Toddler Learning And What You Should Expect To See Prior To The Kindergarten Environment
What should you expect to see in a toddler learning environment? Your child is still a few years away from the kindergarten transition. But this doesn't mean that you should wait to enroll them in pre-school. If you're not sure what a high-quality toddler early learning environment should include, take a look at what you should see during a school or classroom tour.
Play-Based Learning
Don't expect to see two-year-olds sitting quietly at pint-sized desks listening to a teacher talk. Even though this is what you remember from school, early learning looks very different from what you might find in an elementary, middle, or high school classroom. Young children learn in active, hands-on, and play-based ways. This means what might seem like simple child's play in the toddler classroom is actually a lesson that can help the children to build new skills, gain knowledge, and develop abilities.
The specific play-based learning experiences you should expect to see vary by classroom and school or early learning program. General activities that you may see in the child care or pre-k environment could include art (finger painting, drawing, sculpting with clay, collaging with paper. etc.), building blocks, dancing, making music with child-sized instruments, or dressing up in costumes.
Engaged Educators
What is the educator's role in the early childhood classroom? Again, you should never expect to see the teacher standing in front of the children lecturing them. This type of passive approach won't help your young student to develop new skills or build independence. Instead, the educator should facilitate play and engage the toddlers in developmentally appropriate discussions.
A high-quality early childhood educator understands the developmental needs of a toddler. This knowledge helps the teacher to create lessons that allow the students to explore in their own ways, build skills, and reach new developmental milestones. Along with creating lessons, the educator should consistently interact with the toddlers and help them to navigate the classroom experience. This could include building block towers with (not for) the children or asking open-ended questions as each toddler's finger paints a picture.
Verbal Communication
Decades ago two researchers (Betty Hart and Todd R. Risely) published a study on the "30 million word gap." This study illustrated the importance that speaking to and with children had in their language/communication development. While some current child development researchers and academics have debated this study, most professionals in the field agree that early language exposure is crucial. With this in mind, you should expect to see the teacher and other adults (such as assistants) speaking to the toddlers throughout the day. This could include discussions, story-time, or informal question and answer sessions.
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