Activities for Toddler’s Class Room

Start an Activity Using Something from the Classroom

For example, check out the calendar. Is there a birthday coming up? Have students make birthday cards for that student. Have students draw a picture to show their favourite thing to do in the present season (ex. make a pet, fruit). Have them sit together on the carpet and think up sentences using words from their word wall.

Read the Classroom

With students sitting and watching from the carpet, walk around the room and point to words that are on the walls. Have the students read the words, or attempt to read them.

What's Behind Your Back?

Collect a few small objects. Have students sit on the carpet and call up one volunteer at a time. The volunteer will get one of the small objects to put behind his/her back. The other students have to try to guess what is behind their back by asking yes or no questions (ex. is it white? is it soft? is it round). Whoever figures out what the object is gets the next turn to hold an object behind their back.

Actions in a Circle

Students sit in a circle. One person is "the leader" - usually the teacher to start with. The leader starts by repeating an action (ex. clapping, tapping their legs, snapping) and everyone in the circle copies them. The leader can change the action anytime, and the class follows suit.

Make a Mural

If there is free chalk board space, you can have the class make a mural! Or, if there is no chalk board space, you can tape together some white paper or large construction paper of a neutral colour. Have students come up one or two at a time to contribute to the class mural. Give it a theme, such as at the circus or Zoo.

Rupa Chauhan

Parents Active Involvement in Child's Education Development

Child's Educational Development 
 

In most instances, children come to school ready to learn but with different cultural, educational, and environmental experiences to draw from. It is the responsibility of the educational system to meet children where they are and encourage and support their development from that point. To promote learning for all children, educators must provide a school environment that acknowledges children's diverse backgrounds, helps children transition comfortably into to the next instructional level, and provides community supports when necessary. Such provisions support each child's readiness to learn as well as each school's readiness to educate young children. At the same time support from parents plays a vital role too. 

Parent's  Involvement: How Much and Why? 
 

Although parents conscientiously send their children off to school every day and expect them to do well, they can add an important extra ingredient that will boost their children's success. Parent participation is the ingredient that makes the difference. Parents' active involvement with their child's education at home and in school brings great rewards and has can have a significant impact on their children's child's lives. According to research studies, the children of involved parents: 

·         Are absent less frequently.

·         Behave better.

·         Do better academically from pre-school through high school.

·         Go farther in school.

·         Go to better schools.

How do Parent's Actively Involve With the Children's Education; At Home and School 
 

Research also shows that a home environment that encourages learning is even more important than parents' income, education level, or cultural background. By actively participating in their child's education at home and in school, parents send some critical messages to their child; they're demonstrating their interest in his/her activities and reinforcing the idea that school is important.  

Some specific ways for parents to become more involved in their child's education are stated below:

       At Home

ü  Read to your child — reading aloud is the most important activity that parents can do to increase their child's chance of reading success

ü  Discuss the books and stories you read to your child

ü  Help your child organize his/her time

ü  Limit television viewing on school nights

ü  Talk to your child regularly about what's going on in school

ü  Check homework every night

    At School

Meet with  a teacher or other school staff member to determine where, when and how help is needed and where tour interests fit in. volunteer time-parents can: 

                              

Ø  Read with individual children 

Ø  Assist coaches at sporting events

Ø  Help out with arts and crafts workshops

Ø  Speak to classes about your career or special expertise

Conclusion

Parent’s active involvement in their Child’s education development would lead to an all round development of the Child.

Rupa Chauhan

Creativity and Teaching

Advantage of Creative Teaching.

Creative teaching methods help enthusiasm to come to the fore, helping students to achieve the best grades that they can and enjoy the learning process and retain the information for years to come. Right balance between academia and fun is the best way to get facts across to students and to help them in their own quest to find answers.

