We believe children to be capable, competent, curious, whole people deserving of respect. Our goal is for children to leave our room confident, independent, and able to solve their own problems. We encourage these skills by allowing children to work through and solve their own problems, while offering support and guidance as needed. We begin nurturing these skills with even our youngest infants and continue as each child grows.
It's a delicate balance, being able to offer support and guidance without interfering when it’s not needed. We do this by “sportscasting” or offering a play-by-play of what is happening. A teacher would wait for a child to “check in” before offering any commentary. We are careful not to interrupt when a child is deeply engaged in an activity. Instead, we stay nearby and present so that we are available for the child to invite us into their play. We need to be able to read the situation, know the children involved, and be able to stay calm in the moment when the child may be frustrated or upset. We need to understand and respect that some children can handle more frustration than others.
I didn’t realize until I started writing this how much time we spend supporting these skills. It really involves almost every aspect of our day, from supporting young infants who are just learning to roll over, to crawling babies who get stuck in new places, to older toddlers who are asserting their independence, to watching a child figure out how a toy works. Each of these instances offers an opportunity for a child to learn just how much they are capable of. When we help when its not needed, it sends the message that the child is not capable. It may be easier (and faster) for us to solve their problems, help when they are stuck, and show them exactly how that puzzle piece fits. We recognize that in some cultures, intervening in these ways is a way of showing love. But by helping them work through frustration, offering them other options instead of answers, and helping only when really needed, we get to see the satisfaction on a child's face when they can do it on their own. Those "I did it!" moments may seem small, but each one builds a child's confidence.
This balance of observing and interacting allows us to really get to know each child and their interests. We use these observations when planning activities and curriculum for the classroom.
What’s happening in our classroom?
Lately, the children have been very interested in our dramatic play area. Younger infants are enjoying exploring play food, filling and dumping pots and pans, and cuddling with baby dolls. Our older toddlers have been using the play food and dishes to cook "soup" and have "tea parties." They pretend to feed baby dolls, each other, and teachers. Recently, M and S were playing with the tea set. S began to pretend to spoon feed M, who would say “thank you!” after each bite. After a few times, they switched roles and M began pretending to feed S.
We are excited to extend this and will be doing some real cooking activities in the coming weeks!
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