Play is a fundamental part of early childhood development, providing opportunities for children to explore, learn, and grow. Here are four play experiences designed for infants and toddlers, each aligned with specific content areas, target skills, and domains from the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards.
1. Sensory Exploration Bins
Content Area: Sensory and Fine Motor Development
Target Skills:
Infants: Tactile exploration, visual tracking
Toddlers: Fine motor skills, language development
Domain: Health and Physical Development
Activity Description: Create sensory bins with different textures and materials. For infants, bins might include soft fabrics, rubber toys, and textured balls. For toddlers, you can include items like rice, beans, or sand with scoops and containers.
Developmental Benefits:
Infants: Sensory bins encourage tactile exploration and help develop visual tracking as infants observe the different materials.
Toddlers: Toddlers can practice fine motor skills by scooping and pouring. This activity also promotes language development as caregivers label the different textures and actions (e.g., "soft," "rough," "scoop," "pour").
Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards:
Domain: Health and Physical Development
Performance Standard C.EL.1: Uses senses to take in, experience, integrate, and regulate responses to the environment.
Performance Standard C.EL.2: Develops fine motor skills.
2. Musical Movement
Content Area: Music and Movement
Target Skills:
Infants: Auditory discrimination, large motor development
Toddlers: Rhythm recognition, coordination
Domain: The Arts
Activity Description: Play different types of music and encourage infants and toddlers to move to the beat. For infants, simple movements like swaying or gentle bouncing are ideal. Toddlers can engage in more complex movements like dancing, clapping, and marching.
Developmental Benefits:
Infants: Exposure to different sounds enhances auditory discrimination. Large motor development is encouraged through rhythmic movements.
Toddlers: Toddlers learn to recognize and respond to rhythms, which supports coordination and balance.
Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards:
Domain: The Arts
Performance Standard D.EL.1: Participates in a variety of music and movement experiences.
3. Storytime with Puppets
Content Area: Language and Literacy
Target Skills:
Infants: Listening skills, visual attention
Toddlers: Vocabulary development, narrative skills
Domain: Language Development and Communication
Activity Description: Use puppets to tell simple stories. For infants, focus on short, repetitive tales with engaging voices and movements. For toddlers, involve them by asking questions and encouraging them to predict what happens next.
Developmental Benefits:
Infants: Enhances listening skills and visual attention as they watch the puppet and listen to the story.
Toddlers: Supports vocabulary development and narrative skills as they engage with the story and participate in discussions.
Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards:
Domain: Language Development and Communication
Performance Standard A.EL.1: Derives meaning through listening to communications of others and sounds in the environment.
Performance Standard B.EL.1: Develops ability to detect, manipulate, and use sounds in spoken language.
4. Block Building
Content Area: Cognitive Development and Problem Solving
Target Skills:
Infants: Object manipulation, cause and effect
Toddlers: Spatial awareness, problem-solving
Domain: Cognition and General Knowledge
Activity Description: Provide a variety of blocks for infants and toddlers to explore. Infants can practice grasping and manipulating the blocks, while toddlers can build simple structures and experiment with stacking.
Developmental Benefits:
Infants: Develops fine motor skills and understanding of cause and effect as they manipulate and explore the blocks.
Toddlers: Enhances spatial awareness and problem-solving skills as they figure out how to balance and construct with the blocks.
Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards:
Domain: Cognition and General Knowledge
Performance Standard C.EL.1: Uses observation to gather information.
Performance Standard C.EL.2: Engages in problem-solving.
References:
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. "Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards." Available at: WMELS
Social Sci LibreTexts. "The Daily Schedule." Available at: Social Sci LibreTexts
ChildSavers. "Responsive Schedules and Routines for Infants and Toddlers." Available at: ChildSavers
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