Twos (2-3 years)

The two-year-old program is designed to expand upon the foundation established in the toddler program and help your two-year-old develop the social, emotional, self-help, and physical development skills necessary for future success. Within our homelike environment, your child is free to be anything from an artist to an engineer. Playing "pretend," learning games, participating in hands-on activities - these are just a few of the ways we keep kids engaged. Since learning how to relate to others is also important, we do large and small group activities every day.

Areas of Development:

Language and Literacy: Between the ages of two and three, children's vocabulary can grow to nearly 300 words. Our teachers provide children with the tools they need to communicate within their classroom community by guiding them to put their desires into words. Children are encouraged to identify common objects and speak in three-to-five-word sentences.

Gross/Fine Motor Skills: The two-year-old curriculum addresses both gross motor skills, which strengthen the large muscle groups of the body, as well as fine motor skills, which include the smaller finger and hand muscles. Children are prompted to climb, jump, hop, and run on the playground to strengthen their leg muscles. Two-year-olds don't realize they are bolstering their fine motor skills in the art centre, but they do know that they are having fun finger painting, making collages, coloring, and creating with clay.

Cognitive Skills: Cognitive skills are the foundation of learning and knowledge. At age two, children's cognitive skills are expanding quickly. Children are challenged to become even more aware of their environment by asking questions and attempting to solve problems. Teachers provide the children with many activities designed to encourage them to distinguish between textures, to identify shapes and colors, and to begin rote counting.