Environment
Our toddler classroom is designed to engage all children in a calm and rhythmic setting. We use built-in changing tables, personal places to put their belongings, age-appropriate toys, and natural interactive materials.
Our toddler curriculum takes note that toddlers develop skills holistically. We use movement, music, dance, games, cook-together, poetry, storytime, and fun science activities to engage all children in their own developmental milestones.
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Curriculum
Language Development
Language growth is outstanding from 12 months to 24 months. They are expanding their stages of receptive and expressive speech. They are usually saying between one to three words and trying out other sounds and babbles to communicate. They use gestures, respond to their name, and quickly start correlating language to events and objects. By the end of this year, your toddler will have gained about fifty words and start speaking simple sentences. This is a good time to start using the appropriate words for objects, speak slowly and clearly, and use simple words and sentences. By providing a good model of communication, you will set your toddler up for successful language development.
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It’s so exciting to see your toddler grow and communicate with those around them. Their first words will usually include those familiar to them, favorite possessions, and parts of their body. You might even be one of the few people that understand their “toddler babble” as they drop certain sounds, substitute certain sounds, and seem to come up with a language all of their own.
Wellspring Preparatory Academy knows that all children are learning to handle their own emotions and figure out what place they have in this world. It can be exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. Our philosophy and curriculum show that we have a plan for nurturing and teaching our children how to grow socially and emotionally.
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Toddlers at this age start realizing that they are independent people and not their mom or dad. They might start realizing that peers are next to them, but continue to play parallel to them. They start imitating peers in play and in everyday life. They need praise as they work through becoming confident problem-solvers. Toddlers usually have low self-control and will give into their desires quickly. The world is opened up as they start exploring new places with their newfound walking skills. Children here at Wellspring Preparatory Academy know that they are well cared for in a kind and compassionate environment.
Social and Emotional
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
There is a lot of growth that happens during the months of 12-24 months. Most toddlers will have the gross motor skills that enable them to sit without leaning or needing to be set up, belly crawl, scoot or creep on hands and knees and pull to standing holding onto furniture. They can also stand and start walking, holding onto your hands and stick out their hands and legs to help get dressed.
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Fine motor skills are hard at work being developed too. They will start using a sippy cup (a regular cup with help), grasping and manipulating a spoon to self-feed, and using a pincer grasp to hold on to smaller foods (cheerios, raisins), they can put things into a container and take them back out, and scribble with a thick crayon or marker. Our Whole Child curriculum is there to make sure that all children have many opportunities to work on these skills.
Beat, tone, rhythm, and expressiveness are all stepping stones to developing the linguistic synapses that are developed in the brain. By using simple well-known songs and introducing fun and engaging poems, teachers at Wellspring Preparatory Academy are able to connect to children while providing a secure foundation for future milestone development.
Music and Movement
Sensory
The development of senses is crucial during this developmental timeline. As a toddler’s sense develops and becomes more refined, they start showing their full personality. Eye control, hand-eye coordination improves as well as depth perception. Sense of smell plays into effect as they expand their tastes, discriminating the direction of sound, textures, and temperature differences in objects, and interest in other foods are all ways that toddlers expand their world.
Art is a great time for toddlers to explore the world around them. Here at Wellspring Preparatory Academy, art time is filled with sensory activities, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive developments, and is a great way to capture milestones and expand their fine and gross motor skills.
Art
Outdoors
Wellspring Preparatory Academy is Whole Child-focused. We believe that all children do best when they are allowed to explore nature and are exposed to different situations in a safe and secure environment. Our Toddler program uses our natural playground where all children get to explore the outdoors. We explore grass, tunnels, sticks, rocks, and crawling obstacle courses with the encouragement of attentive staff.
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Click here to learn more about our natural spaces.