Early Learning Years - 1.8 to 2 years old.

  1. Home
  2. Curriculum
  3. Early Learning Years

Early Learning Years - 1.8 to 2 years old.

Early learning years begin to display a spurt in growth and curiosity. The class is uniquely designed to promote this spirit of inquiry. Mobile toddlers are shifting from feeling secure to exploring their environment and eventually to developing an identity. We understand the natural developmental of children and develop our curriculum according to their needs.

Fine Motor Skills/Art

Children are given plenty of opportunities to play with different textures: water, play dough, fingerprint, shaving cream, and more. They are exposed to art materials such as paint and paintbrushes, crayons and paper, chalk, and clay. Students are introduced to simple and varying levels of shaped puzzles (some with knobs on the pieces) and materials are rotated to provide variety.

Active Physical Play

Children participate in crawling through tunnels, balancing, climbing, playing ball, and more. Carts and wagons are provided, riding toys for children to push, pull and ride. Outdoor play is required on a daily basis with a minimum of 30-45 minutes of physical active play.

Music & Movement

Musical toys, instruments, and genres of music are introduced to children from the very beginning. Children are exposed to various types of music: classical and popular, music characteristic of different cultures, and songs sung in different languages. Students learn to dance, clap to rhythm of songs, or even sing along.

Blocks

Wooden and board blocks, including transportation toys, people, signs, and animals, are important materials to promote a child’s imagination and develop spatial and mathematical relationships.

Dramatic Play

Child-sized play furniture and props represent what children experience in everyday life (household routines, work, transportation). Teachers pretend with children in play (talk to child on toy telephone, talk to baby doll). Pretend play with real and/or pretend objects such as pots and pans, typewriters, or phones. Students are exposed to dolls representing different races/cultures.

Sand and Water Play

Children can explore a variety of activities with sand or water. Each day can be a different focus: water used for washing dolls, observing floating toys, develop hand eye coordination for pouring, or simply having fun playing with moon sand and water!

Nature/Science

Active Physical PlayChildren are exposed to experiences with living plants or animals indoors/outdoors. Daily exploration of the world around us, such growing plants or flowers in the classroom, studying animals, examining the texture of a tree bark, and sorting various types of seashells.