CPADMINSTRATEGIES

Competencies

Infants Need To:

Curriculum

Adults Need To:

Activity (Suggest an activity. Identify which competency and curriculum the activity meets and explain)

1

Develop a sense of trust and a loving relationship

-Provide consistency.

-Serve as a familiar and predictable primary caregiver.

-Read infants’ cues and respond to their physical and psychological needs quickly and warmly.

2

Develop a sense of self

-Call the infant by name.

-Place mirrors at eye level, including on or near the floor

3

Develop social competencies

-Engage in face-to-face interactions.

-Talk to babies and give them time to respond.

-Read to babies and talk about what they see in books.

4

Explore their world

-Provide opportunities for children to explore both indoor and outdoor environments.

-Bring materials to young infants who are not yet mobile, or take them to explore budding trees, blooming flowers, etc.

5

Sample sensory experiences

-Provide pictures and objects to touch, taste, hear, and smell.

-Provide toys that make sound and action-reaction toys.

6

Develop their large- and small motor skills

-Provide safe places for babies to move.

Avoid all restraining equipment, such as swings, baby seats, etc.

-Encourage large muscle development (e.g., place objects slightly beyond reach; have low shelves for early walkers to cruise).

-Provide a variety of toys for grasping, mouthing, and stacking, and board books that infants can handle successfully.

-Express joy at successes.

Competencies

Infants Need To:

Curriculum

Adults Need To:

Activity (Suggest an activity. Identify which competency and curriculum the activity meets)

1

Develop a sense of trust and a loving relationship

-Provide consistency.

-Serve as a familiar and predictable primary caregiver.

-Support attempts to accomplish tasks, comfort when tasks are frustrating, and express joy at successes.

-Respect security objects, such as a favorite blanket or toy.

2

Develop a sense of self

-Name body parts and acknowledge what toddlers can accomplish.

-Provide a mirror for children to see themselves and others.

-Give children choices and respect their preference (e.g., toys and food).

-Support self-help skills such as toileting, washing hands, feeding themselves.

3

Develop social competencies

-Talk with toddlers frequently.

-Describe what the toddlers and adults are doing.

-Help children as they develop emotional regulation.

-Acknowledge their strong emotions.

-Help children become aware of others’ feelings by talking about how other children and adults feel.

-Model and label prosocial behaviors for children to imitate.

4

Explore their world

-Give children opportunities to explore the changing seasons, such as leading them on walks around the center or to a nearby park.

-Encourage curiosity.

-Provide support for active exploration.

-Be nearby but avoid being directive.

5

Sample sensory experiences

-Place books and toys where children can reach them.

-Help children notice sun and shadows, warm and cold surfaces, the smell of flowers and food, etc., in their indoor and outdoor environment.

-Equip the room with pictures and real-life objects.

-Explore their sense of smell, feel, taste, etc.

6

Develop their large- and small motor skills

-Provide plenty of opportunities and safe places and equipment to encourage large muscle development (e.g., stairs, ramps, large balls, and push/pull toys).

-Provide toys to grasp, stack, and manipulate, and board books that toddlers can handle successfully.

-Encourage self-help skills, such as toileting, washing hands, eating, putting on shoes and coats, etc.

-Express joy at successes.

Competencies

Infants Need To:

Curriculum

Adults Need To:

Activity (Suggest an activity. Identify which competency and curriculum the activity meets)

1

Feel reassured when fearful or frustrated

-Be supportive, positive, and encouraging

-Respect children’s fears and offer reassurance that teachers and caregivers are there to protect them.

-Provide comfort when frustrated and provide the rationale for rules as needed.

2

Become increasingly independent

-Provide opportunities for children to be independent when toileting, washing hands, eating, putting on coats, etc.

-Remember it may take children longer to accomplish these tasks than it would take them.

-Be patient.

3

Make friends

-Allow children to form their own playgroups.

-Encourage onlookers – help them to enter play if they want to join in.

-Model positive social interactions for children to imitate.

4

Explore their world

-Provide many materials that children can manipulate (e.g., water, sand, blocks).

-Provide dramatic play props for playing house and other themes such as barber/beauty shop, the pet store, a pizza restaurant, a flower shop.

-Allow children plenty of time for sustained pretend play without interruption.

-Provide informational books to help them identify birds, flowers, leaves-interesting things in their environment.

5

Develop their large and small muscles

-Provide equipment to climb on; vehicles to ride on; balls to throw and catch; and plenty of space for running, jumping, and tumbling.

-Provide a wide variety of manipulatives: pencils, pens, and markers; play dough; puzzles; pegs and pegboards; beads to string; building toys such as unit blocks and Legos.

