Toddlers
By their first birthday, children already know they are important individuals. This is the age of endless curiosity — exploring everything, moving quickly from one activity to the next. To keep toddlers engaged, happy, and learning, our child care workers create a day filled with hands-on activities, movement, and discovery.
THE CURRICULUM
Individualized Toddler Childcare
Our toddler program focuses on developing both mind and body. Using our Growing Up On Our Block curriculum, we plan purposeful activities that nurture social skills, independence, creativity, and a love of learning.
Our Approach
Listening and Talking: Building strong language skills is essential for lifelong learning.
Books and pictures: Toddlers read daily and enjoy simple picture games.
Conversation: Caregivers encourage toddlers to use words, respond, and interact with pictures and real-life items.
Role Model Appropriate Conversation Skills: Eye contact, respectful distance, and giving time for responses are all modeled daily.
American Sign Language (ASL): A fun and effective communication tool that toddlers love.
skills in action.
Toddlers are just beginning to:
- Get along with others
- Care for themselves
- Think independently
- Express their feelings and ideas
Our activities are designed to strengthen these skills while providing a safe, supportive environment.
Physical Development
- Large Muscles: walking, running, balancing, throwing, sitting, rolling, and standing
- Small Muscles: grasping, picking up, dropping, transferring objects, placing items, pulling-apart, filling and dumping, zipping and feeding
Creative Acivities
- Art: Crayons, chalk, washable markers, paint, play dough, paper, collage materials, glue
- Blocks: Cloth, plastic, wooden, or cardboard blocks with toy people, animals, and vehicles for building and pretend play
- Dramatic Play: Playhouse furniture, dolls, dress-up items, shopping carts, and role-play props for imaginative storytelling
- Music and Movement: Instruments, songs, finger plays, multicultural music, lullabies, rhythm, and dance
Exploring the World Around Them
- Nature: Daily outdoor play, nature walks, observing flowers, birds, insects, animals, and sand/water play
- Numbers: Number rhymes, counting games, and everyday quantity concepts
- Five senses: Using sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell to explore and learn
- Shape, Size, and Color: Discovered naturally while exploring toys, books, and familiar objects
