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Creative play is referred to as a way for children to use self-expression and develop specific skills. Specifically, it helps children to make progress in each developmental domain.  Creative play promotes imagination and creativity, language and social skills, practice and improve gross and fine motor skills, as well as helps children learn about the world around them.

Sensory play is any play that uses one or more of the five senses. Use of the five senses during play helps children to discover and explore. It's extremely important as infants and toddlers explore using different senses than an adult would use to explore. Have you ever wondered why a baby likes to put things in their mouth? They're exploring.

Creative play is the perfect setting for children to explore and develop their senses. Developing each of the five senses is crucial when for children learning about their own environment and the world around them.

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Play Materials for Infants or Toddlers that Engages at least Three Developmental Domains:

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Play Materials for Infants or Toddlers that Engages at least Three Developmental Domains:

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This organization's website discusses the different ways in which students toddlers discover during play. One point that stood out to me was a toddler's use of a box. An empty box can be carried, pushed, kicked, or even pulled if you tie a string to it. If it's large enough, toddlers can even sit or stand inside the box. The box becomes heavier or lighter depending on what's inside. The box can also make different noises when shook depending on what's inside.

This play material engages the developmental domains of physical, social, and language. A box promotes the physical domain when the toddler climbs inside and outside the box, as well as when they carry or push the box around. This helps the children enhance their gross motor skills. The box also promotes the social and language developmental domains.

If the toddler is playing with other children, they can socialize with each other when experiencing exploration, discovery, and problem solving. Lastly, language is developed when the toddler is playing with an adult. This is called guided play. The child's language and knowledge advances when the adult asks questions and connect the play to prior experiences. Such as, "The box can be an airplane. Do you remember when you flew on an airplane? Where is the airplane going?"

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" In order to act as an educator for the child the environment has to be flexible; it must undergo frequent modification by the children and the teachers in order to remain up-to-date and responsive to their needs to be protagonists in constructing their knowledge ." - Lella Gandini, 1998.

Know

The Third Teacher

In Italy, after World War II, a teacher by the name of Loris Malaguzzi and parents in the villages outside Reggio Emilia, which were destroyed by the war, got together to create a new approach for teaching young children. The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community. These principles are developed through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment created based on the interests of the children. In Reggio Emilia programs, the environment is known as the third teacher because of its importance to development and learning. The environment should be responsive to the need for teachers and children to create learning together. The classroom environment can help shape a child's identity as a leader in his or her own life and the life of others. According to the philosophy, the child's first teacher is a parent who takes on the role of an active participant in guiding the education of the child. The second teacher is you, the caregiver within the classroom setting. The third teacher, the environment, when appropriately constructed has the ability to guide and facilitate learning and behavior. It is the combination of a child's relationship with the parent, teacher, and environment that best promotes learning.

Infants and toddlers are natural explorers, but there is still a lot you can do to help them learn and grow. This lesson will highlight the significance of creating purposeful environments and choosing materials that facilitate infants' and toddlers' learning and growth. You will learn how to identify what infants and toddlers enjoy exploring and how to meaningfully design your environments and materials to spark exploration. The final lesson in this course will discuss experiences and activities that promote cognitive development.

Environments and Materials that Promote Infants' and Toddlers' Cognitive Development

Infants and toddlers thrive, and cognitive learning explodes, when young children are allowed to explore an environment that is rich in developmentally appropriate materials with teachers who are respectful of their needs and know how to tailor experiences based on individual learning styles. Flexible environments allow teachers to be responsive to the needs and interests of the children, which allows children and caregivers to learn together. How you set up your learning environment for infants and toddlers can make a difference in what and how they develop and learn.

Learning is both individual and social and it takes place within social and cultural contexts. Therefore, you need to make sure your learning environment provides opportunities for infants and toddlers to engage in individual experiences, as well as meaningful interactions with peers and caregivers in your room throughout the day. Consider the different areas in your room. How are these set up? Are there interesting, age appropriate, and fun materials for infants and toddlers to manipulate, explore, and learn from? When thinking about interactions with peers, how are you setting up the environment for these interactions to take place? Do you provide enough materials, such as large blocks or balls for a group of children to manipulate, stack, or push while interacting with you and their peers? Do you provide enough space where children can work together to explore materials? Do you provide cause and effect toys to encourage exploration? Many questions and concerns regarding children's behavior can be answered by looking at the set up of your environment and asking yourself these questions. The solution to unwanted behaviors if often discovered by changing one or more aspects of the environment. The materials and arrangement of a classroom can play a major role in the relationships that form between infants, toddlers, and caregivers.

