Module 4Using Child Development to Plan Activities
In this module, participants plan activities that encourage the involvement of children with varied interests, skills, and abilities.
Outcomes
As a result of completing this module, the staff will be able to:
· Plan activities that reflect children's different backgrounds, needs, interests, skills, and abilities
· Individualize activities so that children with different skill levels and abilities can participate and experience successKey Concepts
· Children build their sense of competence and self-esteem when activities challenge them to develop and use new skills; children become frustrated when activities are too difficult or too easy.
· Young children learn through concrete experiences with real objects and materials that allow them to explore the world, solve problems, and express creativity.
· As children grow and develop, their needs, skills, and interests change; plans for activities at home, at the center, and during group socialization sessions should respond to these changes.Background Information
Like the other early childhood program practices discussed in this guide, the activities planned for children should be based on their backgrounds, needs, skills, abilities, and interests. Each day, the children should spend most of their time engaged in activities and experiences of their own choosing.
Adults provide safe and challenging environments, filled with interesting things to explore and use. The children select materials, decide what they want to do, and choose with whom they want to do it. Although most of the day is devoted to child-initiated activities, high-quality early childhood programs also include activities planned and led by adults.
Staff and parents plan activities that focus on specific goals, are based on children's past experiences, and reflect the curriculum framework. Activities may be related to a current theme or project, respond to some thing learned through observation and recording, or introduce a new experience. Parents are often a source of ideas for activities. Parent volunteers can share their own backgrounds, interests, and skills by leading activities at the center or during group socialization sessions.
Appropriate activities can be enjoyed by children at different skill levels and include opportunities for children to make choices about how they use materials or how they express their creativity. Here are some examples of activities that could take place at home, in the center, or during a group socialization session:
Finger painting. Children can paint on paper or on trays, choose what colors to use, paint with one finger or all ten, use props such as cardboard combs if they like, and make one picture or many.
Cooking mashed potatoes. Children can peel potatoes or scrub them, select from a variety of kitchen utensils for mashing, choose whether to add seasoning, melt cheese on top or leave plain, and follow the teacher's instructions or use recipe cards.
Blowing bubbles. Children can select from a variety of frames (old eye glasses with the lenses removed, berry containers, plastic six-pack rings), make large bubbles or small ones, chase and pop them or watch them rise out of reach, make one or many at a time, and blow bubbles alone or with a friend.
All of these activities encourage children to join in according to their own interests and skills.
Steps for Planning
ActivitiesThe following describes the steps followed to plan and carry out activities: setting goals, providing materials, implementing, evaluating, and following up.
Planning begins by setting goals-thinking about what you hope children, including those with disabilities, will gain from the activity. Goals might be based on children's characteristics such as skills, needs, abilities, interests, and cultures. In short, goals are based on what staff and parents know about each child's unique characteristics.
If the activity is to take place in a center or during a group socialization session, staff and parents must consider which children might participate, what they will gain, and how the activity can be tailored to address individual goals, interests, and needs. In a home setting, parents might think about which of their children, if they have more than one, might enjoy the activity.
For some activities, staff and parents can provide materials. For example, staff and parents might need certain ingredients to carry out a cooking activity. The planners-staff and parents-should determine What materials are needed. If the necessary materials are not available, they must figure out where and how they will get them (for example, purchase, borrow, or request contributions).
When an activity will be implemented at a center or during a group socialization session, staff and parents need to decide who will lead the activity and invite children to get involved. Regardless of the setting, the adult leading the activity should provide directions if necessary, offer encouragement, and change the plans when children are more interested in doing something else or using the materials in another way,
Once the activity is over, it is crucial to evaluate its effectiveness. Staff and parents need to discuss what the child or children did, what skills were used, and how the adults encouraged growth and development. In general, they should talk about what went well, what did not, and how the activity should be changed before repeating it.
Frequently it is a good idea to follow up on the activity-at home, at the center, or during the next group socialization session. Follow-up might include offering additional materials, introducing new techniques, reading stories related to the activity, or repeating the activity, as revised during the evaluation step.
The following examples illustrate setting goals; providing materials; and implementing, evaluating, and following up on activities.
