Infant and Toddler Development and Programming Materials: Analytical Essay

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Name of Learning Material(s): Sensory Pillow (Different texture fabrics and materials)
Age Group: 12 to 18 Months

Description of learning materials and anticipated use:

My learning material is a sensory pillow, that is stuffed with three different materials, inside so the child can feel and explore the materials in and on the outside of the pillow. The material that is used in the stuffing is, regular pillow stuffing for the first half, beads for the second half that are sealed in another fabric bag, third half is microbeads which are also sealed in a separate fabric bag. So, the pillow is divided into three different sections, so the children can touch and shake the pillow to hear sounds. On the outside I used mermaid fabric on one side of the sensory pillow, and on the other side I used different textures of fabrics, so that the children can feel and touch them to understand how each fabric is different and the materials that are on the pillow are ribbons of different textures, buttons both big and small and different colored, and different textured flowers, and different texture toys, like the teddy bear and a round rabbit which has two textures on it hard and soft, and a zipper, which they can open and close. There is also a furry sound maker and another small fabric bag that is filled with soft materials. The pillow can be easily washed and changed because there are two pillowcases on top of each other and the children can’t reach inside. Children can explore them in different ways this will encourage the development of children. This engages the toddlers three of the five senses; touch, sound, and sight. The materials don’t have any sharp edges and won’t break if the children will bang it, throw it, or step on it and some of the materials are bright in color that is appealing and stimulating for toddlers. The size of the materials is small, so the toddler can hold it easily. They will explore how the sensory pillow, as they will visually experience the difference in size, colors, and weight. They will discover the different surfaces by touching these materials and will learn their names as we scaffold them for example, “look this surface is bumpy, smooth, soft, or rough textures”. I would give this to the child, when they are crying or when they want to play. What I anticipate the children will do with the material is, play with it and freely explore, their senses, sound, touch, sight. That will cool them down and help them focus when they show strong emotions.

Belonging:

The sensory pillow I made for this assignment is safe and easy to use, it is made of simple fabrics that are sewn together, and some of the materials that are used on it are everyday use materials and it’s possible that the child is familiar with these materials. When the child is familiar with the materials the child feels safe in using them and is not afraid or stressed, the child feels belonged. The opportunities to explore the materials on the sensory pillow freely will help the children to develop a sense of belonging to freely be allowed to explore and touch the pillow, in any way they want to explore it, because there is no right or wrong way. When the children freely explore the sensory pillow, they will get encouragement and attention of the caregiver or educator while the children freely, explores and play with the materials that will make the children feel safe and give them a sense of belonging and they will feel that the environment is fit for them. We can modify the sensory pillow in different ways and that will further enhance children’s learning. We can add other types of fabrics as well, that are of different textures, and we can use natural items on it as well to add a different texture dimension. We can also attach the pictures of the children’s family, pets and other items that are meaningful to the children. As all the components of the sensory pillow are familiar and the children might play and see the same items at home this would give the toddlers a sense of belonging when they can touch them, and feel them, and feely explore them, which will allow them to be comfortable with them. In the HDLH this is shown by, “children’s sense of belonging and feelings of security are also strengthened when they have opportunities to make and explore connections between home and the early childhood program” (HDLH 2014, page 25).

Wellbeing.

The sensory pillow that I made is safe, and open-ended, and easy to use and manipulate and is bias-free. It supports the children’s physical and emotional well-being of the toddlers and doesn’t overstimulate the toddlers. The materials are durable and won’t break easily if the toddlers will put it in their mouths, kick, throw or step on it. Toddlers can hear sound by shaking the pillow that will stimulate their auditory senses. The sensory pillow is easy to hold, and the children can develop their manipulative skills, by exploring the material on the pillow. The sensory pillow can develop and enhance children with fine motor skills and sensory motor skills. During this stage of toddlers still explore things by putting them in their mouths, and you can easily take the top cover off and wash it and then re-sew it back. In the HDLH this is explained by “nurture children’s healthy development and support their growing sense of self” (HDLH 2014, page 13) and “children’s growing independence and capacity for self-care enables children to tackle challenges, learn to persevere, and explore ways to cope with manageable levels of positive stress” (HDLH 2014, page 30).

Engagement.

“Active play that allows children to explore with their bodies, minds, and senses, stimulating them to ask questions, test theories, solve problems, engage in creative thinking, and make meaning of the world around them” (HDLH 2014, page 35). By providing toddlers the opportunity to freely use and manipulate the materials without any distractions that will engage and support the children with the materials. The children will be engaged in play if they can easily use the materials as they like and if the materials can be used differently. To engage and encourage the toddlers the educator could talk with the toddlers and ask them questions about, what they feel when they touch the fabric on the sensory pillow, for example “what do you feel…” or “what color is the fabric now” (here I’m asking about the mermaid fabric colors). “you can shake the sensory pillow, to hear sound.” And “is their other items or materials on the sensory pillow that make sounds”, when they press the items’, their face will change expressions, and that will keep them engaged.

Expression.

Toddlers are still very young and are still learning about things around them. When talking to them, we can’t use complex words or phrases. Instead, we can respond by their expressions, sounds and the movements they make when they want to express themselves or have something to say. For the sensory pillow, I can ask simple questions like, for example, “what do you feel, from touching the soft fabric?” or “do you like to touch this” and “ do you want to feel this?”. These types of response will help the toddler’s communication and language skills and I can also reply with expressive language, that will help the toddlers in promoting their language as well. “Conversation can occur with even the youngest infants when adults are attuned to the child’s subtle verbal and non-verbal cues and gestures and when they respond by interacting in “serve and return” exchanges” (HDLH 2014, page 41). For examples, if the toddlers are touching or pointing to the sensory pillow or the items on it, and is babbling or try to say some of the items names that they recognize, by pronouncing some of the letters of the words, like “ra,ra” for rabbit or “ ba.ba” for bear and etc.., I will repeat the sounds the toddler is making and then say the full words, “you like the rabbit or bear”. By repeating the words and sounds will help with their language skills and will encourage them.

