Hello, Toddler Families and welcome to a true Autumn!
What a shift in weather we've had during these past couple weeks. As we continue to spend time outside, please be sure to keep an eye on the forecast when choosing shoes and clothes for the day. Exploring the outdoor environment daily and with enthusiasm is our goal, and we want them to feel prepared and comfortable.
This week we will enhance our focus on the self care of dressing, such as putting on and taking off jackets, mittens, hats, and continuing our work with their socks and shoes. A few popular mottos for Montessori guides are “help you help yourself” and "I can't help until I see you try" and "which part can you do?". What does this mean? We observe for signs of frustration and wait for the children to ask for help before intervening or offering help too early. When it comes to dressing, specifically, this means allowing them the time and space to remove and put on articles of clothing at their own pace.
The “Montessori Coat Flip” is one of our favorites! Lay the coat out so the hood/tag is at your child’s feet. Show them how to insert their arms into the arm holes and then stand and flip the coat over their head. Voila! The zipper or buttons can be trickier. With zippers, we help them to start it and children can finish. Here is the song we sing to accompany the “Coat Flip:”
“Tag by the toes,
Arms in the holes,
Over your head,
And on it goes!”
Socks are often more challenging than shoes for toddlers. To practice the motion of putting on socks, we have had bracelets on our work shelf. Pulling those on and off wrists and ankles helps the practice! We use consistent language in the class and have them put thumbs in the socks, pull open, and pull on. For shoes we teach "Open wide, foot inside!" to encourage opening of laces or velcro and then stretching the sides wide. Working with socks at home can also help their confidence and success in the classroom and as a hidden bonus, mastering socks gives them the fine motor skill to also master mittens!
We encourage autonomy in these practical life tasks because children feel a sense of accomplishment from completing these skills independently and this boosts their overall confidence. The light in their eyes when they master a zipper or can pull mittens on is worth it all! For us, it's important to focus on the positives. They may put their clothes on backwards or inside out, but we focus on all the progress they've made!
Chanukah comes early this year, beginning December 4th, so we are starting to introduce Chanukah crafts as well as songs and the story of the Maccabees. Community snack is going beautifully! So far we have introduced spreading, peeling, slicing, and the use of both small and large tongs.
Thank you to those families who have contributed and if you haven't had a chance to sign up, please reach out or find the link in our class WhatsApp. We look forward to seeing you all at the Chanukah walk through on December 9th!
Warmly,
Morahs Megan and Sarah
