Ms Debra's Class - Toddler 2

Hello T2 Families,

We have had a busy month in T2 as we engaged our senses by exploring our environments. We painted with regular paint, shaving cream paint, and even with ice, allowing us to express ourselves and feel different textures and temperatures.

The weather has been hot, and often too hot to go outside in the afternoons to play; but with the beginning of September, we should be seeing the weather start to cool off, and we will be able to go outside in the afternoons, too. When the weather does turn cooler, we will need to go through their extra clothes and make sure they have clothes that are comfortable for both the hot and cooler days we get in the fall.

The kids have been pointing out the different vehicles that go by the playground; so in September, we will be learning about transportation. We will read books featuring things like tractors and trucks, singing songs about them, and listening to the different sounds they make. You can add to their learning by talking with them and pointing out the different vehicles they see going by when home or on the road, naming them and saying what they do, such as, “There goes a garbage truck - they take away our trash”, or “Did you see the lights flashing and hear the sirens on the firetruck on its way to help someone?” These simple interactions can serve as big learning opportunities as they encourage your child to pay attention to their surroundings using all of their senses, build knowledge and vocabulary of new things, and build knowledge of what different things are used for.

When talking with your child, use hand gestures such as pointing, waving, making twisting motions, or using baby sign language:

“Pointing and other hand signals seem to give babies a head start in learning language skills, possibly by helping them to make connections between words and the objects in the world around them, psychologists found. The research highlights how interacting with toddlers can have a marked impact on their brain development even before they have started talking.” Ian Sample, The Guardian.

https://www.babysignlanguage.com/dictionary/ is a great site to look for signs you can use, from please and thank you, to airplane and zipper.

Ms. Debra & Ms. Lindsey