Infants and toddlers find enjoyment in making their own discoveries and learning how things work. They love to experiment! They want to use materials in many ways and not be limited. It is important that toys and materials meet the children's needs even if they are not necessarily attractive to adults. Consider for example that young children often enjoy a box a particular toy comes in more than the actual toy. Have you thought about why this is? A box has flaps for opening and closing. A child can put items in and take them out. They can push the box, kick it, carry it, and add a string to it to pull it. Some boxes are big enough to climb into or even stand inside. Every item a child puts in that box will make a different sound when shaken. Different items make it heavier or lighter. A box encourages discovery, exploration, experimentation, and problem solving. It is a great learning tool for such a "simple" item.

When choosing materials keep the following in mind:

Materials must be intact, usable, and safe always. If batteries in electronic toys have lost their charge, replace them or remove the toy from play.

Materials can be purchased, borrowed, or donated from a variety of places. Donated or borrowed materials must be approved before use in the classroom. Materials do not have to be purchased from early care and education companies to support learning and play.

Materials can be homemade or make-it-and-take-it from crafts that are added to the classroom.

Open-ended materials encourage investigation and group learning. They can be used in a variety of ways for a variety of interests.

Change materials as the interests of the children change. Simple adaptations may be exchanging wooden blocks for foam blocks and offering new book selections throughout the space. Larger changes can be made by rearranging the layout of the room or adding a new piece of furniture.

Infants and toddlers with special needs may require modifications to the way experiences are provided or supported and in materials they use. Special needs should not inhibit a child from exploring, problem solving, and experiencing the environment.

Accessibility of Learning Materials

Infants and toddlers learn by doing and materials must be within their reach for them to have appropriate experiences. Many early care and education resources refer to the importance of accessibility of materials within learning environments. Infants and toddlers follow their desire for certain materials and experiences, and if materials are not accessible for much of the day then their needs may go unmet. If this happens frequently and consistently, their learning opportunities are greatly diminished. When you get to know each child you care for well by observing them on a daily basis, your selection of age-appropriate materials and planning of child-directed and adult-guided experiences that encourage discovery, exploration, and problem solving will support their cognitive development.

Accessible materials are:

Within reach of infants and toddlers, not stored in cabinets or on shelves that are out of reach.

Available for infants and toddlers to use whenever they want, without having to ask for them.

Visually accessible and appealing to the children. This means using small, shallow baskets and clear containers on clean and organized shelves.

For materials to be accessible to nonmobile infants, you must frequently and consistently move the infant to a variety of materials and move materials to the infant. While infants may not be able to choose their experiences, moving them around the environment allows them to observe their peers and explore new spaces and items.

When choosing materials for your environment, consider quantity, quality, and availability of items. For example, a basket of eight to ten foam blocks displayed on a shelf may seem limiting, but it is a way to control constant messes from mobile infants who are interested in dumping, while still providing the opportunity for everyone to explore the material. If you notice a group of toddlers working together to build with the blocks, then you can provide a larger container with more blocks to support ongoing learning. It is also important to remember that wait time before, during, and after routines and during transitions is a time when infants and toddlers should have access to materials. Simple changes that help keep wait time to the suggested 3-minute minimum include:

Displaying a mirror or pictures near the changing table for children to interact with during diaper changes.

Offering a basket of books near the classroom exit so that infants and toddlers can read independently or with an adult while waiting to transition outdoors.

Providing clean manipulatives on a tray while meals are being prepared.

Your attention to what infants and toddlers need developmentally and what they are interested in motivates their desire to learn, which in turn inspires you to continue to adapt and change to support who they are today and shape who they will be tomorrow.
Environments and Materials that Address the Needs of All Learners
There are many things you can do in your learning environment to help all infants and toddlers meet important learning goals. As highlighted above, the first and most important step is to gather information about the children in your care. You will need to know what infants and toddlers are able to do well and what seems to be challenging. Gathering information will help you know the skills and strategies that are likely to help each child in your care.

Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2011) is one strategy you can use. UDL helps all people learn and be successful in their environments. There are examples of universal design all around us: audio books, curb cutouts for strollers and wheelchairs, keyless entry on cars, and electric can openers. Many of these tools were developed for people with disabilities, but they make life easier for all of us. Using the concept of UDL, some examples of what caregivers can do in their classrooms to support infants and toddlers with special learning needs are: using a simple picture schedule, adapting seating arrangements, or using adaptive toys and eating utensils. For additional examples demonstrating the use of UDL, please refer to Lesson Five in this course, Supporting Cognitive Development: Experiences and Activities.

Reflecting on Your Own Practices

It is important to recognize the messages you send in your classroom. Sometimes biases sneak into our environments, materials, or interactions. Awareness of your own bias is an important step in supporting development. Think about which of the following biases might be in your own classroom:

Biased language. Language can send stereotypical gender messages. Adults might call infants and toddlers "baby girl," "big boy," or "cutie" rather than their given names. Staff might encourage girls to "be careful" while saying "boys will be boys." To fight this bias, staff could encourage peaceful solutions for all children (avoid directions like not hitting girls or not hitting kids with glasses). Be sure to comment equally on girls' and boys' appearances and accomplishments.

