Your child's current developmental stage plays a major role in toy selection. Observe the skills he is currently learning, such as fine motor skills, letter recognition, counting, self-care and language development, as a guide for selecting toys that enhance those skills The toys need to be interesting and appealing to a young child, they do not have a very large attention span. The toys should also be well suited for the age group you are selecting toys for. They cannot be too complicated and be well suited to the child’s physical capabilities. If the toy is painted, it must be with nontoxic lead free paint and must be able to be cleaned easily.
If it’s listening or talking, some children and young people find it very difficult to communicate. It’s very important to a child’s development that they are encouraged to find ways of communicating with other children or adults. Obviously the sooner a child is found to have speech or language problem the better, as they can then get the help and support they need to develop their communication skills. Every child a talker is a suitable approach which promotes the importance of a stimulating and interesting environment in which children and young people are encouraged to develop their communication and language skills. It also supports the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework.
Yet, children need toys. Toys are a very important tool for a child’s development and learning. Playing helps children develop physical skills, language skills, social skills and cognitive concepts. In order for these skills to be developed efficiently, children need to be provided with the correct toys. Children need toys that can challenge their movements, creativity, interactions, and intelligence.
Look for toys that can be used in a variety of ways, with simple designs that allow the child to be creative and use their imagination. The last guideline to consider is, if the toy promotes a healthy message. Does the toy encourage cooperative play? Some toys, such as war toys could enable inappropriate behavior and cause power struggles between children. Selecting toys for young children can be challenging.
Another way to use concept books is to use them to introduce ideas, serve reinforce concepts or to add further information to a topic that children have already explored through direct experience (Giorgis & Glazer, 2009, p. 146). Since young children cannot read on their own, teachers can use the pictures and words in concept books to help the children make a connection that words usually have meaning and can represent something specific like shapes, colors, letters, and numbers. Good concept books should have an enjoyable story that encourages children to have a conversation about it. The pictures should be well illustrated with pictures that represent the words being read to them and the topic should be interactive and engaging for children to follow along. Not all concept books are
• Loss of a comforter: The transition between having a soother, dummy or pacifier and not having one can be quite traumatic. Supportive relationships will understand that what a child has come to rely on for reassurance and comfort to assist sleep and achieve calm may well be gone. • Move from crawling to walking - this transition sees children reach new perspectives on their lives, viewing the world around them from an independently upright position. They can obtain items with greater ease, move with increasing speed. Supportive relationships will ensure children explore their environment safely with interest and enjoyment.
Children can explore their emotions and it is only partly about producing an end product and is more about children enjoying the process and learning from it. Children who develop their own ideas and are not over- dependent on the ideas of others have a strong sense of self. Whilst children who are always being required to follow adult instructions and tasks cannot develop the control they need in order to be creative. Creativity is about doing things in new ways not like other people. Therefore, it is impossible to know in advance how a model or painting, dance or wooden block construction will look in the end.
When cultural differences cause problems it should be addressed as a group. The children need to be aware that it is okay to be different from others. By bringing the differences out in the open, it will open the minds of those students not yet exposed to cultural differences. The room should be decorated in a way that reflects the various cultures of the students. In an early education setting there should be toys that reflect the various cultures also.
Inclusion classrooms were developed to help a child with special needs become a part of a regular classroom that is the least restrictive as possible. When a child is first placed on an Individual Education Plan (IEP), they are given some goals based on the type of plan they will be working on. Children are put on an IEP because they have physical, behavior, or academic disabilities which they require some assistance in different forms (Dildine, 2010). The federal government created the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to help protect children with disabilities from being excluded or treated unfairly in a regular classroom setting (Ballard, 2006). Placing a child in an inclusive classroom requires a team of people to assess the individual child’s needs and prepare the child, peers and teachers for the child to reenter a regular classroom environment.
What is meant by inclusion? Inclusion is an active not a passive process (Corbett Cited in Soan 2004:8) and no matter what background, religion, special need, race or disability the child should be include in the whole aspect of the curriculum. Having the environment and resources adapted to meet each individuals specific needs removing any barriers to learning and enabling every child to reach their potential. Inclusion is a big issue within mainstream education today and is very closely connected to the Special Educational Needs (SEN) practice already in place within schools. Many people believe that if a child has Special Educational Needs he/she should be educated in a special school.