Simple materials can also provide excellent learning opportunities for children of different ages. Here’s a simple example: For the price of one fashion doll, you can buy several bags of plain wooden clothespins, and make educational toys for both boys and girls of all age groups. Be sure to get ones without springs to avoid pinched fingers. Of course you will supervise closely. Clothespins can be a choking hazard for children under 3 years old.
Babies under the age of 6 months notice contrast more than color. You can help them develop visual tracking by painting some clothespins black and some white and turning them into baby toys. Put one black clothespin and one white clothespin into a small water bottle for a rattle. Hang others from a clothes hanger to make a mobile for a crib or for your changing table. Add colors to help the baby’s vision develop. If you have school-age children, you can invite them to do the painting and toy making.
Toddlers enjoy simply filling a bucket with clothespins, lugging it about, then dumping it. Offer toddlers containers such as a coffee can with a hole in the lid, a plastic jar, or a cloth or paper bag to hold clothespins or other small but safe objects. Cover sturdy cardboard with contact paper and stick clothespins around the edges for the toddlers to pull on and off. A toddler develops the muscles needed for writing every time (s)he picks up a clothespin and develops eye-hand coordination trying to get the clothespins into the container or onto the cardboard.
Preschool children enjoy using clothespins as props for dramatic play. Turn the dramatic play area into a house, add a clothesline (be sure to hang it below neck level) and some clothespins. Then, give children a basket full of doll clothes or baby clothes that they can pretend to wash and hang up to dry. Put clothespins in the block area and see how the children use them. Show the
children how to stick the clothespins together to make interesting shapes. Give the children markers, glue and glitter to decorate the clothespins in their own creative way.
You can present the clothespins to school-age children by bringing them out in a clear plastic container and asking the children to guess the number of pins. Write down each child’s estimate and then invite the children to count the clothespins to see whose guess is the closest. Stimulate creativity by putting out clothespins, scraps of fabric, glue, bits of yarn, people-colored paints and fine-tipped markers and inviting children to make clothespin puppets. Ask them if they know when clothespins were invented and then help them find the answer in a book or by using a child-safe Internet search.
Other ways to successfully provide activities to a multi-age group include:
• doing messy activities with preschoolers when infants and toddlers are napping;
• placing a low barrier around an activity area so younger children can watch and learn but not interrupt the activity of older children;
• letting younger children touch, hear or taste the end result after the older children have planned and finished a project;
• providing dramatic play prop boxes that the children can use together; and
• acknowledging the unique contributions of each child. Keep safety in mind when choosing activities and materials to use with children. Always consider the ages and developmental stages of the children to determine what is safe for each individual child. See “Providing and Maintaining a Safe Environment Inside and Out” on page 31 in this handbook for more information about safety.
If an activity or material is not safe for a child, choose a different activity or replace toys and materials with safer choices. Tailor your choices to fit your own program and the children in your care.
Choosing Books for Multi‑Age Groups
Reading with children is one of the special joys of family day care. Reading promotes language development, listening skills, imagination, problem solving and, most importantly, a bond between you and the children. Even the youngest babies can begin to enjoy reading. And as a child’s ability develops, his/her love of reading will increase.
When selecting books, here are some tips:
• Remember the books you loved as a child. The children will probably enjoy your old favorites. Your enthusiasm will be contagious, too!
• Look for books that have won awards such as Caldecott, Newberry, Coretta Scott King, Horn Book Awards and the American Library Association’s Notable Books.
• Choose books with striking illustrations and/or photographs that will encourage discussion and appreciation of color and design.
• Be sure that people from all races, ages, genders and backgrounds are portrayed in the books you select. Books help children understand the world.
• Pay attention to the children’s interests, then select books that will increase their understanding of those interests. • Help children act out or add to the story. Their ideas may
surprise you!
• Teach children to respect and handle books with care. Children should be allowed to look at books throughout the day.
Your local bookstore can provide recommended lists of books for all ages. And don’t forget the public library in your community! You can attend a story hour, get the newest award winning publications, borrow old favorites and ask a librarian to suggest books on special topics—all for free.
Remember, children learn from your words, your questions and your actions. When you are involved and excited about new ideas, your interactions with the children are the most important part of the experiences you provide.