Stereotypical play opportunities and materials. Infants and toddlers are often encouraged to play in certain ways (e.g., girls with dolls and boys with trucks). Make sure boys and girls get equal access and encouragement for playing with balls, blocks, music, art, active play, and messy play. Comment on the child's action with a material rather than your personal inferences or cultural expectations.

Biased materials. Posters and materials for the classroom may present stereotypical images (e.g., Native Americans in war paint, an all-male construction crew). Make sure the images in your classroom show men and women equally in a variety of professions. Make sure drawings or photos of people with disabilities are respectful images. Include books that show different ethnic backgrounds, social classes, and family structures.

There are many ways you can enhance the curriculum to improve children's understanding and acceptance of culture. The following are some examples (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010):

Classroom props or materials: Include props from a variety of cultures. Books, furniture, dolls, dress up clothes, or musical instruments can all reflect experiences from around the world. Art materials should include a range of materials for representing skin tones and various artistic styles, fabrics of various patterns, and books about art around the world.

Bulletin boards and displays: This space can be used to reflect and respect family traditions. Ask families to bring in pictures or other items for the board.

Class books or biographies: Books about the infants and toddlers in the class document the real experiences of children and families. Talk to infants and toddlers about their lives and their families and incorporate those in drawings, stories, or songs throughout your day.

Family stories: Provide families with materials and instructions for creating a Family Book. Families and children can work together to talk about and record their family history and daily life. This can be a great way to introduce children and families to one another.

Storytelling: Encourage grandparents or community elders to share stories of their early childhoods with the class or group. These can be audio-recorded or transcribed to create keepsake books for the class.

Messages from home: Using a tape-recorder, encourage family members to record a brief message in their home language. This can be played for an infant or toddler when he or she is upset or homesick.

Music: Include music tapes or CDs and songs from different cultures during music time or story time.

Collaborative work: When appropriate, encourage children to work together in groups. This may minimize the pressure on a child who is learning English. It also exposes children to a variety of ideas and encourages creativity.

Snacks and meals: Invite families to share a traditional meal or snack with the children.

See

The following videos demonstrate how important environments and materials are when it comes to supporting cognitive development.

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Watch how using blocks supports learning.

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Watch how accessible music materials support learning

Do

There are many ways teachers can promote exploration and problem solving through the materials they provide within the environment. Below is a list of ideas to keep in mind when choosing materials for cognitive development.

Ensure that materials are safe. Choking and falling are primary concerns for infants and toddlers, and toys and materials need to be safe. When evaluating your materials, watch out for sharp edges or projections, as well as chipping paint. Select items that are nontoxic.

Select materials that are easy for infants and toddlers to handle on their own. Young children learn by manipulating items by themselves; however, be ready to assist them if needed.

Select materials that support cognitive development for each age group served. Use developmental milestone information to make choices that support cognitive development. Understand that materials may serve a different learning purpose for different age groups.

Choose items that are used in homes (e.g., kitchen spatulas, serrated spoons, strainers, wooden spoons, plastic bowls, shoe boxes, dish towels). This links home and child care experiences in the eyes of the child and shows families that learning materials are often at their fingertips and inexpensive. A lot of these materials are also open-ended and therefore, appropriate for children at different ages and developmental stages.

Examine each item and evaluate how it promotes child development. Does it support cause and effect actions? Does it utilize fine motor skills? Does it teach infants and toddlers about spatial relationships? Does it help them practice problem-solving skills? Most materials should be applicable to multiple of these inquiries.

Include materials that support each child's interest and skill level. For example, if you have a few pre-toddlers who love soft toys that squeak, make sure you have several bins of different toys that squeak available for them to explore.

Provide exact duplicates and triplicates (same color, size, function) of the same item. This allows more than one infant or toddler to play and learn at the same time and supports social-emotional growth and development.

Choose materials that honor diversity. Materials should be representative of children and families who attend the program and the community and should promote positive portrayal of all persons. A variety of materials should include people of different genders, roles, and occupations (female firefighter, male caring for a young child), ages, ethnicities, and ability levels (person wearing glasses, person using an assistive device like a walker or a wheelchair).

Offer materials that include a variety of textures, skills, colors, sizes, shapes, and functions. Items can be made of wood, metal, plastic, cloth, vinyl; be smooth, bumpy, rough, soft, and hard. Neutral and natural-colored items are pleasing to infants and toddlers; bright colors do not make an item better. Most infants are attracted to materials of high contrast such as black and white pictures of simple images or design.