Developmental skills.

The sensory pillow will help toddlers develop in all domains of development, when the toddlers will explore the sensory pillow with the educator it will help develop the toddler’s social domain, making eye contact and communicating through different means that can be verbal or by gestures to express them self’s, and the educators loving and caring response towards the toddlers will allow them to feel safe and secure. That will grow trust and respect in the toddlers. I will sit with the child and let them explore and manipulate the sensory pillow this will let me see the development in their physical domain as the child will extend their arms and will use their fingers to touch the materials and them to hold the pillow and practice their palmer grasp. As the sensory pillow has different items of size and shape, that will provide them opportunities to practice their palmer grasp skills. This will show the child gross motor skills. In the ELECT the skills will be, “5.1 Gross Motor Reaching and Holding • reaching towards objects • reaching and holding with palmar grasp” (ELECT, 2014 page 24). It will be easy for the toddler to hold the sensory pillow because it’s soft and not too heavy for them to play with, and they can explore the surface with their whole palm, as they learn about the different sizes, shapes and sounds this will develop their fine motor skills. In the ELECT “5.2 Fine Motor Palmar Grasp • holding objects with the whole palm” (ELECT, 2014 page 26). As the child will try to feel and explore the different textures of the fabrics this will develop their motor skills and the ability to explore objects of shape and sizes. In the ELECT “5.1 Gross Motor Coordination”, and “This provides an opportunity for the infant to coordinate which hand she will use, which toy she will hold” (ELECT, 2014 page 25).

The sensory pillow will also develop their senses, as they will shake and bang the pillow to make sounds and explore the items on the pillow as well, that will develop their auditory, visual, touch senses. In the ELECT “5.3 The Senses, visual exploration • looking and searching visually. Auditory exploration • making sounds by shaking and banging objects. Tactile Exploration • touching, rubbing, squeezing materials” (ELECT, 2014 page 27).

The child can manipulate the materials of the sensory pillow and the pillow itself as well, in many ways as they want as the pillow is open-ended and provides the opportunity to develop their cognitive domain as well. When we look and observe children who are focused on play, and the child disengages, and we comment on the play that they were doing, this way we will reinforce explorations and support their attention back to their play. This will develop their skill of attention and problem solving, and can ask questions, like “what sizes are the buttons?’. This question allows them to explore and engage as they count and look at the sizes of the button. From the ELECT “4.4 Spatial Exploration • identifying objects from different points of view (perspective)” (ELECT, 2014 page 22).

According to the theorist Jean Piaget’s cognitive development: sensorimotor stage:(substage 5) experiment (12 to 18 months) Infants from birth to 2 years are in the sensorimotor stage where infant’s knowledge of the world is based on their senses and motor skills, that they learn to develop, as they interact with their environment and objects. Tertiary circular relations allow toddlers to experiment with new behaviors by shaking different objects to discover what sound they make, and which objects don’t. (A chronological approach, 2018 page 143). The materials will offer the child with different opportunity to develop their sensory motor skills from touching the different materials on the sensory pillow, as the child engages in expressing their emotions, that will help the self-regulate. From the ELECT “2.1 Expression of Emotion • expressing comfort and discomfort” (ELECT, 2014 page 19).

Infants communicate through verbal, gestures and non-verbal expressions. To help promote the language skills, we can take turns and look at the different textures of fabrics and materials of the sensory pillow, that will encourage them to continue to explore the items and material, and we can point to the material to further engage them to keep their attention while making eye contact with them. From the ELECT “3.1 Non-verbal Communication Skills Referencing • checking in with caregiver using eye contact, Gestures • shaking head to mean “no” • using gestures in the presence of objects that show the purpose or function of an object, Intentional Communication • using gestures with the intention of meeting goals, Joint Attention • looking at what an adult is looking at • pointing to direct the adult’s attention” (ELECT, 2014 page 20). To further enhance the child’s language skills, we can respond to the child’s signals and by imitating them. From the ELECT, “3.3 Expressive Language Skills Vocalizing and Babbling • vocalizing to initiate social contact • babbling using a wide variety of sounds, Words with Gestures • speaking with words and gestures” (ELECT, 2014 page 21).

Safety Checklist for Infant and Toddler Learning Materials:

Learning materials for infants and toddlers must meet all the following criteria.
- Yes (safe)
- No (not safe)
There are no small parts less than 3.2 cm in diameter and shorter than 6 cm in length.
- Yes. There are no sharp edges or points.
- Yes All the materials are non-toxic.
- Yes. There are no strings longer than 20cm or loops that can fit over a child’s head.
- Yes. There are no small or detachable magnets.
- Yes. The materials are durable (will stand up to being mouthed, thrown, pulled, climbed on, etc.). Passed the test in class.
- Yes. The materials are washable (must be possible to disinfect).
- Yes. They do not include latex balloons, foam pieces or plastic bags.
- Yes. Stuffing or rattle contents are not accessible to an inquisitive toddler.
- Yes. Material is not a personal soothing item like a soother or teether. (Easily spreads germs).

References

How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years, (2014). Retrieved 27, March 2019 from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/howlearningHappens.pdf
Kail, R. V., & Zolner, T. (2018). Children: A chronological approach. Vancouver, B.C.: Langara

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