Art is important in children’s education because it helps develop their creativity and ability to express themselves, it also helps them better understand the world around them and develop skills.
Skills that are strengthened:
✔️Development of fine motor skills
✔️Stimulates the motor coordination
✔️Develops tactile sensitivity
✔️Improves the expression of feelings and communication
Many children may start screaming non-stop. Around 24 months of age, transforming our children. “I don’t want to sleep”, he shouts at you when you go to put him to bed, “I don’t like it”, every time it’s time to eat, “I’m alone” when you’re going to cross the street, “its mine” if his brother reaches a toy… they ask for things by shouting, protests and get angry constantly, they challenge you, they cry uncontrollably, they hit others, they are stubborn, they don’t obey or listen, and when we stop him from doing something he explodes in a tantrum.
In the middle of the street, writhing on the ground, in a sea of tears, confronting their parents and other children in the park. their parents and other children in the park.
Many times, our little ones push us to the limit, and in some situations it is not easy to stay calm. We may be tempted to put ourselves at his or her level, and shout louder than him or her to win the battle.
Successfully overcoming tantrums in 2 and 3 year old children is possible if you know how.
Discover specific strategies and guidelines that will allow you to maintain control in conflictive situations and techniques to establish limits at home.
It is very important to control your own emotions, it will be one of the strategies that will help you, talk about basic rules that we must keep in mind whenever we discipline our children.
We all have responsibilities: we must teach them from a young age that their contribution is important.
Respect is mutual. It is important from the beginning to set a good example.
Teach them that life is not always fair. Waiting for a turn, sharing toys, feeling disappointment or some other situation that may cause discomfort.
Consistency is key. Being constant and firm regarding the norms and rules you set is very important.
We must maintain these guidelines:
Do not give in
Calm down
Listen and explain
Analyze the cause
Coordinate
Tantrums, no matter how different the cause, are eradicated by directing behavior towards a more adaptive and healthy emotional expression.
Some strategies for these cases are:
Prevent
Reward
Ignore
Let go
Reinforce the positive
Give them other options so they feel like they can choose.
Creating a child’s portfolio is important: there are different ways to create a child’s portfolio, it can be created physically and it can also be done electronically.
The portfolio is a method of teaching, learning and evaluation that consists of the compilation and publication of various evidence of activities throughout the child’s development through which it can be evaluated by the teacher. This evidence informs the learning process that the child follows, allowing the child and the teacher to see their efforts and achievements, in relation to the learning objectives and previously established evaluation criteria.
The easiest way to start creating a student portfolio is by using a student portfolio template, but you can also create your portfolio from scratch in the creation software of your choice. What matters is not the amount of documentation you compile for each portfolio, is the quality of the information it collects. Portfolios tell a story about the whole child. There must be a beginning, a middle that would be learning and progress and an end that would have the achievements and goals achieved.
How to Organize a Child’s Portfolio
Each child should have their own portfolio. A well-organized portfolio will contain observations and artifacts of children’s work that are collected at different time periods throughout the school year or in a daycare setting. It’s recommended that it includes some type of documentation that highlights each development domain.
To collect and record data, you can use the following methods:
✔️ Continuous registrations
✔️ Anecdotal notes
✔️ Checklists
✔️ Frequency counts
✔️ Learning stories
✔️ Time or event samples
✔️ Work samples
✔️ Take photos, record videos or audio recordings
To Store your DAocumentation
You can use a folder or notebook, a file or accordion-style folder, or a cardboard box. As observational evidence is collected for each child, it is vital that you come up with everything so you can organize it chronologically. This will help you track each child’s progress throughout the school year more efficiently. Portfolios help you build a complete, authentic picture of each child in your class. By knowing the “whole child”, you are better equipped to develop each child’s individual interests, and better able to plan appropriate activities for them.
It is recommended that you include some type of documentation that highlights each domain of development. For example:
Gross motor: take photos of your child while he or she engages in outside activities such as running, jumping, climbing, riding a bike, or playing in the sandbox.