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Supporting Cognitive Development: Environments and Materials | Virtual Lab School

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In Italy, after World War II, a teacher by the name of Loris Malaguzzi and parents in the villages outside Reggio Emilia, which were destroyed by the war, got together to create a new approach for teaching young children. The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based on the principles of respect, responsibi…

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Resource that will help Families and Caregivers Provide Play Materials for Infants or Toddlers that Engage at least Three Senses:

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Resource that will help Families and Caregivers Provide Play Materials for Infants or Toddlers that Engage at least Three Senses:

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Families and caregivers should select materials that are developmentally appropriate for the age of the infant or toddler. One example for infants would be no-tear, interactive, soft books. Soft sensory books are typically made out of cloth and include high contrast pictures, mirrors, and a variety of textures for baby to explore.

A sensory book allows infants to see, hear, and touch. See: the different colors and shapes. Hear: the sounds the different materials make when you scratch them, or hear the story as the adult is reading. Touch: the different textures and interactive pieces of the book.

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Know

Curiosity drives infants and toddlers to investigate and explore their environment. Secure relationships and exploration encourage infants and toddlers to play with and manipulate a variety of materials and gain a sense of pleasure while learning. Most infants learn to explore objects with all their senses: seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, and smelling. Through safe exploration, they also begin to develop ways of learning and gathering information about objects.

Understanding infant and toddler development, as well as the role of play, can help caregivers select materials to meet young children's unique needs and interests and support their development and learning.

Selecting Materials

Caregivers have many choices when selecting materials for an infant or toddler environment. The materials help set the stage for learning. Infants and toddlers may feel a sense of security and make connections when they are able to see and play with materials also found in their home. They should be exposed to items that are beautiful, ignite curiosity and engagement, and invite connections to their cultural identities. Early-childhood educator Ann Pelo writes, "Teachers learn about children's family and cultural identities and integrate those identities into the daily life of the classroom, at the same time as they acknowledge the ways in which their own cultural identities shape their teaching" (2008, p. xi).

While infants and toddlers explore materials that are interesting to them, the caregiver can help make the experience meaningful. Caregivers should select materials that are:

Culturally relevant and anti-biased: Do these materials reflect equality and respect within the racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and family diversity of the program and of the broader community? Do these materials embrace individual differences?

Developmentally appropriate: Do these materials allow infants and toddlers to play in a variety of ways? Do they support the abilities of each individual? Do these materials help us reach important learning goals for infants and toddlers?

Linked to children's interests: Do these materials reflect the infants' and toddlers' current interests and help spark new ideas?

Culturally Relevant and Anti-Biased

Infant and toddler play and learning materials should be culturally relevant and anti-biased. But what does that mean? Cultural relevance means your choice of materials should reflect the backgrounds, community, knowledge, and experiences of the diverse children in your room. An anti-biased approach means that you support and embrace the differences within each individual. By choosing materials that validate and empower children of all racial, ethnic, familial, and social backgrounds, as well as diverse abilities, you will build a bridge between children's home and school lives that will provide a strong foundation for learning. "Bringing in artifacts and natural objects from the local community or neighborhood offers opportunities for children to experience and understand their immediate world" (Duncan, Martin, & Kreth, 2016, p. 13).

Above all, remember to engage families in making your learning space a culturally appropriate space. Display framed pictures of families and create family books with the children. Encourage family members to share their home language and help you label items in the room with words from that language.

Developmentally Appropriate

Toys and materials in your learning space should be developmentally appropriate. This means they should match the stage of development and abilities of the children in your care. Because children develop at different rates, choosing developmentally appropriate materials means you should have a range of toys available that can accommodate differences between individual children's skills, experiences, interests, and characteristics. A room stocked with developmentally appropriate materials "fits" the child-the child should not have to adjust to "fit" the learning space!

In infancy and toddlerhood, children develop and change dramatically. Caregivers should consider what toys and materials match their current development and how materials can support ongoing development and learning. For example, looking at and reading books with infants and toddlers can support the following types of development:

Emotional: Book reading and quiet book areas give infants and toddlers an opportunity to relax and recharge.

Social: Looking at books with a caregiver or friend can help strengthen a relationship.

Motor: Turning the pages of a book uses and enhances fine-motor skills.

Language: Caregivers can read with and help infants and toddlers explore books, pictures, and new words.

Cognitive: Infants and toddlers are introduced to new words, text, and pictures.

Developmentally appropriate toys and materials facilitate learning through play. When such items are offered in a safe environment, infants and toddlers can move around and interact with them and with each other. If toys are too difficult or advanced, infants and toddlers may become frustrated. In addition, if toys are too simple, they may become bored and seek to entertain themselves in unsafe ways (e.g., running throughout the room or climbing on furniture). Through interactions, caregivers can help infants and toddlers explore developmentally appropriate materials and see themselves as the competent and capable learners that they are.

