Toddler Newsletter
June 2016
BITING 101
Biting is an age appropriate behavior that can be very frustrating to a teacher and the parents of other children in the classroom. Biting is most common among older infants and can occur without warning. Children at this stage of development may be teething and biting into anything gives them a form of relief. Toddlers also may bite because they cannot express their wants and needs, they may be seeking attention, stressed, frustrated, feeling threatened, over excited, or even bored. The most common time of day that we have found children biting their friends is the late morning. this is the time when teachers are busy cleaning up the room, preparing for lunch, working on diaper changes and potty breaks, and even laying out cots. To prevent this from happening, our teachers need to plan and prepare for this time and pay close attention to the children in their room who bite.
On the surface, we may not be able to discover the root cause as to why a toddler is biting. We need to look at the bigger picture and focus on what was happening before, during and after the behavior. Children need to be taught empathy, and when they bite their friends it is a perfect time to teach them that skill. Have the child who bit his friend hold an ice pack on the injured child. Talk to the child who did the biting about how it made their friend sad and that it hurt them.
It is also important to be aware of any environmental factors that could be contributing to toddlers in your room biting each other. Look at your room arrangement, and see if it is too crowded, the children should have enough room to move and play. Make sure you have developmentally appropriate items in your classroom for them to engage with.
Biting in your classroom can also affect the parents of all the children in your room. Having great open communication with the families in your classroom will make it easier when dealing with biters. Taking the necessary steps in being proactive can result in easier handling of biting situations that may arise.
Photo Cards
Show them real life objects if you can, show them the card, and talk to the children about what is on the card. For Example, the "Heartbeat" card for "How My Body Works" theme, can be shown to the children and then using a stethoscope, have the children listen to their own or a friends heart beat. Talk about the sounds that the heart makes. The more you talk to the children in your classroom and provide them with real life examples, the better they will be able to relate and comprehend what is presented to them.
Baby Signs for Communication
Website: http://www.babysignlanguage.com/
Ready, Set, GROW! Fit Foundations
Each school is equipped with a set of Ready, Set, GROW! manuals to use for finding the activities they want to incorporate into their classrooms. You will simply find which volume we are currently using at the time, find the tab for the sport, and open to the toddler age group! Find activities and have fun with it!
For the month of June, we will be focusing on Ready, Set, GROW! activities that involve basketball! There are 20 fun activities that you can incorporate into your daily lessons to get the toddlers in your class, moving and grooving. Be sure to model to the children what they should try to do during the activity. Don't forget to take down anecdotal notes about the children in your class as they perform these activities. It is the perfect time to get information together for their assessment and portfolios!
Language Immersion Spanish
Each school has two manuals for Language Immersion Spanish. Each volume is organized by theme and explores topic we will be covering that month. For the month of June, we will be learning about "clothes" which is located in the second manual. Be sure that you are making the Spanish lessons fun for the children and offering Spanish lesson everyday! Remember, children learn by repetition! Continue to use the words they are learning in different areas of your lessons as well.