Curriculum Summary
Your toddler is developing quickly and our thematic based curriculum gives your energetic and curious child the opportunity to explore the wonderful world around them. We understand the importance of discovery, social growth and self-sufficiency. While all of these are important, our biggest goal is to instill a sense of confidence through reinforcement and age appropriate activities.
Each day includes language development, simple math concepts, art, music, and stories. Self- help skills are taught as the children learn how to become more independent in cleaning-up and as we partner with you in potty training. Music and creative movement classes, and an age appropriate Bible story will be presented on a weekly basis. Our teachers act as facilitators and offer valid and exciting experiences that allow each child to learn something new every day.
A LOOK INTO YOUR TODDLER’S DAY
- 6:30-8:30 LARGE MOTOR ACTIVITIES: All Toddlers meet in Gym room to interact with their peers and teachers.
- 8:30-9:00 DISCOVERY: The play space is organized by function. A variety of manipulatives are set out to encourage children to explore and interact with their friends.
- 9:00-9:30 HAND WASHING & SNACK: A healthy snack is provided by NCLC and served to the children as a group. Snack time promotes social interaction as well as introduces healthy eating.
- 9:30-9:45 CIRCLE TIME: Interactive activity where children learn to function in a group setting. Sharing time, songs, finger plays etc.
- 9:45-10:15 ART/SENSORY ACTIVITY: Skills are strengthened through the use of manipulatives, play dough, sensory tub materials and a variety of art activities.
- 10:15-11:00 OUTSIDE TIME (weather permitting) or INDOOR LARGE MOTOR: Children have the opportunity to stretch, flex, and exercise on the various types of age appropriate play equipment that we have to offer.
- 11:00-11:45 CHOICE AREAS / “HANDS-ON ” ACTIVITIES: Classroom areas are open for choice time. Children learn to follow directions and take turns. They are given opportunities to make decisions and encouraged to make good choices. This teacher-guided and child-directed time is designed to help your toddler work in large or small groups and provide a variety of experiences to enhance growth and development in all areas.
- 11:45-12:30 HAND WASHING/LUNCH: A healthy lunch is provided by NCLC and served to the children as a group. Language is also being learned and reinforced during this time.
- 12:30-2:45 NAP TIME
- 2:45-3:00 WAKING UP/HAND WASHING: The room is lightened allowing children to wake up gently.
- 3:00-3:30 SNACK: Provided by NCLC.
- 3:30-4:30 OUTSIDE TIME (weather permitting) or INDOOR LARGE MOTOR
- 4:30-5:15 RELAX WITH QUIET ACTIVITIES
- 5:15-5:30 STORY TIME/PARENTS PICK-UP/SEE YOU TOMORROW!
OLDER TODDLER CURRICULUM
September
- Nursery Rhyme: “Humpty Dumpty”
- Themes: apples; new friends; learning our classroom routine
- Color: red
October
- Nursery Rhyme: “Little Miss Muffet”
- Themes: fall ; pumpkins; night animals
- Color: orange
November
- Nursery Rhyme: “Hickory, Dickory Dock”
- Themes: fall leaves; turkeys; Thanksgiving
- Color: brown
December
- Nursery Rhyme: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”
- Theme: The Christmas Story; The Polar Express
- Color: green
January
- Nursery Rhymes: “Hey Diddle, Diddle”
- Themes: winter; arctic animals; snow & ice; mittens
- Color: white
February
- Nursery Rhyme: “Jack & Jill”
- Themes: hearts; character ed./ learning kindness; healthy teeth
- Color: pink
March
- Nursery Rhyme: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
- Themes: shamrocks; dinosaurs; rainbows
- Color: yellow
April
- Nursery Rhyme: “Little Boy Blue”
- Themes: spring; rain; farm animals; Easter
- Color: blue
May
- Nursery Rhyme: “Row, Row Your Boat”
- Themes: Mother’s Day; flowers; pond life
- Color: purple
June
- Nursery Rhyme: “The Itsy, Bitsy Spider”
- Theme: Father’s Day; the life of bugs
- Color: review all colors
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Children learn at their own pace, though most move through similar developmental stages. Even in groups of children close in age, you will find a lot of variation in children’s capabilities and interests. Our Toddler program supports effective teaching practices and opportunities for discovery and learning through the following skill domains:
EMOTIONAL (SELF AND SOCIAL RELATIONS)
- Solving problems through exploration and play
- Doing things for one’s self
- Refining bathroom skills
- Managing clothing
- Distinguishing self from others
- Expressing initiatives
- Building relationships with other adults
- Building relationships with peers
- Expressing emotions in a proper way
- Showing empathy toward others
- Learning proper manners (use of please, thank you, excuse me, etc.)
GROSS MOTOR
- Locomotion such as: walking, tiptoeing, running, jumping, climbing
- Balancing for a few seconds
- Rolling, bouncing, catching a ball, throwing, catching a beanbag
FINE MOTOR
- Activities such as: stringing beads, play dough, folding paper, manipulating wind-up and screw toys, working inset 5 piece puzzles
LITERACY
- Language:
- Conversation and talking
- Speaking in sentences
- Naming body parts, increasing vocabulary
- Responding to questions
- Repeating sentences, songs
- Telling name, age, gender
- Visual Discrimination:
- Matching colors
- Identifying colors by pointing
- Sorting objects by color, shape and size
- Identifying pictures
- Auditory Discrimination:
- Identifying environmental sounds
- Identifying animal sounds
- Repetition songs and story lines
- Repetition of 3 numbers or words
MATH
- Counting groups of objects up to three
- Spatial relationships such as: up, down, out, in, over, under, far, near
- Size concepts such as: short/long, little/big
- Manipulatives such as large legos, blocks, nesting cups etc.
- Naming shapes
WRITING
- Paper tearing
- Scribble drawing
- Using markers, crayons, paint brush
- Drawing circles and lines
- Forming shapes with playdough/clay