Many infants and toddlers are attending childcare. It is important not to think of them as passive learners that just need to eat and sleep during the day.
The first two years of life provide the foundation for later development. Educators and parents need to make optimal use of this period.
To plan activities, Greenman, Stonehouse, and Schweikert (2008) recommend the following:
– Educators need to take into account theories on children’s development as well as the progress of individual children.
– The children’s families and background cultures need to be accounted for in the planning. Children bring different home experiences to the childcare and those experiences need to be used as starting points for planning.
– The plan should help children transition from the earlier activity, include a clear indication on how the children will start engaging with the activity, state the needed material, indicate the expectations upon engagement, and finally specify the transition to the next activity.
– Documentation of children’s learning should start prior to the plan, during the implementation, and after the completion of the activity.
By following clear guidelines, we can ensure that learning is taking place in a positive environment.
To read more, refer to:
Greenman, J., Stonehouse, A., & Schweikert, G. (2008). Prime times: A handbook for excellence in infant and toddler programs (2nd ed.). St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.
Future Global Children 