Example #1: An Activity Planned for a Group Socialization Session for Preschoolers
Setting Goals
The planning team includes staff and parents of preschoolers who are enrolled in a home-based program. The planners have observed that the children spend little time during group socialization sessions using their large muscles. Therefore, they want to plan an activity that will encourage children to use their physical skills in new ways. They decide to involve the children in creating and using an obstacle course outdoors. The course will match the physical skills typical of most preschoolers. It will also be adapted to provide opportunities for Gabrielle, a child whose arm muscles are weak and underdeveloped, to get involved. The planners also know from their observations that two children have more advanced physical skills than their peers. They will add some challenges to the obstacle course so it will appeal to these children.
Providing Materials
The planners decide to use the materials they have on hand: tires, safety cones, boxes, hula hoops, rope, boards, and sawhorses. If the activity is successful they will offer it again using a greater variety of materials.
Implementing
Two staff members. agree to oversee the rest of the outdoor area. A third staff member helps the children create and use the obstacle course by asking several children, including Gabrielle, to help gather items for the activity. She explains what an obstacle course is and asks the children to share their ideas. The children say they have never seen an obstacle course, so she demonstrates. She opens a cardboard box, places a hula hoop at one end, lays the rope on the ground so it looks like a snake, and makes a ramp with a tire and a long board. She explains: You can crawl through the box; step in and out of the hula hoop; balance while walking the rope; and walk up the ramp, then jump off the end. The children take turns going through the course.
Meanwhile, the staff member has a private conversation with Gabrielle, asking Would you like to go through the obstacle course with me? Gabrielle nods; so the adult encourages the child to take the lead, while she follows. Gabrielle goes through the course and immediately wants to do it again. The other children also enjoy using the course and particularly like jumping off the ramp at the end. In fact, they like jumping so much they spend the rest of the outdoor time doing this.
Evaluating
During the evaluation meeting, the staff member describes what happened. Although the activity did not proceed as planned, the planners agree that two of their three goals were met: (1) Children used their physical skills in new ways; (2) Gabrielle became involved in the activity. The two children with advanced physical skills chose not to participate. Instead, they used other equipment on the playground. The planners conclude that it might have been better to create an obstacle course, introduce it to the children, have them use it for a while, and then suggest that they rearrange it as they please.
Following Up
The planners decide to try their alternative plan during the next group socialization session. If it goes well, they will discuss ways parents can do similar activities at home.
Example #2: An Activity Planned for a Toddler Group
Setting Goals
The planning team includes staff and parents of children enrolled in the toddler room. The planners have observed that some of the children paint at the easels using wide brushes, but others have difficulty manipulating even the brushes with very short handles. At a monthly planning meeting, the team plans an art: activity that will introduce painting with a sponge, a tool that is easier to use than a brush. They will hang large pieces of paper on the wall so children can have a large area on which to paint. Planners think the children will enjoy seeing what kinds of marks they can make with sponges.
Providing Materials
All of the materials for the activity are already on hand-paper, sponges to be cut up, paint, shallow trays to hold the paint.
Implementing
The planners decide that the parent volunteer will lead the activity while the staff encourage the children who have difficulty using the brushes to participate. The volunteer hangs up several pieces of paper, moves a table near the wall, fills several shallow trays with paint, sets out the sponges, and places four smocks nearby. (The planners had agreed that the activity could involve up to four children at a time.) While making these preparations, she is joined by curious toddlers. She demonstrates using a sponge as a painting tool. The children catch on immediately and soon fill the paper with sponge marks. With the children's permission and help, she removes the first piece of paper and hangs it to dry. The children who could not use brushes can hold the sponges easily and seem to thoroughly enjoy themselves.
Several children who have not had a turn painting get into a disagreement with the four children who do not want to give up their smocks. A staff person steps in to redirect the waiting children to another activity.
Evaluating
The parent volunteer reports on what the children did, how long they stayed involved, and what problems arose. The planners decide to set up both sides of one easel with sponges and shallow paint trays every day until the children tire of the activity or are ready to move on to using brushes.
Following Up
Staff and parents continue to observe the children and encourage the ones who are ready to try using the brushes as well as sponges as painting tools. A staff member writes an article for the newsletter explaining how parents can do sponge painting at home with toddlers and older children.
Summary
The most effective activities for young children encourage development across several domains. For example, while making and playing a game with a parent, a child uses small motor skills (to cut and paste pictures on cardboard), cognitive skills (to sort and organize the pictures), social skills (to take turns), and emotional skills (to exhibit self-control after making a mistake). An important feature of appropriate activities is that they provide enjoyment for children at different skill levels and abilities and allow children to make decisions about how they use materials or express their creativity.