Approaches to Learning Materials

Approaches to Learning 

KDI:

1. Initiative: Children express initiative.

2. Problem solving: Children solve problems encountered in exploration and play.

3. Self-help: Children do things for themselves.

ALL MATERIALS:

  • Low baskets or trays
  • Soft balls
  • Wooden rings
  • Fabric scarves
  • Stacking cups
  • Soft blocks
  • Stuffed animals
  • Sensory balls
  • Baby-safe mirrors
  • Natural items (large pinecones, wooden discs, or large smooth stones for toddlers, ensuring they are age-appropriate and supervised)
  • Plastic containers with lids
  • Small baskets
  • Fabric drawstring bag
  • Cardboard box with large opening
  • Large plastic cups
  • Scarves or fabric squares
  • Baby-safe household objects
  • Child-sized table and chairs or highchairs
  • Bibs
  • Small bowls or plates
  • Child-sized cups
  • Child-safe spoons
  • Soft finger foods (banana slices, peaches, crackers, etc.)
  • Washcloths or wipes

ALL LESSON PLANS CAN BE COMPLETED IN THE CLASSROOM: NO ROOM CHANGES

Name of Activity: Discovery Baskets

Originating Idea: The children have been showing an interest in exploring different classroom materials independently and enjoy choosing toys during free play.

Curriculum Area:1. Initiative: Children express initiative

Approaches to Learning 

Materials:

  • Low baskets or trays
  • Soft balls
  • Wooden rings
  • Fabric scarves
  • Stacking cups
  • Soft blocks
  • Stuffed animals
  • Sensory balls
  • Baby-safe mirrors
  • Natural items (large pinecones, wooden discs, or large smooth stones for toddlers, ensuring they are age-appropriate and supervised)

Appropriate Age Group: Infants and Toddlers

Beginning of Activity:

Arrange several baskets with a variety of safe, open-ended materials on the floor. Invite the children by saying, "Let's see what you would like to explore today!" Allow them to move freely and choose the materials that interest them without directing their choices.

Middle of Activity:

Your ideas for scaffolding children at different developmental levels

Early:
Place one or two objects within easy reach for young infants. Encourage them to reach, grasp, or observe the materials while describing their actions and responding to their interests.

Middle:
Offer several materials for older infants who are sitting, crawling, or beginning to walk. Encourage them to move independently between baskets, make choices, and explore different textures, sounds, and movements.

Later:
Provide toddlers with a wider variety of materials and encourage them to combine, stack, sort, carry, or pretend with the objects. Ask open-ended questions such as, "What would you like to do with those?" or "What else could you try?" while allowing the child to lead the activity.

End of Activity:

Give the children a transition warning by saying, "In two minutes, we'll put our materials away and get ready for our next activity." Encourage toddlers to help return materials to the baskets while assisting infants as needed. Talk about the different choices the children made before transitioning to the next part of the daily routine.

Follow-up Ideas (2)

  1. Rotate new materials into the discovery baskets each week to encourage continued curiosity and independent exploration.
  2. Create interest-based baskets, such as music, textures, nature, or building materials, allowing children to continue making their own choices during future free-play experiences.

Name of Activity: Treasure Box Challenge

Originating Idea: The children have been showing an interest in opening containers and discovering what is inside during free play.

Curriculum Area: 2. Problem Solving: Children solve problems encountered in exploration and play.

Approaches to Learning 

Materials:

  • Plastic containers with lids
  • Small baskets
  • Fabric drawstring bag
  • Cardboard box with large opening
  • Large plastic cups
  • Soft balls
  • Wooden rings
  • Stacking cups
  • Scarves or fabric squares
  • Baby-safe household objects

Appropriate Age Group: Infants and Toddlers

Beginning of Activity:

Arrange several containers with interesting objects placed inside or underneath them. Invite the children to explore by saying, "I wonder what's inside?" Allow them time to investigate the materials independently before offering support.

Middle of Activity: Your ideas for scaffolding children at different developmental levels

Early:
Use open containers or objects partially visible so young infants can easily reach or pull them out. Encourage reaching, grasping, and exploring while describing what they are doing.

Middle:
Provide containers with simple lids or objects hidden under scarves. Encourage older infants to lift, pull, or uncover objects using trial and error. Offer encouragement without immediately solving the problem for them.

Later:
Challenge toddlers with containers that require twisting, lifting, nesting, or matching lids. Encourage them to experiment with different solutions and ask open-ended questions such as, "What happens if you try another way?" or "Can you think of another way to get it out?"

End of Activity:

Give children a transition warning before clean-up. Invite toddlers to help place the objects back into the containers while assisting infants as needed. Review the activity by talking about how the children figured out different ways to find or remove the objects.

Follow-up Ideas (2)

  1. Add the containers and objects to the discovery area so children can continue exploring different ways to open, close, fill, and empty them during free play.
  2. Introduce simple cause-and-effect toys, nesting toys, or shape sorters to provide new opportunities for children to solve problems through exploration.

Name of Activity: Snack Helpers

Originating Idea: The children have shown an interest in feeding themselves and participating in snack time routines.

Curriculum Area: 3. Self-help: Children do things for themselves.

Approaches to Learning

Materials:

  • Child-sized table and chairs or highchairs
  • Bibs
  • Small bowls or plates
  • Child-sized cups
  • Child-safe spoons
  • Soft finger foods (banana slices, peaches, crackers, etc.)
  • Washcloths or wipes

Appropriate Age Group: Infants and Toddlers

Beginning of Activity:

Gather the children for snack time and explain that everyone will have the opportunity to help themselves as much as they can. Encourage children to wash their hands before sitting down for snack.

Middle of Activity: Your ideas for scaffolding children at different developmental levels

Early:
Allow young infants to hold their bottle with assistance or practice picking up soft finger foods. Encourage simple actions such as reaching for their cup or helping remove their bib while offering support as needed.

Middle:
Encourage older infants to feed themselves using their fingers or a child-sized spoon, hold their own cup, and help throw away napkins or place dishes in a designated bin when finished.

Later:
Invite toddlers to serve themselves small portions, pour water from a small pitcher with assistance if needed, use utensils independently, clean up their eating space, and wash their hands before and after snack.

End of Activity:

Encourage each child's effort by helping them recognize what they were able to do independently. Help children transition to the next part of the daily routine by singing a clean-up song and encouraging them to put away their dishes or wipe the table if developmentally appropriate.

Follow-up Ideas (2)

  1. Create a classroom helper routine where children practice putting away toys, throwing away trash, or helping prepare materials for daily activities.
  2. Incorporate self-help opportunities throughout the day, such as encouraging children to put on their own shoes or coats, wash their hands, and assist with classroom clean-up routines.

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