The Middler Room has eight to ten 2 and 3 year-old children, who are bigger than young toddlers, but not as big as preschoolers. We keep this group small, half the size allowed by the State’s recognized enhanced ratios, to increase the children’s access to their teachers, and to decrease the amount of peer to peer negotiation required.
The Middler curriculum is:
- Designed to develop the child’s knowledge and skills in all developmental domains: physical, social, emotional and intellectual
- Includes learning centers and projects that reflect the children’s interests
- Based on developmentally appropriate materials and best practices
The Middler teachers:
- Promote a sense of self-worth in each child
- Encourage children to freely explore materials and provide hands-on materials
- Are sensitive and patient with the unique needs of each child
- Encourage children to express themselves through language
- Demonstrate and encourage appropriate problem-solving techniques
The children will:
- Continue to add more words to sentences, becoming more complex and complete
- Be able to express wishes and feelings with words to others
- Continue to enjoy imitating others
- Enjoy simple, short, concrete stories and events about his/her life
- Enjoy simple learning such as nursery rhymes, dancing movements, singing
- Be free to initiate own activities and not forced to join a group
- Experiment with being demanding and persistent; temper tantrums may be frequent!
- Learn that choices have consequences
- Make appropriate decisions
- Develop a sense of respect for themselves and others
- Be an active participant while enjoying the day
- Role play with one or more friends
- Follow 2 or 3 more directions at a time
- Continue working on self-help skills such as washing hands, independent eating, getting shoes on and off, and changing clothes.