In the February Newsletter, we discuss several ways that common elements of the daily routine promote children’s development. When promoting children’s development it is helpful to think about the whole child as a learner. This means, that in addition to planning academic lessons, it is also important to intentionally plan activities that target social emotional and physical development skills. In many cases, you won’t need to create separate lessons to address these skills. Instead, create a plan for academic lessons that include opportunities for children to practice additional skills.  Here are a few ideas:

• Look for ways to add fine motor movement to literacy lessons.
• Explore math concepts using gross motor movements.
• When reviewing weekly lesson plans, look for opportunities for children to work in small groups or pairs to accomplish tasks.
• Think about elements of the daily routine that lend themselves to the practice of social skills.
• Consider how your interactions with children model and promote appropriate language and conversation skills.
• Identify lessons that help children develop emotional regulation skills.
• Suggest gross motor activities for infants.

In addition to planning where to integrate different areas of development in to the lesson plan, make notes of how you will assess the skills children are learning. Be prepared with your camera and sticky notes so that you can capture all of the learning that is happening as children explore.