“…the child, who can now walk and feels confident of his strength, begins to notice the actions of those about him, and tries to do the same things. In this period, he imitates not because someone has told him to do so, but because of a deep inner need which he feels.”
community | 18 months - 3 years
Foundation for independence
Help me do it myself!
Often, we hear this period of development referred to as ‘the terrible twos’. We disagree; we think it’s ‘the terrific twos.’ We love their energy, curiosity, determination, as well as their natural drive to be independent.
We’ve carefully prepared an environment that takes advantage of this natural drive where everything is just the right size for the children to do things on their own. The child sized tools that are just the right fit for their tiny hands allow them to prepare snack and serve it to their friends. The miniature broom and dustpan empower them to clean up on their own. We offer endless opportunities to practice daily life tasks from washing tables to watering plants; from dressing themselves to toilet learning. Children gain the skills that are essential to life along with the confidence and self-esteem that comes from being independent. More importantly, children develop the belief that they are an integral member of the community and that they can choose to make a genuine impact on the world.
Language Development Explosion
Engaging children in everyday tasks gives us so much to talk about! They have a desire to learn new words and practice speaking them. The purpose of our Language area is to help children express themselves and to communicate with others. We offer many creative and intriguing linguistic concepts to expand their growing vocabularies; by participating in conversation, listening to stories, classifying object, learning new nomenclature, practicing songs and poems, they nurture their budding language skills.
By the end of their Community experience, sometime between the ages of 2 ½ and 3, your child’s language skills will develop rapidly; the child will grow more confident in his independence and express a keen interest in broader, more complete concepts. At this point, he is ready to transition to the Primary Classroom for children ages 3-6.