How to Increase Creativity While Teaching

o   Thinking and behaving imaginatively

o   Imaginative activities take place in a purposeful way, i.e. related to a specific objective

o   The activity generates something original

o   There is value in the activity that is related to the original objective.

o   A creative teacher who encourages pupils to be creative should be able to demonstrate that they:

·         Encourage open-ended questioning and promote and reward imagination and originality

·         Increase their use of role-play, hands-on experimentation, problem solving and collaborative group work

·         Create conditions for adventurous exploration of ideas as well as those for quiet reflection and concentration

·         Use unexpected events where they are appropriate and, where appropriate, put aside what had been planned to go with some new idea without losing sight of the original broad objectives

·         Are willing to stand back and let pupils take the lead.

Planning to Make Teaching More Creative   

Creativity doesn’t just arrive and settle in classrooms and become instantly successful. Teachers have to plan for it to happen. Teachers will have to modify their approach and promote a range of teaching and learning styles that will allow many more pupils to demonstrate their creativity.

Rupa Chauhan

Comparing Children’s : Negative Impacts

There are so many reasons not to compare your child to others. Whether it's to a sibling or the child of a friend, subjecting your child to comparisons damages their self-esteem and makes them feel inadequate. Yet many parents feel it somehow reflects on their child or themselves if their child isn't as 'good' as others. Here are some important reasons not to compare your child to others … 

Self-Esteem 

One of the biggest reason not to compare your child to others is that it hits their self-esteem hard. How would you like to be constantly compared to others? Low self-esteem issues usually have their root in childhood, so don't make your child feel that they're inferior to others. You don't want them getting conceited, but nor do you want them feeling worthless. 

Every Child has Own Interests and Abilities

Each child is an individual, and has their own talents and interests. Why does it matter if one child is musically inclined and another isn't? The non-musical child may be good at sports or loves reading. One thing is not better than another, and neither is one child better than another. Let them develop their own interests and abilities. They should not feel that they have to be more like a sibling or your friend's child.

Resentment Leading to Bitterness

Direct comparisons can make a child feel very resentful. When it's made clear to them that they're not as good as a sibling at something, they not only feel bitter towards you, but also towards the sibling. Do you really want to foster antagonism between your children? No you do not. So avoid comparisons; even if you think they won't find out, someone may tell them.

Comparison: Sticks around and Stings Later 

You may be surprised at how long the memories of comparisons can stay with a child. Long after you've forgotten saying 'why can't you be more like your brother?' your child will remember being made to feel that they weren't good enough for you. The message soon sinks in, even if you didn't mean for them to feel that way; it hangs around for a long time.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

It also risks creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over time your child will absorb the message that they're not good enough, and start to believe it. Why bother trying if they're not going to succeed? And so that's precisely what happens. The child is effectively set up to fail.

Do Things at Their Own Pace: Not a Race

Childhood isn't a race to the top; children develop at their own pace. Yet parents often worry because their child isn't walking at the same age that their friend's child did, or has a much smaller vocabulary. There isn't a set timetable for a child's developments though, so don’t worry about when your child reaches a milestone. They'll do things in their own good time.

Superiority Complex: Big Headed

Conversely, it's also wise not to compare your child too positively to others. Do you want your child to grow up thinking that they are superior? Praise is good, but to some extent. Constantly telling your children that they are so much better than others; you're not doing them any favours; you raise them to be big-headed.

Conclusion

Comparing your child to others is likely to give them a negative image of themselves.

Parenthood isn't a competition, and you don't have to show other parents how much better your child is, or worry that other children are doing better than your own. Gently encourage them to believe in themselves, and help them discover their own abilities.

Have you ever been compared to a sibling, and how did it make you feel?

Rupa Chauhan

Emotional Securities and Sensitivities of Toddlers

Physical Growth

In order to grow physically, toddlers must have food, fresh air light and exercise. This food, fresh air, light and exercise provide toddlers with nourishment and activity required to satisfy the needs of physical growth and development. Along with this physical development, toddler must also develop emotionally. As toddlers reach the age of seven, they will also reach certain levels of emotional maturity. It is hoped that the emotional Maturity attained will be at a desirable level so that they are able to function normally within their own sphere of relationships, whether it is with their peers, their immediate family or other adults.