One element to keep in mind when offering developmentally appropriate materials is having multiples of favorite items whenever possible. Having duplicates of coveted items (e.g., dolls, trucks, or musical instruments) will decrease infant and toddler frustration and encourage positive interactions between children. It is important to remember there are many other natural opportunities for infants and toddlers to begin learning about "turn-taking" and negotiation with caregiver guidance. For example, toddlers may negotiate who will go down the slide next or older infants will learn to take turns sharing their song ideas during group time.

When considering developmentally appropriate materials, be sure to include the creative arts. These might be materials that you plan to offer with certain interest ideas, or ones that you plan to use with small groups or individual activities. These items can include crayons, markers, paints, dot markers, paintbrushes, sponges, etc. It is important to provide children with these early creative experiences so that they have opportunities to get acquainted with art materials and to learn about their uses. Make sure that you plan for time and space when offering these ideas. All materials should be safe and nontoxic. You can learn more about incorporating art into the infant and toddler learning environment in the Creative Expression course.

Examples of developmentally appropriate materials include:

Younger infants (6 weeks - 6 months):

High-contrast pictures

Soft rattles

Mirrors

Play mats or play gyms

No-tear or board books

Older infants (about 6-12 months):

Soft blocks for building

Baby dolls

Large balls

Nesting toys (e.g., plastic cups)

Plastic and wood vehicles with wheels

Board books

Cause and effect toys

Toddlers:

Wooden puzzles with 4-12 pieces

Dress-up clothes, puppets

Chalkboard with large pieces of chalk

Blocks

Transportation toys

More detailed picture books

Refer to the Meeting Infants' and Toddlers' Needs: Developmentally Appropriate Materials (Apply section) attachment for excellent guidelines for selecting toys and materials for infants and toddlers.

As you learned in the Safe Environments course, you should make sure the materials you provide are safe. All materials in your learning space should be made for infants or toddlers (including size and shape). Ensure your room is free of toxic materials (such as certain plants or art supplies). Make sure you carefully supervise materials that could be difficult for the developmental skills of younger children.

Linked to Children's Interests

Feel competent and recognize they are capable of doing different things.

Express their unique ideas

Develop self-help skills.

Interact and build relationships with their caregivers and peers.

Feel calm and supported.

Explore and experiment.

To support infants' and toddlers' interests, remember to rotate toys and materials as their ideas evolve. Materials should reflect the current interests of the children, the developmental skill level, and serve as a provocation for extending their learning. When an item is no longer being used, it becomes a source of frustration, or if it does not reflect the children's interest, swap it for something new. You can also change the type, amount, or placement of materials to give the children a new perspective on their ideas. For example, you can offer different sizes, shades, or types of crayons, or you can try removing the crayon wrapper for a different sensory experience.

Keep in mind that some families may not value play the way other families do. Some families may not have an environment that allows for safe play or a tradition of special time or floor play with their infant or toddler. Learn about families, seek to understand differences, and discover what is most important to them for the care of their infants and toddlers.

Open-Ended Materials

Not all toys are created equal. Some toys spark imagination and some hinder it. You might have noticed that young children are often more interested in the box than the toy that came inside. Why? Because the box can become anything. It becomes a drum when you hit it, a house when you put a doll inside it, a hat when you put it on your head, and a mask when you play hide and seek behind it. The possibilities are endless. Infants and toddlers learn and explore more when a toy is only limited by their imaginations. Remember that loose -parts and provocations can be used. Consider the following list and think about why toys spark or limit imaginative play.

Toys that may limit imaginative play:

Action figures or plastic dolls with preset accessories or movements

Toys that talk, sing, or dance

Toys that are branded, such as with a TV show or popular character

Toys and materials that spark imaginative play:

Dress-up clothes

Large and small boxes

Baby dolls

Musical instruments

Writing and art materials

Items that are open-ended or can be used in a variety of different ways (e.g., blocks, scarves)

Linked to Developmental Goals

It is perhaps most important to think about why you have selected the materials in your room. Ask yourself: how will this toy or material help infants and toddlers meet their individual learning and development goals? What will they learn from it? Use your knowledge of learning and developmental standards for infants and toddlers and your curriculum guidelines to shape your classroom decisions. Select a variety of materials that will help individual children in your classroom work on their current developmental or learning goals. Think about the ways you can engage with each individual to enhance the experience. What ways can the responsive language you use promote the cognitive understanding of the world around them?

Look for materials that promote infant and toddler development in a variety of ways. For example, perhaps you have play gyms with a variety of materials for younger infants to grasp, kick, and move to assist with their fine- and gross-motor development. These materials could be constructed out of different colored and textured fabrics so as infants and caregivers interact with them, caregivers can make comments about the different characteristics ("I see you just grabbed the red string," or "Oooh, that one feels soft, doesn't it?") These comments help children's cognitive understanding of the world around them and build their early vocabularies.

