How do the children in your care respond when you grab a book off the shelf, are they excited or are they uninterested? Sometimes the way you express your interest can mold a child's response. Do you get frustrated that they aren't participating or do you welcome a little bit of active time when you read? Literacy learning and the expectations of children at different stages and ages, as well as developmental levels can impact how you engage with the children in your classroom. Below are some questions and answers that we hope can help you as a childcare professional in regards to literacy learning in the classroom. Question: What if the children that I read to do not like to sit, are there other ways I can share books with them without making them sit? Answer: Absolutely there are a lot of ways to share a book with a young child besides sitting with them. Some children, especially toddlers, do not want to sit. Some books have words that you can sing, or turn into songs (such as 10 Apples Up on Top). Some books are just pictures, and you can look at the photos and you can encourage the child to point at items in the book they can identify “Do you see the dog? What does a dog say? Can you pretend to be a dog?” Question: Is it okay to read to infants or are they too young? Answer: It is never too early to start reading to children, even infants. In fact, newborn babies will benefit from the social interaction of being read and spoken to. For more information you may enjoy the following resources: Question: How do you keep a toddler interested during reading time? Answer: First, consider the way you are reading to them. Are you keeping a monotone voice and not changing your inflection for events, dialogue, or emotion? Next, think about what you're reading. Is it the same book over and over? Is it a book that isn't interesting to many students? Keep your reading material interesting as much as possible! Question: Can you provide some ideas or resources for rhyming books that would be fun to read to my class? Answer: Here are links to some great rhyming books: http://www.pbs.org/parents/adventures-in-learning/2014/08/rhyming-books-kids/ http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2013/02/picture-books-that-rhyme.html Personally, I LOVE Dr. Seuss books for practicing rhyme with children. Here is a link to our resource blog that has Dr. Seuss lesson plans to accompany the books: http://www.lessons4learners.com/dr-seuss.html Question: How often should I change activities in a literacy learning center? Do I need to introduce the new material each time and if so, when should I do that? Answer: Some teachers may change activities to coincide with curriculum or objectives. Others may make changes based on student reactions and acquisition of skills. It really depends upon your program’s goals. As for introducing the centers, that also depends upon your program. For example, a Montessori program would introduce the centers and activities through a demonstration and then allow the children to use the materials to support their learning. Other programs may have a specific way to introduce activities or centers. In your program you may have a different approach and it is perfectly fine. Here are some links that you may find helpful: · http://learningattheprimarypond.com/reading/how-to-start-kindergarten-centers/ · http://kindergartenlifestyle.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-next-step-in-guided-reading.html · http://mspowell.com/otherwebpages/centerintro.html Question: What are some ways to show the parents what their child is learning? Answer: There are many ways that you can show parents the learning that their child is experiencing. You can document the activities and outcomes using tangible finished products, photographic evidence, or written observations. It is completely up to you as to how you want to show the student’s learning but you have many options to do this. Above all, it should be a priority to communicate this learning with families in a way that honors them and respects them. If they often seem rushed during drop off time, this may not be the best time. Pick up time may be an easier time where you can simply say something like “When I was reading to Jackson, he really reacted to rhyming words. We had a lot of fun repeating rhymes today!” This is a quick conversation that shows parents what their child has been doing at school and how they are learning. If the parents asks for more information, please do give it to them! For more information on Early Literacy for Infants and Toddlers, register for our one hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p226/Early_Literacy_for_Infants_and_Toddlers.html For more information on The Literacy Learning Center, register for our two hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p557/The_Literacy_Learning_Center.html For more information on Lets Talk Toddlers, register for our three hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p448/Lets_Talk_Toddlers.html Have information to share? Please use the comments section below...
Art and sensory activities are just a few of the fun ways children can express their artistic and creative abilities. Most children love to participate in arts and crafts, and there are numerous options available to you as a childcare professional to help provide these wonderful opportunities to the children in your care. Below are some helpful questions and answers regarding exploring art in the classroom.
