Social/Emotional

Toddlers
live in the moment and find wonder in the ordinary.  They seem to be on an emotional roller
coaster.  They move around fast and
insist on doing things their way.
They have whims.  They want
to be in control and so do we!

Toddlers
enjoy doing things independently and are proud of their accomplishments.  Be it washing their hands, tossing the
paper towel in the trash, getting their lunchboxes, pouring drinks of helping a
friend- it’s the “me do it myself” age.

It
is the role of the teacher to observe and discover what is comforting to each
child.  These are very young
children away from their families and home environment.  Toddlers need assistance navigating
through interpersonal relationships, understanding and articulating their
feelings, and using words to convey what is in their minds.  Toddlers will physically demonstrate
what they can’t articulate; they will hit, tug, push and bite.  Toddlers need to be redirected and
taught socially acceptable means of communication.

Play

Play
needs to be the focus of the program.
Play is the way young children make sense of their world.  Play helps children become confident and
secure with real life situations, as well as work through fears and anxieties.  Play with the children.  Give them language to describe what they
are doing, ask open-ended questions, and add to their experiences by finding
props.  Be on the floor with
children.  Ace
silly.  Some age appropriate
play activities include:

·
Dress up

·
Housekeeping,
housecleaning, dusting, washing

·
Blocks (wooden,
foam and cardboard) and manipulatives with props

·
Shoe store, have
lots of shoes to match, fit and sell

·
Dolls, washing
and dressing babies, singing to them

·
Play doctor,
hairdresser

·
Make carton fire
trucks, cars, rockets, boats, etc.

·
Transportation
toys (cars, trucks and vehicles)

·
Make roads and
towns out of sand or blocks

·
Camping in a tent
with flashlights

·
Filling and
dumping buckets with potatoes, balls, scarves, corks, etc.

·
Animals