See

Watch this video for more ideas about the selection and use of materials to support learning and development in infant and toddler care.

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Advice on materials selection and use of materials to support infants and toddlers

Do

When it comes to selecting materials for infants and toddlers, be sure to:

Talk to a trainer, coach, or administrator about materials that are most appropriate for your learning space.

Offer materials that challenge infants and toddlers but are not so complex they cause frustration.

Change materials in response to infants' and toddlers' interest, ability, growth, and development.

Include duplicates of favorite items.

Make adaptations so that all infants and toddlers can be included in experiences and can use materials in the learning environment.

Ask families to contribute materials from their own homes.

Reflect on the diversity of the materials in your learning space. If you notice any biased materials, make a change.

Cryer, D., Harms, T., & Riley, C. (2004). All about the ITERS-R: A detailed guide in words and pictures to be used with the ITERS-R. Kaplan Early Learning Co.

Daly, L., & Beloglovsky, M. (2017). Loose parts 2: Inspiring play with infants and toddlers. Redleaf Press.

Derman-Sparks, L. & Olsen Edwards, J. (2020). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves (2 nd ed.). National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Dodge, D., Rudick, S., Berke, K. (2015). The creative curriculum for infants, toddlers, and twos (3 rd ed.). Teaching Strategies, Inc.

Duncan, S., Martin, J. & Kreth, R. (2016). Rethinking the classroom landscape: Creating environments that connect young children, families, and communities. Gryphon House, Inc.

Elkind, D. (2007). The power of play: Learning what comes naturally. Da Capo Press.

Greenman, J., Stonehouse, A., & Schweikert, G. (2008). Prime times: A handbook for excellence in infant and toddler programs (2 nd ed.). Redleaf Press.

National Association for the Education of Young Children.(n.d.). Good toys for young children. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/play/toys

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Great books to read to infants and toddlers. https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/great-books-read-infants-and-toddlers

Harms, T., Cryer, D., & Clifford, R. M. (2017). Infant/toddler environment rating scale (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press.

Parlakian, R. (2020). Building new skills: Block construction in toddler settings. Young Children. 75(1). https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2020/rocking-and-rolling-building-new-skills-block-construction-toddler

Pelo, A. (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Rethinking Schools.

Schaefer, R. (2016). Teacher inquiry on the influence of materials on children's learning. Young Children. 71(5). https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2016/teacher-inquiry-materials

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Curiosity drives infants and toddlers to investigate and explore their environment. Secure relationships and exploration encourage infants and toddlers to play with and manipulate a variety of materials and gain a sense of pleasure while learning. Most infants learn to explore objects with all their senses: seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, and smelling.

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Resources and Materials for Incorporating IFSP, IEP and Specially Designed Instruction Goals as Appropriate:

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Resources and Materials for Incorporating IFSP, IEP and Specially Designed Instruction Goals as Appropriate:

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This organization includes information on adaptations for children with special needs that families and care-givers can make. Either at home, or in the child care environment. Some examples wrapping a cloth sock around a bottle for a child who has difficulty holding things. Another example would be removing every other ring in a ring stack toy for a child who has difficulty stacking things. Another example could be as simple as a quiet environment for play or removing a rub so a child who has difficulty walking doesn't trip and fall.

Play experiences are just as important for children with special needs just as it is for any other child. Play can help promote new learning and the development of fine and gross motor skills. Taking place in the play setting, the child is more likely to be engaged and willing to participate.

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Many child care providers work with children who have disabilities or special needs. Remember that children with special needs are children first, and have more similarities than differences from children without disabilities. Every child has a unique personality and special skills. Keep your primary focus on each child's strengths and abilities as you work to make modifications and adjustments.

Making Adaptations to Include Children with Special Needs

Each child is different, and each delay or disability will require different modifications. Child care providers should gather as much information as you can about the child and the disability, and learn about typical modifications that can be made. The child's parents and professionals who work with the child can be a tremendous resource. Don't be afraid to ask questions or make suggestions.

Many of the adaptations that you make to your child care program will be simple. Often, the modifications will also benefit the other children in your child care program.

General Modifications to Accommodate Children with Special Needs

Plan together. Parents, consultants, and caregivers need to set goals together. Ask to be a part of the team that develops and tracks the child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) so you can discuss activities, exercises, and supports needed to reach goals. Goals should be simple and should match the abilities of the child. Always discuss your ideas and plans with the family.

Modify toys and equipment. Simple changes often can be made to regular toys. For example, you can help a child who has difficulty with stacking rings by simply removing every other ring. For a child who has difficulty holding a bottle, cover the bottle with a cloth sock so little hands can grasp it better.