Question: I have limited time available to work with art and sensory activities, what would you recommend when some of the art activities seem very time consuming? Answer: As with most things in education it is important to know your group. We have a fantastic resource website with many lesson plan ideas and directions that you can access at the following links: http://www.lessons4learners.com/young-infants.html http://www.lessons4learners.com/mobile-infants.html You will also see that you can search for lesson plans by theme or topic as well. I would urge you to try to consider art as a mixture of many different types of lessons and not just a standard procedure with a pretty end product. While these activities do have benefits you may be missing out on valuable learning experiences for your group. Consider sensory activities, open-ended art, and material explorations when planning your art lessons. Give parents “out of the box” ideas about tools and materials to use while creating art. New experiences support positive brain development and you can help to foster those activity ideas. Question: Why are toddlers so interested in art activities? Answer: Toddlers love many activities but art seems particularly satisfying because it is a sensory exploration. Toddlers enjoy using their 5 senses in everything that they do and art typically provides multiple means of sensory exploration. Question: In some cultures, using food for art could be seen as wasting food. How would I respond to someone who brings this up? Answer: You bring up a very valid point in cultural differences between teachers and children. It is important to value and understand cultural differences in every interaction that you have. You may prefer to ask questions as a response to the child’s inquiry. Questions such as “what do you think about using this material for art?” or something similar. In addition to this you may offer an alternative material if you notice that it makes yourself or children uncomfortable or confused. Overall, it is crucial to respect all cultures in each and every activity. Do what you can to learn as much as possible about other cultures and respect them in your program planning. Question: How do I manage art activities that seem to take some children longer to work on than others? Answer: If you know that art will take longer than expected you can adjust your activities or timeframe to fit this. This is a simple solution that you can try to implement. Another option, which may be more developmentally appropriate depending upon the age group that you work with is to include process oriented art as part of a center or free choice exploration. Provide the materials, both conventional and nonconventional in the art center area and allow children to explore them in any way they choose. How you organize and transition from centers is completely up to you, but this gives children a more expressive experience with art and doesn’t require that certain tasks be done in a certain time slot. If you do choose to add art as a center, you can still include the more product oriented art activities but maybe prompt adult assistance from an assistant teacher or adult volunteer to keep things running smoothly. Question: How can I provide art activities for infants and toddlers that are not so messy? Answer: You’re right, it is messy but it is absolutely worth it as I’m sure you would agree. My first piece of advice is to embrace the mess. Communicate to parents that art can be messy and they should feel free to send their children in play clothes or something similar. My next suggestion is to utilize volunteers or assistance teachers when doing art activities. Another adult in the vicinity can help to prevent messes and aid in clean up. Last, but not least, I recommend trying art with small groups of children as opposed to the whole group. This will be a more manageable mess to attend to throughout the activity. As with all things when working with infants and toddlers, be sure to exercise caution in your materials. Make sure not to provide items that are hazardous or irritating in any way. For more information on Art and Sensory for Infants and Toddlers, register for our one hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p227/Art_and_Sensory_Experiences_for_Infants_and_Toddlers_.html For more information on Art Integration: Exploring Creativity with Young Children, register for our one hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p235/Art_Integration%3A_Exploring_Creativity_with_Young_Children.html For more information on Making Masterpieces: Art Appreciation for Preschoolers, register for our three hour course: https://www.cdastars.com/store/p449/Making_Masterpieces_Art_Appreciation_for_Preschoolers For more information on Earthworks Art and Nature, register for our two hour course: https://www.cdastars.com/store/p385/Earthworks_Art_and_Nature.html Have information to share? Please use the comments section below... Music is a great tool to help support and strengthen a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Listening to different types of music, using different instruments, and dancing, are just some ways that you can incorporate music into your childcare routine. Below are some common questions and answers regarding music that we hope will help support you and your classroom.
