Charlie’s Cues: Incorporating Music and Movements

March 16, 2021

Children’s development is highly dependent upon their environment. How much are the children in your care exposed to music, language, movement, or exercising freely? A balanced variety of activities that include songs and movements is sure to increase children’s attention, help them socialize with peers, and prepare them to learn and be more perceptive in future activities throughout the day.

STEAM Series: Exploring E

March 3, 2021

The E in STEAM stands for Engineering. Engineering in STEAM helps little ones learn how and why things work. Simple engineering concepts include learning cause and effect, creating, building, and problem-solving. Create an environment that is rich in a variety of materials. Some possible building materials to incorporate into your setting are wooden blocks in various sizes, cloth blocks, cardboard boxes, paper and plastic cups, bowls and plates, nesting cups, baking sheets, and cardboard tubes from paper towels or wrapping paper. Provide assorted toys such as balls, cars, and animals. When looking for materials to bring out, think about ones that are safe, open-ended, and can be combined with other materials/toys.

STEAM Series: Tackling T

February 18, 2021

The T in STEAM stands for Technology. Many early child care providers and parents feel overwhelmed when they hear the word “technology.” Technology is all around us. However, recommendations for infants and toddlers say they should have no screen time, and preschool-aged children should only have a limited amount of time each day. So, how do we incorporate technology for our little learners? First, think of technology as a tool, especially for young toddlers. The definition of technology itself includes tools and simple machines. Preschool-aged children can have some time exploring computers and devices with supervision. However, it’s important to keep this broad idea of technology as a tool (or tools) in mind when working with toddlers.

Charlie’s Cues: Using Your Math Game

February 17, 2021

Two challenges educators face when offering board games is group size and child interest. Playing board games has many benefits, but depending on children’s skill sets, educators may need to be more hands-on. Begin by making sure each child is interested in being part of the game. It is important to have their attention before giving directions, so they can understand them clearly. If you have a small group, you might want to include yourself as part of the game, take turns with children, and celebrate their attempts so they can understand you are happy to engage and play with them. For large groups, some suggestions are to sort children by age or interest. You may want to begin by playing with the most excited number of children and then try gathering the rest of the group at a different time to play and have a much quieter or individualized experience.

6 Steps to Creating a High-Quality Infant Learning Environment

February 11, 2021

Baby Friends Research tells us that every aspect of early childhood development is impacted by nurturing and caring relationships. These relationships begin during infancy when the adults and caregivers in children’s lives set the stage for learning and growing. Much of our work around caring for infants involves a focus on routines—feeding, changing diapers, and managing sleep schedules. It can be hard to step back and think about learning opportunities and implementing unique approaches for addressing each child’s needs. Sometimes the key to individualizing learning and meeting children where they are is to have a supportive classroom setup.

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