Emotional Growth

The nutrients or ingredients necessary for emotional growth are not the same as they are for physical growth. However, they are very bit as important as food and drink are to physical growth and development. These nutrients satisfy the needs for emotional security just as food and drink satisfy a physical hunger pain. If toddler are to attain a level of emotional maturity, they must first have certain securities.

Emotional Securities: Love and Acceptance

Toddlers need to know that they are loved. In addition to being loved, there are other ways that toddlers are able to satisfy the need for emotional security. Toddlers have to feel that they are accepted, whether it is acceptance as part of a family, a pre-school group or any activity club. Toddlers must be made to feel that they are liked and accepted for what they are. This kind of acceptance fosters an independence and confidence, which the toddler needs in order to grow emotionally.

Emotional  Sensitivities: Activities and Participation

When working with toddlers it is important to remember that at this particular age they are sensitive to the subtle pressures of acceptance and rejection. In choosing activities in which they will take part, toddlers make their choices for a variety of reasons. Some will choose an activity where they can be with someone they like, others will choose an activity that they enjoy, but, for the most part, toddlers will choose the game or activity in which they have the greatest success. Toddlers like to do the things that they can do best. Love, acceptance and success are strong emotional needs. They are necessary for establishing emotional security in the child and, in turn, emotional security, if necessary, in the attainment of emotional maturity.

 

 Rupa Chauhan

Settling Down a Toddlers:First Few days

Teaching a toddler is a very different ball game from teaching Junior or Senior children because of the amount of energy toddlers have! Knowing how to channel this energy, or when to ‘stir' and when to ‘settle' toddler  will help a teacher to achieve balanced lessons without children becoming over-excited on the one hand or bored on the other.

A teacher must understand all the factors to be taken into consideration when planning for balanced activities in order to achieve all round development of the toddlers. Following issues need emphasis:

1.      Settling down activities should be designed to calm students down and settle them into a routine.

2.      Basic classroom management and routines are essential to establish as a pre-requisite for learning.

3.      Making sure toddlers know what the routine is when they arrive in class e.g. identifying their lockers/desks, keeping the bag and the water bottles in their respective places. Activities such as - Introduction session, story-telling, free hand drawing and colouring help a child to settle well in the class.

4.      Teachers need to be aware that toddlers have a much shorter concentration span than adults and this will affect the number of different activities we need to plan for a single day.

5.      As educators we need to take into account the learning styles of the different children in the class. Different types of activities more suited to visual/ auditory/ kinesthetic /tactile learners should be planned.

Rupa Chauhan

Motivating Toddlers

Intrinsic Motivation: Fun and Discovery

Every classroom consists of a wide array of toddlers, each and every student brings with him/her different student learning styles, different interests, and different life experiences that make each classroom unique and special. The time, energy, enthusiasm and planning that you have invested in the design of your implementation, and the provision and arrangement of resources could all be wasted if you fail to sell the idea effectively to your students. Hence, make sure that what ever you teach your toddlers is relevant and appropriate to cater to their different learning styles. Make the activities worthwhile and each learning session full of enthusiasm, fun and a new learning to discover.

 

Extrinsic Motivation: Gifts and Praise

Toddlers who do not yet have powerful intrinsic motivation to learn can be helped by extrinsic motivators in the form of rewards. Rather than criticizing unwanted behavior or answers, reward correct behavior and answers, small children can be given a balloon, a piece of gum, or a set of crayons. Even at the college level, many professors at various colleges have given books, lunches, certificates, exemptions from final exams, verbal praise, and so on for good performance. Students respond with interest and motivation to teachers who appear to be human and caring.

 

 Being Human and Not an Aloof Authority

Teachers can help produce these feelings by sharing parts of themselves with toddlers, especially little stories of problems and mistakes they made, recently. Such personalizing of the toddler/teacher relationship helps toddlers see teachers as approachable human beings and not as aloof authority figures.

 

Rupa Chauhan