Fine motor: keep a checklist of when your child learns to button and tie their shoes. Include samples of cutting work, coloring, painting, and emergent writing samples.
Social-emotional: write anecdotal notes when your child participates in open-ended, child-directed play. Take note of how they share and cooperate with others. Do a frequency count to see which centers the child chooses to spend time with and gauge their play patterns to see if they prefer to play alone or with others.
Cognitive: trace a science experiment and take photos.
Photograph a completed puzzle. Use a video camera to record a girl building a block bridge. As the girl explains her process and has to figure out all the steps to take to keep the bridge from falling over, be sure to record that too.
Literacy and oral language: save writing examples to follow how the girl writes her name. Include illustrations of stories they like and stories they write themselves. Write quotes in your running log or make audiotapes of conversations during the circle time activities.
Creative expression: record the child playing in the role-play area or performing a dance during music and movement. Photograph a clay, paint, or block tower creation.
To be clear, what matters is not the amount of documentation you collect for each portfolio, it is the quality of the information it collects. Portfolios tell a story about the child. There must be a beginning, a middle and an end. Each work sample, anecdotal note, checklist, frequency count, and learning story should be used to show how a child processes information, develops relationships, and learns while playing.
Document Children’s Learning
Whether you collect evidence through spontaneous or planned observations, you will use your documentation to ultimately evaluate a child’s learning, growth, and development.
With well-organized documentation, intentional teachers can communicate effectively with a child’s family, using the evidence and artifacts they have collected over time. Families appreciate being able to see their children’s progress and how they interact with others.
Families also enjoy seeing the types of activities that their child participates in during a typical day at school. Here are some ways of documentation that can be used to show a child’s learning, growth, and development:
Rating scales and formal developmental assessments.
Daily progress reports and documentation dashboards.
Tips for Teachers when Collecting their Documentation
You can use a folder or notebook, a file or accordion-style folder, or a cardboard box. As observational evidence is collected for each child, it is vital that you come up with everything so you can organize it chronologically.
This will help you track each child’s progress throughout the school year more efficiently. Portfolios help you build a complete, authentic picture of each child in your class.
By knowing the “whole child”, you are better equipped to develop each child’s individual interests, and better able to plan appropriate activities for them.
Date: this is the key to tracking development over time
Time: start time and end time
Environment: consider location (indoor or outdoor; center or play area)
Purpose: what is the intended goal
Consider the child (or children) participating in the activity
Record only the facts: write down exactly what you see and hear
Be as specific (to the point) as you can
Record the events in the order in which they occur
Be descriptive and provide vivid details- create a visual image so others can “see” what is happening
Be specific and avoid vague or general terms- this is helpful when you revise your data.
Some resources you can use: The Redleaf home Child Care Program, Second Education, offers the same easy-to-use format of the original with new activities and ideas to create hundreds of creative and inclusive learning experiences.
Activities are organized according to age groups and domains development- physical and motor, cognitive, communication and language, social and emotional, and preparation for learning.
The material is organized to be used as a reference and to allow you to choose what you are looking for to meet the particular needs of the children in your care.
The book contains a complete curriculum for developing a successful home child care program that promotes the healthy development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in a loving, nurturing environment.
Ages and stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
Provides reliable social-emotional and developmental assessments and accurate for children between birth and 6 years.
Drawing on parents’ expert knowledge, ASQ has been specifically designed to identify developmental progress and detect delays in young children- setting the stage for meaningful next steps in learning, intervention or monitoring.
Playing and being outside in nature is good for children’s health and wellbeing on many levels. In schools and child care centers they work with different schedules, but they all have time for outdoor activities where children play and share different activities. Taking them out can help with motor development and physical health in general. Exploring nature is a way to encourage children’s curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. Spending time outdoors can also help children reduce their stress and increase their concentration.
These are some ideas of outdoor games to try, depending on your child’s age:
Outdoor play ideas for children ages 2 to 5
Pop bubbles and take out the ball.
