Independence, perseverance, responsibility, and taking interest in a variety of things are some of the lessons we want to teach children from an early age. We can do this through modeling behaviors, reading books, observing images, and last but not least, through experience.
Lillio Learning for Infant & Toddler Classrooms makes this process easier for you by including All About Me Cards in our bimonthly curriculum kits. The All About Me Cards are a series of cards featuring real images that enable children to observe peers performing daily tasks and activities related to our themes. A social-emotional learning tool, the cards focus on tasks children can help with, feelings they experience, wonderful things their bodies can do, and foods they can try.
Benefits of Using the All About Me Cards in Your Setting
The use of real photos helps children understand processes, and familiar imagery helps them identify what is happening on a card and compare it with what happens in their real environment. The All About Me Cards intentionally include diversity, different abilities, and physical characteristics, making it easy to talk about inclusion and equality.
Cues for Including the All About Me Cards in Your Daily Routine
- Create an All About Me Cards learning area. Stick the cards to the wall, and add related props where children can freely practice what they see children featured on the cards doing. Rotate the cards in the area throughout the curriculum year.
- Use the cards to help children acquire new vocabulary. Start by reading the provided description on the card: "I feel healthy." Emphasize the feeling being expressed, and point to details in the image that describe the feeling. Add complexity by introducing new words or expanding on descriptions as children show understanding and develop their expressive language skills.
- Highlight the cards in your family newsletter or in other communication you send home. This will help families learn about the value of developing social-emotional skills in early childhood.