As mentioned in a previous post, toddlers need to move in order to learn. What better place to move than outside in a garden.
Toddlers, as a matter of fact all children, need a garden that is not just something to look at. They need a garden that is not just a landscaped environment but a source of experience and activity that truly is a child’s space.
We have been listening. We hear you! Toddlers. How do we cater for their developmental needs and emotional well being without providing them with a watered down preschool curriculum or a revved up infant curriculum? In many centres the toddler programme is not cutting the mustard, is it? Toddlers are in a league of their own and it’s not always recognised or acknowledged.
Playing with water is a biological imperative for children. We all remember playing in, with and around water when we were children. Water is an essential ingredient of childhood play.
Watch children in nature. See how they position themselves. How children choose to put their body when they potter and play is a clue to how we need to create the space.
Dr Emmi Pikler knew the significance of an aware adult. Her wise words ring in our heart constantly, "It is not just about technique but how I am with myself". This quote is very poignant and we hope it helps us all reflect on 'how' we are with children's sadness and anger, especially with toddlers who are developing their own ‘will’.
Dr Emmi Pikler had this wonderful saying, “Food should always be a pleasure”.
Babies thrive on breast milk, the most nutritious food - but that is not all. Babies thrive on the closeness and warmth of the embrace when they are feeding. They thrive because they can tune into that drum-beat of Life they grew with in the womb, the heart-beat.