Welcome to our “The Wild Things” classroom!

As your toddler is continuing to grow so is their curiosity and desire to learn.  As they actively explore the world around them they are beginning to learn to communicate their thoughts and feelings.  In our two’s program Ms. Kim will keep their small hands busy and minds engaged through numerous activities which focus on social skills and cognitive development. Social skills are encouraged through teaching our children to take turns, use gentle hands, and play cooperatively with their peers. Ms. Kim has been with us as our 2’s teacher for 6 years. She has a unique ability to support each child and let them know that they are special in their own way.

Learning through Play

In our toddler class, we continue the approach that the best way to teach a child is through play and exploration. However, we do begin to introduce more teacher directed activities. Ms. Kim uses a weekly curriculum (which is posted in the room) based on themes that are not only interesting, but also enrich their learning experience by expanding their knowledge of the world around them. Our multi-experiential curriculum consists of a variety of activities including: art, music with instruments and dancing, pretend play, blocks, construction, dress up, science, social studies, as well as sand and water play. Our day starts with circle time, where the children are invited to join into songs, games, and stories. We also introduce concepts such as: ABC’s, Colors, Shapes, Opposites, Body Parts and Counting. Next, we offer a teacher supervised art project daily.   During art time children are encouraged to create freely. We work hard to cultivate their creativity and provide them with various art materials and mediums to do so. At New Discoveries Preschool, we focus more on the process by which our children create rather than the actual product that they are making.

To support your child’s gross motor development, the toddlers are able to enjoy playing in their own playground complete with slides, a play house, a basketball hoop, and the newly added tricycle path with several tricycles!

We also help foster their independence by encouraging self-help skills, such as pulling up their pants, putting on their shoes, washing hands, throwing their trash away, and cleaning up toys.

Potty Training

In this class, we specialize in potty-training. Ms. Kim will work with parents to make this potentially challenging task as easy as possible. We know that all children potty-train at their own pace but when they are ready, we work hard to support and motivate the children to want to use the toilet on their own. It is our goal to help your child successfully reach this milestone by the time they are three so that they will be able to move up to the next class, if they are developmentally ready. Our toddler classroom also has its own bathroom, with two child size toilets.

Safe and Engaging Room

The toddler classroom has been designed in a way to best support children’s desire to explore, play and learn as well as the teachers need to supervise, teach and cultivate your child’s specific developmental skills. The classroom is divided into centers (cozy area, art, building blocks, fine motor, dramatic play, and sand/water table), providing children with adequate room to play, rest and create. We believe that hands-on exploration and social interaction in safe, engaging surroundings will provide a wonderful opportunity for your child to grow.

Communicating with our Parents

We give our parents a Toddler/Parent Communication Sheet which details, your child’s morning activities, nap time, potty-training notes and other interesting information about their day. We have an open door policy, and invite our parents to come by anytime. Our teachers also work hard to ensure that they capture and document many of your child’s developmental milestones, through our individual portfolios.