Ms Emily's Class - Toddler 4

Hello from Toddler 4!

We have been having a great time in the classroom learning about Mathematics! One area we have been focusing on is learning our shapes. We placed different pictures of shapes throughout the room. The children loved finding them and discussing what shapes they were. We have also been hard at work with our shape sorters and shape puzzles. Another area of mathematics that we have been focusing on is developing an awareness of patterns in our environment. This can be learning in a simple task of putting away toys in a specific area and understanding that certain toys are grouped together. Another way we can learn patterns is through finger plays and songs. “Where is Thumpkin?” is a great song that provides repetition through fun songs. We have also added blocks and rice to our sensory table and allowed the children to build as well as offering examples of simple patterns. It may go unnoticed, but children are learning these types of skills even at this age, and it is great that we get to support that learning in our classrooms!

As we move into the month of January, we will be turning our focus towards physical development. We will be working on gross motor as well as fine motor skills. Gross motor can be seen through moving and dancing to songs as well as crawling through tunnels and rolling down hills. It is important to get our whole bodies moving to develop these gross motor skills. With fine motor, we will be focusing on using our hands, wrists, and arms through different activities. The most common activity to build these skills involves coloring and drawing with different mediums. We will be using crayons, colored pencils, paint, and pencils in different ways. Children love painting with their hands and exploring with their senses in these ways. Another way we can build these skills is through simple play by building with blocks, playing with puzzles, and exploring different materials in our sensory table. Our sensory table can include water, rice, and flour mixture, etc., to allow time for the children to build their fine motor skills through sensory play. It is fun to get our large muscles moving as well as our small muscles. Children learn best through different types of play, and we love to offer these opportunities in our classroom.

I hope you all enjoyed your time with your families during the holiday season. We are enjoying our time in the classroom, learning new skills through play and exploration. It is always a fun time in our Toddler 4 classroom, and we cannot wait to see what January brings us!

Ms. Emily and Ms. Riley