Structured Play

I have switched my organization process a bit to make things easier and faster for me. I found these 5 plastic boxes at Costco for about $30. I thought they would be a perfect way to organize our monthly activities while all the while keeping them neat and out of the way. I have 5 labels for the boxes including; Reading, Pre-writing, Arts and Crafts, Motor Skills and Math. These are the areas in which we have activities every month. You can download the labels here . I print them as notes so that they are small and fit on the front of the box. They could also be larger and on top of the box. What I am doing is preparing all of my activities for the month and placing them in the appropriate box. Each day when it is time to do our Structured Play Activities I ask Jacob to grab a box he would like to work on today. It has to be a box he has not done for that week. I have found that by letting him choose the box and the activity it cuts down on his lack of cooperation. Then onc...

I have had a few questions asked multiple times and I thought I would share them on a post. Jumping into a Structured Play program can be very daunting. If you have not checkout my Getting Started Page , you should do so. It will give some further guidance. Here are a few Q&As about Sensory Boxes... 1. Do you wash and dry all the beans/stones items in the box first? No, I do not wash the beans, rocks or other 'filler'. We wash hands after and they do not make too much of a mess with a little dust. 2. Won't your child spill those beans "outside" the box and how do you manage it? I have a very strict rule with our Structured Play time and space. I have just always started this way and continue to enforce the rules. They spill out of the box and that is uncontrollable for the most part. If they spill, he and I just pick them up. If he spills them on purpose to break the rules I put the box away. He knows this rule and for the most part he follows the rul...

I have had quite a few inquiries about the Color and Shape Posters I use in my Structured Play area. I bought them at a Parent Teacher Store but they can be found online. Here is a link from Amazon.com:  Color and Shape Posters I like them because they are basic yet they have colors, words and cute pictures that draw the kids in. Post them one at a time or in groups. Watch your child be drawn to them and make connections to the posters during activities. They are a great resource. 

Reading is something that we all do daily, but trying to read to and with a toddler is not the reading we are used to doing. Exposure to reading and to books is key for toddlers not the story line or comprehension of the text. At this point, reading might  not even include 'reading.' It is very hard for adults to accept that we can open a book, look at pictures and even talk about a book when we do not read the words. Many times I find myself reading Jacob's stories after he walks out of the room just because I want to enjoy the story. When going to the library weekly, I always have a list of books to look for from our monthly theme list . But I also try to find books that might spark interest in my son. These are books that have pictures that Jake can identify. At this point in his development he is not interesting in listening to stories but rather looking at the pictures and naming the items that he knows. *That does not mean that I do not read the stories to him! So...

Here are some pictures of our Structured Play area. It is a small corner in a spare bedroom. We have company about once a month but not consistently. This area is not aesthetically pleasing but it is doing much more so I let it go! (We rent and can't do anything to the house anyway!) The area is perfect because it has a lot of natural light, a built in bookcase and a window seat. Plus it is out of the way so we can go there just for our Structured Play time! Yes, the blue trim IS that obnoxious! It is not the picture! I have used the window seat as a shelf, it is perfect hight, for items I want him to explore. There is a basket of library books and a basket of 'game' pieces. The game pieces are the Matching, Sorting and finger puppets. The big comfy chair (one of the first major purchases I made after college, can't part with it!) would be idea for reading but Jake will not sit to read with me. Across from the chair is a dry erase board that has the flannel ...

When It is important to use your time wisely! Do not choose your Structured Play time when your little one is tired, fussy, hungry or otherwise. Saying that, you should know that the best time might not be the same time everyday or even everyday at all. This needs to be a fun, one-on-one time so make sure there are no distractions. (Phone off) You should plan your Structured Play time for only 5 to 15 minutes at first. Then as things progress, adjust accordingly. Remember it is play time so as soon as your little one shows signs of loss of interest or frustration move on to something else. Do not push it! Where Ideally, you want to find a spot for Structured Play that is out of the normal path of traffic. It should be a spot that your little one does not solo play everyday. The rationale is that this spot should be 'special' for Structured Play . A time when little one gets to play one-on-one and receives full attention. Now that being said, I understand that thi...

When starting to teach your child the best place to begin is where their interests lie. Toddlers should start by learning to identify and more forward from there. They should work to:  Identify:  (In no particular order)            *Common household items            *Body parts            *Animals            *Shapes            *Colors            *Numbers            *Letters      Compare:             *Large/Small             *Clean/Dirty                *Light/Dark             *Wet/Dry              *etc...         Match Items that are t...

I   have decided that I want to start 'working' with my son on a more formal basis for a toddler- Structured Play. I do not want him to notice that this is going on but I want to know that we are focusing on skills he should be learning.  Ok, ok..... I miss teaching!!! I taught for 9 years before being a stay-at-home mother. (Do not get me wrong, I LOVE!) I just miss teaching. I know I will go back to it someday soon but in the mean time I have these skills I might as well use them! AND share them! :)  I have a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master degree in Curriculum Development. These degrees along with my experience should help me to put together something that will really be helpful. In my search for 1 year old 'curriculum' I was not satisfied with what I found. So I have decided to put something together myself. This way I know it will work for us. I am NOT an expert and do not claim to be! I am using my background in child development, methods ...