Twos & Threes

The emerging young child is increasingly interested in how an environment works, in the people who surround him and in his own reaction to a more challenging environment. The teacher affirms a child’s emotional and social development by establishing over time a relationship of trust and caring.  Implicit in this initial “go slow” approach to early education is the knowledge that learning is an emerging and often unpredictable process – one that requires a delicate balance between work (skill-oriented activities) and play.  Of great importance is the task of nurturing a disposition for learning that will prepare the young child for his next level of development. Counting raindrops, playing nonsense games, engaging in storytelling interactions, making letters in the dirt, are but a few examples of the many ways that children begin the transition process.  In a child-centered environment a teacher:

• Encourages self-affirmation through independent and social play;
• Promotes sensitivity to one’s immediate and larger world;
• Encourages early literacy through meaningful activities, materials, and a print-rich environment;
• Encourages self-respect and respect for one’s environment;
• Begins to foster in children an ability and desire to function in a group;
• Presents as a role model – a person who children can trust and draw inspiration from;
• Encourages an “I can” attitude.