Coquina’s Little Blessings Preschool - 2 Year Old Overview
Two year olds have much to learn. They need to learn to get along with others and take care of themselves independently. Just as importantly, they need to learn many new skills in thinking and talking, they are learning all the time. They will learn more as we provide them safe ways to explore and help them think and talk about what they are doing. Our quality care means developmentally appropriate care that helps children develop both their minds and bodies in a safe and healthy place.
We teach through hands-on learning experiences every day. Your children will develop socially and emotionally in great strides. The following are some of the areas that will be covered:
Activities for Listening and Talking
This is the time when Twos are learning words very quickly; they need to be given lots of opportunities to use the words they are learning. Talking, listening, questioning and adding to what children say are good ways for your child to use and enhance that skill. We will use books, pictures and activities to help your two year old learn new words and talk about their ideas. We encourage the twos to talk about what they see, do, feel and think.
Activities for Physical Development
Two year olds enjoy physical activity. Daily active play both indoors and outdoors in a safe space is important. While they are using their muscles, twos learn more than physical skills. They are learning about how things relate in space- in or out, up or down, near or far. The activities we plan for Physical Development give two year olds many safe and enjoyable large muscle skills.
Two Year olds also need lots of practice using their fingers and hands, activities that use these small muscles, such as puzzles, pegboards, stringing beads, play dough, scooping, spooning, give Twos a chance to solve simple problems and use their eyes and hands together.
Every new thing they learn to do with their large and small muscles builds their feelings of confidence.
Activities for Creative Development
Art, blocks, dramatic play, and music give two year olds a chance to do interesting things by themselves that show clear results. We provide many creative materials to be used in their own ways every day.
Two year olds start out by scribbling and work towards drawing recognizable things. It takes a lot of practice in scribbling before a child learns to control his hands and focus his ideas well enough to draw. When children are allowed the time and practice to teach themselves to draw, they benefit most.
The other creative activities like music and dramatic play are also important and provide a way to build memory for words and ideas. When Twos play with blocks, they feel differences in shape, size and weight. They also learn about balance. Block play is a good way to learn how to share and to play near others without bothering them.
They also enjoy the messy, active, noisy way the “creative” arts work. They like the fact that they can do things by themselves. These activities help develop the senses, the imagination and the skills to take part in the arts.
Activities for Learning from the World Around Them
The senses- how we hear, see, smell, taste, and feel- are our main ways of experiencing the world throughout our lives. As children grow, they need to learn ways to understand all the information coming in from their senses. They form ideas to help them understand things in the world around them. They also learn the words that go with those ideas.
We focus on nature, the senses, size, shape, colors and numbers. Twos are very curious and want to learn, we provide activities to help Twos use their senses to learn about the world around them. There are activities that give them a chance to play with different shapes. Sizes and colors; and use different numbers of things. These activities will help give them some of what they will need to know to become good thinkers as they have fun playing with real things.
