Infants and Toddler’s Week of Active Play and Learning!

Dear parents,

We hope this blog finds you well! We are excited to share what has been happening in the Infants and Toddlers class over the past two weeks. We hope you enjoy seeing the learning, play, and growth taking place every day.

Easter Egg Activity

This week, one of our friends  brought colorful Easter eggs, and we hid them around our school compound. Then, it was time for a classic festive activity: an Easter egg hunt! The children had so much fun searching for the eggs. They were very excited and happy as they found them one by one. It was a joyful and memorable activity for everyone, and we appreciate the enthusiasm and joy they each brought to this activity.

Large Group

In recent days, our large group time has been going wonderfully. We begin every session by greeting each other. When I say “good morning,” the children happily respond, “good morning, Gelila!”. This has become a joyful routine that helps everyone feel welcomed and ready to start the day. We then sing our Good Morning Song, which the children enjoy very much. After the song, we move into attendance time. Each child sticks their picture on the happy face if they are here. When a friend is absent, the children say “not here” and place their friend’s picture on the sad face. This helps them understand who is present and who is missing.

Next, we count how many friends are here and how many are not here, and then we practice counting numbers from 1 to 15. The children are very engaged, and they already know what comes next. For example, when it’s time for attendance they say, “attendance!”, and when it’s time to count they say, “numbers!”At the end of the large group sessions, we read the book “Say Hello to the Animals”. The children got very excited and called out the animals’ names. They also loved making the animal sounds together. When we finished, the children said, “thank you, Gelila,” and everyone received a high-five to close our large group time with joy and connection.

Gymnastics

Our students have been actively engaged in gymnastics and had a blast doing our most recent activity! We started by preparing the hula hoops, baskets, and balls. After everyone sat down, we introduced the materials and explained what each one is called. Then we modeled how to use them, showing the children how to work with the hula hoop and how to place the ball into the basket. After the demonstration, the children took turns one at a time. They are always eager to try, and they showed great excitement while doing the activities. When they finished their turn, they also learned to share the ball with their friends, which made them very proud and happy. Most of them loved the activity so much that they want to repeat it again!

Literacy and Language

Our recent literacy and language activity has been a hands-on delight! We began by hanging empty water bottles using yarn, and we prepared chopsticks in different colors for the activity. The goal was for each child to place the chopsticks into the water bottle one by one. During the activity, the children held six or seven chopsticks in their left hand, and then used their right hand to carefully pick up one chopstick at a time and place it inside the bottle. They showed wonderful focus and concentration while doing this. As they worked, the children practiced naming colors, counting each chopstick, and even helping their friends when needed. This activity supported their fine-motor skills, color recognition, and language development, all while keeping them very engaged and proud of their work.

Art

In our art session, the children had a wonderful time exploring free painting. We began by giving each child the chance to choose their favorite color and pick a paintbrush they wanted to use. Once they were ready, they started painting freely, creating their own ideas and expressing themselves in different ways. The children were very excited during the activity. They each held the paintbrush confidently, showing great progress in their fine-motor skills. Each child painted something unique, and they were proud of their artwork. It was a joyful and creative moment for everyone.

In the second week of art, we did a hand-stamp activity on a canvas. We prepared different colors of paint, and the children chose their favorite color. Then, they dipped their hands in the paint and stamped them on the canvas. They were very excited to participate! After they finished stamping, we called them one by one to wash their hands.

Science

For our science activity, the children explored cornstarch and water, a fun sensory experience. We began by placing cornstarch in a basin and giving the children time to touch, feel, and explore the dry texture. They enjoyed running their hands through the flour-like cornstarch and were very curious. In the middle of the activity, we slowly added water. The children immediately became excited as the mixture started to change. They began mixing it with their hands and watching how it transformed. Many of them happily asked for “more water!” as they continued exploring the new texture. This activity encouraged hands-on learning, curiosity, and sensory development. The children were fully engaged and explored the materials very well from start to finish.

Math

During our math session, the children worked on matching numbers from 1 to 5. We prepared cartoon cards with numbers on them, and for each number, the children matched the correct numbers. The children took turns one at a time, and they did a great job recognizing the numbers and matching the correct numbers. This activity helped them practice counting, number recognition, and fine-motor skills!

Our schedule for next week:

Monday – Music and movement

Tuesday – Gymnastics

Wednesday – Literacy

Thursday – Science

Friday – Math

Our specials:

Wednesday- Art

Thursday- Library

Friday- Clay

Reminders:

• Every Wednesday is art day, so please send your child with art appropriate clothing.

• Every Thursday is library day, so we will be sending a book that your child picked from our library, which will be returned after a week on library day.

Have a nice weekend!