Infant and Toddler Invitations for Learning Interpreting Play and Exploration

Play and Exploration Vision Children and their Learning Experiences Children and their Relationships Children and their Environments

Play and Exploration Principles of Early Learning Children as Competent Learners Holistic Development and Learning Strong Positive Relationships Stimulating and Dynamic Environments

What is an invitation for learning? An intentional, planned collection of materials which are set out to invite the children to play by stimulating interest in exploration of the materials A way of using open ended materials with which children can engage in multiple ways

Concerns for Infants and Toddlers Safety and supervision: choking hazards, toxic materials Cleaning and sanitizing materials: infants and toddlers often ‘mouth’ materials Ensuring activities are developmentally appropriate

Safety and Supervision Keep in mind that the following activities have been closely supervised by the educator(s) to ensure the safety of the children You may wish to replicate these invitations, slightly alter them if you think a different material would be more appropriate, or you may have your own ideas you would like to try

So what do they look like? There is no standard template for invitations. There are many variations to the ways invitations can be set up. Here are some possibilities…

Experimenting with Light Who could resist this invitation to play with flashlights? The overhead lights have been turned off so the effects of the flashlights are more evident.

Adding the tunnel enriches the exploration with the flashlights.

Invitations for learning should be visually pleasing or interesting.

Materials are thoughtfully arranged in an interesting way.

Things might not go the way you thought they would… The educator expected that the children would use the hammers provided to pound in the golf tees but the children pushed them into the foam with their fingers. Educators should have some ideas about what might happen but be open to other possibilities.

The children also decided that the activity would be better on the floor than on the shelf where the educator had presented the invitation.

Bubble wrap taped to the floor provides an invitation to explore texture.

Allow the children to explore the properties of the materials. Enrich the children's experience with language. Talk about what it feels and sounds like.

Children learn from each other. Relationships are important.

Children are naturally curious. Provide opportunities for them to learn in this natural way.

How Young Children Learn Infants and toddlers learn about the world through active exploration with their senses. They need to touch, see, taste, smell and listen to the materials in their environment. This learning is supported by their relationships with caring adults.

Toddlers like to dump and fill so we should provide them with opportunities and materials to do this.

Dump and fill play promotes physical development including gross and fine motor control.

Invitations for learning should encourage small group interactions of peers.

The water table can provide a calming activity for many children.

Infants too small to stand at the water table can experience water play in other formats such as tubs on the floor.

Note the towel under the tubs to keep any spills or splashes from creating a safety hazard of slippery floors.

Exploring the properties of water such as observing that some materials sink and some float, the water temperature (warm or cool) and the sensation of wet and dry provide for holistic development of the child: intellectual, physical, spiritual and social emotional.

Infants often use their entire bodies to explore their environment.

This blanket provides various textures of fabric.

The different fabrics provide many choices to explore. This exploration helps the child determine which tactile input she prefers.

This blanket has the textures all one colour- white. This allows the child to focus on the tactile sensory input rather than being distracted by the visual input of various patterns.

For young children, sometimes you need to bring the invitation to them or place it where they can crawl to it. Materials that may be mouthed should be removable and washable. These items are attached by velcro.

Using your sense of smell Children enjoy using their sense of smell to learn about what they like and dislike. Leaving the materials out and available allows the children to revisit the activity throughout the day or week.

Another way to present the same idea. This could be an extension based on observations of children noticing various smells in their environment.

Why provide invitations for children? Introduces children to new concepts Builds on an interest of the children Allows children to learn new skills Provides novelty and excitement Allows for active learning “an engaged child is a happy child” Quote from a Saskatchewan Educator