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Nido and Infant Community work areas (9 months - 3 years)
For our youngest students the classroom is organized into five distinct learning areas: practical life, eye-hand coordination, language, music and movement and art.
All the furniture and materials are child-sized and age appropriate.
Practical Life: These activities teach children life skills such as spooning, pouring and washing that they need to learn in order to take of the environment and themselves. They help build self-esteem and confidence, aid the growth of independence, develop concentration and help coordination and motor control.
Food is also part of practical life and aids the development of independence and skills. The materials are all designed especially for children and include peeling and cutting boiled eggs and bananas and making lemon juice.
Eye-hand coordination: These materials are divided into two age groups and are rotated regularly.
1. Materials for development of eye-hand coordination – 5 months to 16 months
These activities encourage children to use two hands together, strengthen their grasp and aid their independence.
2. Materials for refinement of eye-hand coordination - 16 months to 2.5 / 3 years
The materials have a practical use in the child’s environment and allow further practice and refinement of the skills learnt in group one. Some examples include opening and closing latches, puzzles, using scissors and stringing beads.
Language: The language materials are designed to develop and enrich a child’s language and vocabulary. There is a reading area with a range of books, objects for discussion and vocabulary learning and language cards which all enrich the child’s vocabulary. Rhythmic language (poems and rhymes), questioning and self-expression are also strong focuses for language development in the classroom.
Music and Movement: Children love to sing and dance and there is a range of musical instruments for children to play. Teachers sing many different songs with the children and use CDs to encourage listening and dancing.
Once a week the children have a music class with a specialist teacher.
Art: Art exercises in the infant community include scribbling, chalk, paint and clay.
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