Infant & Toddler Themes 2008-2009 - Preschool

Infant & Toddler Themes 2008-2009

September

1st

School Fun

8th All About Me

15th All About Me

21st Families

28th Families

December

1st Safety First 8th Community Helpers 15th Holidays Around the World 22nd Holidays Around the World 29th Celebrate a New Year

October

6th Fire Safety 13th Fall 20th Manners 27th Dress-Up Fun

January

5th Fairy Tales 12th Colors, Colors Everywhere 19th Winter Wonderland 26th Winter Wonderland

November

3rd Body Parts 10th Body Parts 17th Farm Animals 24th Turkey Time

February

2nd Nursery Rhymes 9th Friendship Week 16th Transportation 23rd Alphabet Fun

March

2nd Dr. Suess

9th

Circus

16th Over the Rainbow

23rd Healthy Food

30th Shapes

April

6th Flowers 13th Caterpillars and Butterflies 20th Bugs 27th Spring

May

4th Special Person Week 11th Disney 18th Exercise Fun 25th Pirates/Princesses

June

1st

Zoo Animals

8th Going to the Beach

15th Under the Sea

22nd Under the Sea

Please note: The foundation for all learning is building confidence, curiosity, self-control, communication skills, and cooperativeness in all the children we have the opportunity to teach. Young children develop these characteristics when they are in a classroom with adults that are warm and responsive. Please adapt the themes to meet the needs of the children in your classroom. The theme should be evident in all learning centers. For instance, your interest centers should include an art project, books, science projects, props added to dramatic play, a cooking project, all relating to the theme. Be creative when thinking of how you can incorporate the theme into your classroom. We will provide ideas and resources on the staff website each month. Please refer to todayschild.us/education.

Tips:

Visit the local library to borrow books that relate to your weekly theme. Infants and toddlers should be read to often. Reading to young children is the way they begin to read.

One of the greatest achievements during the first 3 years of life is a child's language development. As their receptive language develops, they will be able to understand the words that they hear. As their expressive language develops, they will begin to put ideas and feelings into words so they can communicate. Our job as their teacher is to give them opportunities to develop these skills. This comes from individually talking to the children, asking open-ended questions, and helping them learn to problem-solve even at a very young age.

Research shows that babies who are not talked to often do not develop the same as babies that are talked to. Every time we talk to the children and show them a new idea or concept, neurons in their brain are connecting and developing.

Find out about the various cultures and backgrounds of the children in your classroom. Incorporate children's cultures into your classroom on a daily basis. For instance, if you have a child whose family celebrates the Chinese New Year, then introduce it to the children in the class and celebrate the holiday together.

There are weekly themes that incorporate the alphabet, shapes, and colors. Please incorporate these themes throughout the school year as well.

For the spring theme, you can cover topics such as butterflies and bugs, plants and trees, etc. Find out what the children are interested in regarding spring and focus your theme around their interests.

Group times should be short and interesting to the children.

Teachers can choose summer themes. Here are some ideas:

Camping Sweet Treats

Pack a Picnic

Wild Wild West

Summer Safari

Patriotic

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