Make small changes in your child care environment. Slight adjustments in your child care environment may make the time that a child with special needs spends with you easier and more enjoyable for everyone. A quiet, private space for play may help an overactive child. A child with poor vision may benefit from an extra lamp in the play area. Removing a rug that slips will help a child who has trouble walking.

Model appropriate behaviors. Children with special needs are sometimes timid about playing with others. You can show them how by being a play partner yourself. You might play a game with the child or pretend to go shopping together. As the child becomes more comfortable, you can invite other children to join your play activity.

Teach specific words and skills that will show how to find a playmate and how to be a playmate. Learning how to look directly at another child when speaking or to say "May I play?" are big steps for some children.

Teach typically developing children how to talk and play with children who have a disability. Talk to the children about what to do. For instance, gently touching the shoulder of a child with a hearing impairment or looking directly at him while talking are effective ways of getting that child's attention.

Look for strengths as well as needs. Avoid becoming too focused on a child's disability. Treat each child as a whole person. Provide activities that will support a child's strong points. Every child needs to feel successful and capable.

Consult with parents, health care professionals, and early childhood specialists. Parents and specialists can provide specific information and suggestions for working with a child who has a disability. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Parents sometimes take it for granted that caregivers will know what to do.

Modifications for Children with Specific Disabilities

The following links can give you specific information on adapting the child care environment to meet the needs of children with certain types of disabilities. When you read this information, remember that every child and every disability are different.

More information about supporting children with special needs is also available in the eXtension Alliance for Better Child care section on Child Care for Children with Special Needs.

Photo by Pam Cleverley, Perry Bisman / CC BY https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

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Adapting the Child Care Environment for Children with Special Needs

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Many child care providers work with children who have disabilities or special needs. Remember that children with special needs are children first, and have more similarities than differences from children without disabilities. Every child has a unique personality and special skills. Keep your primary focus on each child's strengths and abilities as you work to make modifications and adjustments.

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Resource on The Importance of Integrating Games into the Curriculum

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Resource on The Importance of Integrating Games into the Curriculum

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This resource includes information on the importance of including games in the classroom curriculum. Games link content to low stakes competitions.

During the pandemic, online games have also served the purpose of keeping kids connected and involved at a time of disconnect. Games can also be a great outlet for children to release stress and apply creativity and imagination.

Some games also involve in-the-moment decisions or mini games, allowing the player to experience how their quick decisions can make an effect.

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What happens when a gorilla goes into a battle with a brown hyena in an Australian rain forest?

Tanya Buxton's high school biology students could find out as they embark on March Mammal Madness (MMM), a virtual game modeled after the annual NCAA basketball championship that aims to educate U.S. students about the importance of biodiversity and endangered species.

This is the second year in a row that Buxton has enrolled her Atherton, California, students in the tournament to deepen their understanding of global ecosystems while building community and camaraderie among peers.

Gameplay in school isn't just about having fun though, say Buxton and other teachers, who are increasingly using games and gaming principles to enhance instruction. From Minecraft to the Game of Life and Werewolf, effective games like March Mammal Madness link content with low-stakes competition and can provide a more collaborative, engaging classroom experience-especially for students who may struggle to focus or find their niche in learning. During the pandemic, games have also provided an important outlet that keeps kids connected and motivated remotely.

These claims aren't just anecdotal. According to research, using games in teaching can help increase student participation, foster social and emotional learning, and motivate students to take risks. One study of the popular multiple-choice quiz game Kahoot found that it improved students' attitudes toward learning and boosted their academic scores. In addition, studies have found that virtual games can improve focus and attention for students with ADHD and help students with dyslexia improve spatial and temporal attention, which can translate into improved reading.

But games aren't substitutes for other forms of learning. Like any educational tool, they need to be well-planned and integrated only when they're relevant to the learning objectives.

Think of games not as Band-Aids to fix what's broken in the classroom but as "a pedagogical approach that might help people think differently about what's possible... limited only by a player's imagination and by what a gaming set of rules allows," says Antero Garcia, an assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education who studies the impact of technology and gaming on youth literacy and civic identities.

Want to integrate well-developed games or just a few gaming principles into your lessons? Here are some approaches to consider to make games a valuable teaching tool.

Test and Learn

In many games, players encounter scenarios that involve making in-the-moment decisions that let them quickly see the impact of their choices in a low-risk setting and then try (and try again) if they falter-skills that are valuable as they go through life, says Garcia.
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Teachers, for example, can use role-playing games in the classroom to help students inhabit different perspectives and understand them as part of larger, holistic systems of thought, explains Matthew Farber, a former teacher and assistant professor at the University of Northern Colorado who studies the intersection of game-based learning and SEL. This system of thinking can become a good entry point for students to learn about their own agency as they weigh possibilities and consider alternate plans of action.

Because games are interactive-unlike books or movies that involve more passive consumption-they may also encourage students to explore new topics and approaches to learning that they otherwise would not consider, he says.

