interns this semester. Damena and Kendra will be our morning interns and Autumn is our afternoon intern. I hope you take the time to meet them. They are going to be amazing! The only other changes to this semester is a few new student workers have joined our infant family as well. We are looking forward to a monumental semester.
We have noticed that many of the children have come back to us with some new developmental milestones. So many of them are now mobile and wanting to explore the room by either walking or crawling. This is so fun to observe and we always encourage the movement. Research has shown that children who crawl are more likely to demonstrate problem solving skills and body awareness more aptly than those who do not. So if your little one is not a fan of tummy time- put them on their tummies for short periods of time. It will be important for you to engage with them and make it a positive experience. Have them reach for toys and move their bodies to help them gain awareness and build important core muscles.
As the children continue to grow and meet milestones, their individual schedule also changes. Older children have a tendency to play longer throughout the morning and cut back on the number of naps throughout the day. We are seeing that more of the
children are eating at the same time, especially morning snack. When the children have opportunities to complete tasks as a bigger group, they will observe what other children are doing. We have noticed that young children will often eat more when they have others eating next to them. Have you ever heard of mirror neurons? Infant brains have these
mirror neurons that are usually developed before 12 months of age. This system may help infants understand other people’s actions. This is why a baby will stick out their tongue after it has been demonstrated to them. When infants observe behavior, they often will mimic the behavior. That is why we have children eat together, participate in group time activities and encourage social interactions.
Please know that we are available to you during the day. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you have not turned in your child’s ASQ-3 and ASQ- SE screening tools, please do that as soon as possible.