Blow bubbles and challenge kids to chase and catch them or pop them. Who can make the biggest bubble? Who can blow a double bubble?
A fun activity for toddlers is to fill a bucket with water and some dish detergent. Give the child a whisk to stir the bubbles and explore their properties. Playing ball is another great way to get kids this age involved outdoors. Sit on the grass facing each other and roll a ball back and forth.
This not only develops motor planning and balance skills, but also helps teach social turn-taking and observing the body language of others.
5 tips for children to have fun and be safe
1. Keep children close
Be sure to watch carefully (either yourself or another adult) so that younger children don’t wander away or go up alone to the swings or play near the street.
2. Use safety measures around pools and hot tubs
Drowning is the leading cause of death among children under 4 years of age. Provide constant tactile supervision around pools, hot tubs, ponds and other bodies of water.
3. Setup the home playground safely
Anchor large home playground equipment deeply and securely to prevent wobbling. Install swings at least 6 feet from walls and fences. Look for openings in play structures, such as gaps in cargo nets, which should be less than 3 1 ½ inches (9cm) or more than 9 inches wide (23cm). This can prevent a small child’s head from getting trapped and prevent children from falling.
4. Avoid mowing the grass while children play
Electric lawnmowers can throw sticks, stones, and other objects with enough force to cause serious damage.
5. Help prevent insect bites
Avoid brightly colored clothing, as well as scented soaps and lotions, which may attract bees and wasps. Empty water from pools, bird baths, and other structures where stinging insects may breed. Long sleeves, pants, and hats can also protect against ticks in tall grass, bushes or wooded areas. When using insect repellent, consider one with 10% to 30% DEET. however, do not use DEET on children younger than 2 months and make sure the parent authorizes these repellents or sunscreens.
My name is Ivelisse De Jesus Cotto, I was born on January 6, 1984 in Caguas, Puerto Rico. I am the third daughter of 4 brothers. I was raised by my parents who have currently been married for 46 years.
They instilled good values in me. It was my parents who helped me continue my studies with a lot of sacrifice. In 2002 I began my studies in Preschool Education.
My first beginnings were in 2003 working at a Nereida Alicea Cruz Elementary School in Caguas, Puerto Rico as a special education assistant, being there made me realize that early childhood education has been my passion.
This experience was very enriching for me and the most beautiful. I am a very kind, social and responsible person. In that same year, 2004, I got pregnant with my first-born daughter. Tamayralis Almonte was the one who taught me not to give up and fight for my dreams.
I worked for 15 years in schools and summer camps. In 2020 I emigrated to the United States looking for a better quality of life for my family. When I arrived here in the US, I worked in several factories, but I realized that my true passion was working with children.
My sister worked for many years at a daycare. She was the one who helped me get my first job in a Child Care Center. I stayed there for 3 years. During that time I learned many things and I thank her for the opportunity.
“I AM A TEACHER WITH A VOCATION WHO TEACHES FORM THE HEART”
Ivelisse De Jesus Cotto
In 2021, I resumed my studies at MATC, in 2022, I made the decision to open my own business with the help of my husband, who for me has been the key basis to continue fighting day by day. 2023 was a year of many achievements, I opened the doors of Titis Family Child Care.
The main objective for this daycare is fun. Play is an essential strategy for teaching, this allows the child to participate socially. We like to laugh, play, dance, jump but above all we love to LEARN.
In 2022, my second daughter Milenna Cabrera comes into our lives, completing all the happiness for our lives. I am passionate about children. I believe that they are the future of our generation and from a young age we must instill values in them so that in the future they will become good people.
In our daycare, we welcome children every day with a lot of LOVE so that they feel safe and loved during the day we do tasks for their intellectual, motor and social development. In future plans, I want to open a center so that more children have the opportunity to continue providing a quality service to our community and contribute to change and build a new world by training professionals of the future.
Contribution of: Ivelisse De Jesus Cotto
Veracity • Innovation • Commitment • Positivism
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