6

Build language and literacy skills for communicating and promoting thinking

-Talk to, read to, sing to, tell and dramatize stories, and play singing games (e.g., “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”).

-Encourage children to write stories and express themselves using invented spelling.

-Write children’s dictated stories.

-Have classroom charts and other printed materials in view.

-Provide materials (e.g., paper and writing tools) for children to draw, scribble, write, copy signs, etc.

-Use descriptive language and open-ended questions to facilitate divergent thought and expose children to new vocabulary.

-Encourage children to talk with each other and with adults in small-group and large-group settings.

7

Express themselves creatively

-Provide a variety of art media and various forms of music.

-Provide opportunities for children to express themselves with drawing, building, dancing, singing, and making music.

8

Develop concepts of themselves and the world around them

-Provide opportunities for children to learn and apply skills (e.g., mathematics) and content knowledge (e.g., social studies, science) while working on meaningful projects.

-Provide children opportunities to explore their community, including visiting local parks, the library, fire station, select stores, etc.

-Encourage children to bring in pictures of their families and items from their homes.

-Invite children to describe how their families celebrate special events.

Give children opportunities to learn about the world by reading books, cooking, and talking with visitors from various backgrounds and cultures.

-Be certain that cross-cultural experiences are authentic (avoid a “tourist” approach) and accurate.

9

Become familiar with symbols

-Provide props for dramatic play.

-Provide a wide variety of books.

-Help children learn to read environmental print (McDonald’s golden arches, the labels on Cheerios, milk cartoons, etc.)

-Provide a wide variety of art and writing materials.

-Post children’s names in many places in the classroom.

-Have children graph surveys of their classmates’, favorite pets, foods, etc.

10

Make choices and implement their ideas

-Permit children to select many of their own activities.

-Provide a physical setting that encourages individual or small, informal groups most of the time.

Competencies

Infants Need To:

Curriculum

Adults Need To:

Activity (Suggest an activity. Identify which competency and curriculum the activity meets)

1

Develop self-regulation

-Prevent overstimulation when possible and help children deal with fears and excitement (e.g., by talking about them).

-Set clear limits in a positive way and involve children in rulemaking.

-Lead children in discussions of the rationale for rules and gather input from children on why a rule may be important.

-Encourage children to develop their own rules (because they are more likely to follow them).

-Provide children with opportunities for active indoor and outdoor activity, including quiet and independent times.

-Be sure the daily schedule minimizes waiting and long transitions; avoid long whole-group activities.

Give children opportunities to solve problems created by disruptive or challenging behaviors.

2

Gain more independence

-Encourage children to evaluate their success in completing projects.

-Provide children opportunities to help make decisions about classroom routines and activities.

-Support children’s efforts to work toward mutually established goals.

3

Work with other children

-Provide opportunities for children to cooperate with and help other children in small groups.

-Provide children with opportunities to solve problems by working together.

4

Explore their world

Provide materials that are concrete and related to ongoing projects.

Plan for field trips and resource people to enhance classroom investigations.

5

Develop their large and small muscles

-Provide equipment to climb on, vehicles to ride on; and balls to throw and catch; and plenty of space for running, jumping, and tumbling.

-Provide games with rules, as many children will be ready to play them.

-Provide a wide variety of pencils, pens, and markers, and building toys such as unit blocks and Legos.

6

Build language and literacy skills for communicating and promoting thinking

-Provide materials for both reading and writing that will enhance ongoing projects.

-Provide quality literature.

-Read fiction and nonfiction books and poems aloud every day.

Invite children to share in oral reading.

Plan projects, such as preparing a class newspaper or making books to communicate with others.

7

Express themselves creatively

-Plan ways to integrate art, music, dance, and drama throughout the day.

8

Develop concepts

-Provide a balance of child-initiated and teacher-guided engagements to help children elaborate on and clarify concepts.

-Be available to scaffold children’s learning by asking provocative questions and stimulating inquiry as well as by introducing more advanced concepts and materials to support these concepts.

9

Use a variety of symbol systems

-Assist children in developing reading, writing, math, and scientific thinking skills and use them to explore or solve meaningful problems.

-Offer children opportunities to collect and graph data that is relevant to them (favorite foods, favorite toys, etc.)

-Allow children to actively explore materials and document experiments and experiences through drawing, writing, or dictation.

10

Make choices and implement their ideas

-Provide children opportunities to work individually and in small groups with self-selected projects and materials for a significant part of the day.

-Involve children in their own self-management (e.g., setting their own goals, budgeting their time, evaluating their own efforts, and cooperating with others).