The Reading Ladder

Toddlers

TRL’s Toddler program is designed to meet the developmental needs of active younger toddlers as they transition through stages in their development that include increased mobility, the beginnings of more regulated sleeping and eating patterns, and the start of exploration of the world around them. The children’s’ day is filled with hands-on learning experiences, music and movement activities, and opportunities to independently explore the different learning centers within their classroom. For younger toddlers, exploration of the world around them is a natural developmental stage. We build the curriculum around this innate sense of curiosity while focusing on appropriate social, cognitive, physical, and language development.

TRL Toddler Classrooms

At this age, children are becoming more curious about their environment. To support this, children are free to explore in a classroom that stimulates natural learning. The different learning centers in our Toddler classrooms include:

  • Dramatic play center
  • Block area
  • Table toy area which includes shelves filled with puzzles and manipulatives that focus on small muscle movements
  • Art area
  • Cozy area

The toys and props regularly change in each of these areas to promote our current curriculum study. We also read favorite books and sing songs each day during a short group time. Children are encouraged, but not forced to participate in group time activities.

  • Hastens speech development
  • Enables children to communicate their wants and needs effectively
  • Lowers frustration levels
  • Improves child and teacher bonding
  • Helps children remember words because there is muscle memory involved, and the more senses involved in learning, the greater memory retention the child will have
  • Improves attentiveness to social gestures of others as well as themselves

Curriculum

Our Toddler curriculum supports process-oriented art and sensory experiences that promote the exploration of materials and the encouragement of creativity. Through these hands-on experiences, children learn different ways to manipulate materials and to create products of self-expression

Toddler Lesson Plan
Toddler Goals
The schedule in our toddler programs is very flexible to meet the individual needs of each child. It allows for music and large movement activities throughout the day to promote physical development, and peer interactions and group projects are encouraged throughout the day to promote appropriate social skills through a positive peer experience. The children will also enjoy outdoor play time twice each day (weather permitting). Our exceptional toddler playgrounds allow teachers to bring curriculum experiences outside