Question: Why is music important for kids to be exposed to? Answer: Music is important because it encompasses many different components that support several domains of development. From social and emotional to physical and cognitive, music is a diverse element of early childhood program planning to help support development on many levels. Question: I have been working with the same techniques for the past 10 years. What are some new or more advanced ways I can add music into my infant and toddler classroom? Answer: It sounds like you have a wealth of experience with music and movement for the children that you work with! One thing that I like to point out to educators of all kinds is that the ideas in the training can just be a vehicle to inspire you to develop more activities for your group! For example, you may already be singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with your group but you may want to put words to dance or even sign language. This may require some research on your part but it is well worth it to bring those activities up a notch. Consider these techniques for the music and movement in your class! Question: Is it ok to have background music playing all day at my in-home childcare center? Answer: Many centers will use music in varying ways from classroom management to recess to nap time. The answer to your question about having music playing in the background all day at an in-home child care center really would depend upon your program and the children that you care for. It is important to consider these things and how music may or may not work with your goals. Some children will have sensory aversions to extra noise in their environment so background music would be a bad choice for these children. Others will find it soothing and will help them to focus. In addition to this, your program may save music for a daily circle time routine or musical time where children have creative options for their musical expression. Consider these types of things as you make your decision about music. Question: What kind of dances can I teach to a preschool age group? Answer: Dance comes in many forms! You can teach simple dances from many cultures, allow children opportunities to make their own dances, or disguise PE activities as dance! The possibilities are endless! Here are some resources about dance that you may find helpful: Question: Only a few children in my class of 1 to 2 ½ year olds participate in music activities. How do I get all of the children interested? Answer: First, I think it is important to consider the developmental level of the children participating. Children from 1 to 2 ½ years of age are busy exploring their environment and are not naturally inclined to sit still in a group, watching a demonstration or listening to a teacher sing or explain musical elements. This is just one of the reasons that dance is so important to include in a music program! Dancing is an active and engaging activity in itself and would work really well for children between 1 to 2 ½ years old. It is important, however, to consider that their version of dance may be more like movement and play and not necessarily coordinated movements in time to music. Here are some links with more information about music and dance activities for children of that age group:
Question: How can I keep children focused when we dance together? Answer: The wonderful thing about dance and movement is that it gives children an opportunity to be free and experimental with their movements and actions. So long as the children are being safe during their dance times it is completely fine for them to choose new and interesting movements or interpretations. If your dance activities ask children to all do the same movement at the same time and in the exact same way you may consider altering the activity so that children can experience the freedom of movement and dance. Here are some resources that you may find helpful: For more information on Music and Movement for Infants and Toddlers, register for our one hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p231/Music_and_Movement_for_Infants_and_Toddlers.html For more information on 123 Dance with Me, register for our two hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p377/123_Dance_with_Me.html Have information to share? Please use the comments section below... Physical and mental activities are essential in a child's growth and development. Yoga offers a positive way to help children gain great focus and control skills through breathing, balancing, and posing in different positions. Below are some questions and answers that may help guide you in adding yoga into your daily or weekly routine.  Question: How do I gather my 2-3 year olds for a yoga session and get them to pay attention? Answer: You have many options for gathering 2 and 3 year olds for yoga. No matter what you choose it is important to choose something developmentally appropriate for your group. 2 and 3 year olds are not built to stand in a perfectly straight regimented line so consider some alternatives. You can play a slow song and have children dance their way to your meeting space. Alternatively, you can use a chime and ring it softly asking children to take one step toward the meeting space with each chime. There are multiple options and it is important to consider safety, appropriateness, purpose, and movement when planning your transition options. Question: Is there an age limit on when children should start doing yoga? Answer: Children can join in yoga as early as you can support them in that endeavor. Toddlers especially love to imitate yoga poses and movement and will likely enjoy the opportunity to participate. Younger children can also join in yoga by doing simple stretches and movement. Obviously, like all things in education and child care, you will want to adapt the activities for different children with different ability levels. Question: How do I help parents accept the idea of integrating yoga into our classroom? Answer: I have seen many programs use different language and intertwine their yoga programming with PE and exercise programs. It is important to communicate your programming with parents honestly and accurately. Often when benefits are explained and yoga isn’t the only exercise option that is used you will find much more support. Try implementing “yoga and movement” or “yoga and stretching” to create a holistic approach to the program needs and design. For more information on Yoga with Children, register for our one hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p261/Yoga_with_Children.html Have information to share? Please use the comments section below...
 Letting children explore their world through block play is an important part of their growth and development. Providing appropriate options for different ages is also very important, as you want to make sure the toys are age appropriate. Below are some questions and answers that may be helpful with setting up block play in your classroom. Question: How do you handle infants that want to share blocks that they have already put into their mouths? I want to encourage them to interact, but don’t want to upset their parents by having them spread germs. Answer: As I’m sure you know, sanitation is an ongoing struggle in the infant/toddler classroom. You will want to be sure that you are following licensing guidelines for sanitizing. However, you will also want to encourage positive social interaction with the children in your care. If parents get upset, reassure them that you are doing your best to prevent the spread of germs while still allowing for normal interaction between children. Question: Can blocks be choking hazards? Answer: As with all things, you should exercise caution in providing new play materials of any kind to children. Be sure to provide materials that are not choking hazards and to always supervise children of all ages when using the provided blocks. Question: Where can I find more information on block play to share with my co-workers? Answer: You can absolutely refer your coworkers to the optional resources that we provided in the training or encourage them to enroll in this course as well. In addition to this, we have a resource website at www.lessons4learners.com that you may wish to share with them. For more information on Block Play for Infants and Toddlers, register for our two hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p380/Block_Play_for_Infants_and_Toddlers.html
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Successful Solutions Training in Child Development
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