In the virtual game Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, for example, players launch mini-missions where they discover and protect species of endangered animals. Though students might not consider themselves adventurers or conservationists when they play the game, the low-risk setting can get them thinking about larger-scale impacts they could have in the real world, adds Farber. As a follow-up activity, students could conduct further research on animals they encountered or even take local nature walks to identify smaller ecosystems of local wildlife.

Even if teachers aren't using a fully developed game in their class, they can use a process known as gamification, or weaving components of games such as points, leaderboards, and badges into lessons to boost students' motivation. Because students get excited about the competition from earning badges or embarking on a quest, they tend to take more risks-and, in turn, learn from their mistakes, says Manju Banerjee, an associate professor and vice president of educational research and innovation at Landmark College in Putney, Vermont.

When students are researching a topic and conducting a literature analysis, teachers can design curricula to send them on a quest-instead of framing it as a typical assignment-or rethink assessment and "tell a student that he is at a 'novice' level rather than a grade of C-" to reduce academic pressure and encourage participation," says Banerjee.

Learning in Disguise

Though it's not the only reason to play games, the fun of gameplay is a critical part of why they are so successful with children, according to educators, who say that games can help disguise the learning of essential but challenging skills that kids might otherwise resist.
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Teachers Joe Dillon and Marina Lombardo, for instance, created a poem-writing activity using Minecraft: Education Edition, in which students move through a maze and visit rooms to learn how to make their writing more descriptive. This game, inspired by Georgia Heard's Six-Room-Poem activity, guides students through specific writing prompts, such as describing an object by focusing on the ambience of its surroundings.

Many games involve a compelling storyline that can quickly hook kids, which is what makes teaching with them so effective, explains Kendra Cameron-Jarvis, an instructional technologist for Buncombe County Schools in western North Carolina. In a game she designed called Discovering the Ancient Pyramids Adventure, sixth-grade students use Google Maps Treks-which provide a 360-degree view of the ancient structures-to go on a quest inside the Great Pyramid and solve a mystery while they explore. The game reinforces what they're learning in class about ancient Egypt, she says.

"It's kind of sneaky-they don't realize they're learning," she says. "Kids are going to have a really good time, and they're going to learn along the way."

Teachers are also increasingly using apps and interactive game platforms like Kahoot and Quizizz -Kahoot says that more than 6 million teachers in 200 countries use its app to date-as fun formative assessment tools to ensure that students are on track with their learning, especially during the pandemic. Cameron-Jarvis says teachers are reporting that the platforms are so engaging, students frequently request to play them as part of their learning.

To increase the likelihood of all students participating, teachers can scaffold the difficulty levels of a game, calibrated to the current ability of the student. For students with special needs in particular, games can be beneficial because they disrupt traditional learning approaches and introduce opportunities for them to succeed where they have often struggled, says Banerjee, who has more than 29 years of experience in the field of learning disabilities.

Banerjee recommends that teachers use a myriad of low-stakes leaderboards-scoreboards that show the names and scores of participants-to highlight often-overlooked activities or skills in a way that recognizes contributions from students who typically do not perform well on traditional assignments. Teachers can give credit to the student with "the most creative calculation error" in a math class, for example, which not only makes learning more entertaining but acknowledges that all students can contribute meaningfully within a classroom.

Bringing Students Together

Though students can play games alone, most education games encourage players to collaborate effectively in teams-a building block for creating strong relationships and skills like cooperation that will be valuable as they progress through school and life, studies show.

These social interactions have been crucial during distance learning, according to Douglas Kiang, a high school computer science teacher at the Menlo School. Since schools went virtual last spring, Kiang has used Minecraft to give students a chance to interact with each other while learning social skills such as teamwork, negotiation, and respect for others. He also plays Among Us with his advisory group of about 10 students.

"I think games are useful in that respect for bonding and for allowing kids to socialize and communicate with each other," says Kiang, who is a nationally recognized expert on game-based learning and technology integration.

Integrating more community-building elements into your classroom doesn't always require playing a multiplayer video game, though, says Cameron-Jarvis. She suggests posting questions in the stream of popular tools like Google Classroom, Flipgrid, and Nearpod, and letting students respond, interact, and debate ideas. Other teachers have used Google tools to make their own versions of traditional games like Connect Four or Tic Tac Toe so that students get a brain break from academic learning.

The important part of using games in the classroom is trying not to gamify everything and to start small, using games with rules that students understand, says Cameron-Jarvis. The mix of games also matters, adds Farber, who says teachers should aim for variety. If you do let kids play games in class, he says, "think about the emotions those games evoke besides strategy and procedure."

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How to Use Gameplay to Enhance Classroom Learning

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Research shows that using games in teaching can help increase student participation, foster social and emotional learning, and motivate students to take risks.