Little Learners is a supplement to support multi-age groups to be used with the Experience Preschool curriculum. Experience Preschool + Little Learners is the perfect multi-age solution for family child care settings.
The Little Learners Teacher Guide explains how to simplify the activities, games and art projects for toddlers while using the supplies and materials in our Experience Preschool Curriculum Kit.
Reasons to use Little Learners:
•Individualized activities for your multi-age groups
•Simple and easy-to-use plans that engage ages 18 months to 5 years in meaningful play
•Time-saving adaptations for younger children
Little Learners lessons follow the same topics as the Experience Preschool Teacher Guide. If your toddlers are ready for more challenge, try some of the activities in the Preschool Teacher Guide. The activities in the Little Learners Guide target benchmarks 3 and 4 on the Experience Early Learning Skill Continuum.
Inside the Little Learners Supplement Guide
Each lesson plan in this book offers developmentally appropriate ways to connect and learn with your young children. This overview summarizes why each section is important for your toddler’s development and how to integrate the experiences into your day.
Inside you will find three activities each day plus these three more daily ideas:
- Tray Play ideas for open exploration
- Cuddle & Snuggle ideas for belonging and well being
- Wiggle & Giggle ideas for gross motor, balance and creative expression through music
How does the Little Learners Teacher Guide work?
The Little Learners Guide complements the Experience Preschool Teacher Guide. The lesson numbers, the daily topics and the activity names in Little Learners match the Preschool Teacher Guide. This makes it easy to use both guides simultaneously when working with a mixed-age group.
Process-Based Activities
We believe that learning is more about the process than the end product. The Little Learners Teacher Guide provides activities, materials, extension ideas, tips and guidance for enhancing a child’s natural curiosity. Our daily experiences will immerse each child in language, creative expression, social skills, math experiences and science fun to promote maximum learning opportunities.
Hands-On Experiences
We believe that children learn through hands-on experiences. The Little Learners Teacher Guide offers daily opportunities to discover and explore with children. We tailor activities to be developmentally appropriate to give children introduction and exposure to everyday materials found in and around their natural environment.
Feature Overviews
Each lesson plan in this book offers developmentally appropriate ways to connect and learn with your young children. This overview summarizes why each section is important for your toddler’s development and how to integrate the experiences into your day.
Circle Time
Toddlers thrive on having a sense of routine to their day. Repeated behaviors remind them they are in a safe and supporting environment.
Invite your children to join you for Circle Time around the same time every day. Invite the youngest children to sit near you or even on your lap. Follow the Circle Time suggestions in each Experience Preschool Teacher Guide.
Circle Time is a wonderful opportunity to bring children of all ages together and nurture a sense of community. Begin your learning time with a song, look out the window at the weather, and discuss what
you will explore and learn about each day. Then close Circle Time with a community song or fingerplay.
Outdoor/Free Play
Outdoor play extends the curriculum in unique ways. It strengthens the toddler’s connection to nature, encourages curiosity, and supports physical health and wellness.
Help the children build trust and confidence in their ability to discover and interact with the world by exploring nature with the children and taking time to celebrate their curiosities.
Discover Together
Learning is a social process. Toddlers seek social interaction and learn by imitating others.
Invite your children to play and explore with you and their peers as they use the materials included in the Core Concepts bag. If the child is ready for greater challenge, reference the Teacher Guides for developmentally higher levels of ways to play and learn with the materials. All children develop at different rates and a child may be more advanced in one area but need more support in another. With both the Little Learners and Experience Preschool Teacher Guides, you can respond quickly and fluidly to the developmental needs and goals of your growing child.
Tray Play
Toddlers are curious. They make sense of the world and how it works through open exploration and acting on their surrounding environment.
Tray Play gives children a chance to independently work on motor skills and experience sensory stimuli while boosting their confidence. Invite children to independently explore the trays while sitting in a high chair or at a table. If desired, put two different trays on the floor and invite the children to choose
which one they would like to explore.
Belonging and Well-Being
Wiggle & Giggle
Toddlers are naturally energetic and on the move. Mental and physical development are interrelated and dynamic. Physical activity stimulates brain processing.
Use the Wiggle & Giggle ideas to stimulate gross motor coordination and balance while also nurturing creative expression through music.
Cuddle & Snuggle
Relationships are foundational to all areas of development and learning.
Positive, caring relationships increase self-esteem, self-direction and confidence to explore. Holding, talking, rocking and singing to the child each day increases attachment and provides a nourishing sense of support and acceptance. Use the Cuddle & Snuggle prompts as a reminder to take time to share a special moment with each child every day.
Want to get the Little Learners Guide with your preschool box? Be sure to order the Multi-Age option.