Our teachers integrate playing into many activities. We believe playing is a key part of learning and is essential to a toddler's learning experience. We at Key Element Learning try to enhance the time that toddlers start learning what objects are and reach milestones.

 

Adequate time to engage in play is required each day. Our toddler classroom is structured around six interest areas where toddlers will play, develop, and learn about their world. These interest areas are: 

 

        Blocks & Construction

        Dramatic Play

        Art & Writing

        Sensory & Science

        Math & Manipulatives

        Library

 

Each interest area includes items that toddlers will learn to recognize, toys that aid their developmental milestones, and text that they will begin to recognize. At each station, our teachers will teach them how to use materials and help them engage with their community and peers. As toddlers develop and their interests change, opportunities to extend their learning will arise. Teachers will add materials to support the play and learning when children express interest in specific ideas. Through careful observation and thoughtful assessment, teachers will also use open-ended questions to extend children’s play by helping them to think further. 

 

Toddlers may also increasingly become more interested in their peers. This shift in social-emotional understanding, coupled with an emerging ability to use language to communicate, can result in new attempts to share feelings and ideas. Our teachers are trained to talk with toddlers, and by doing so, we are helping toddlers understand their language and how to express emotions. Our teachers are trained to narrate both their actions and thoughts. By doing so, toddlers are being supported in developing their expressive and receptive vocabulary.