Planning for Learning in a Mixed-Age Setting

Lots of lovely children… (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 2 … all at different ages and with different needs

How can you provide the learning each one needs? (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 3

The good news: in multi-age settings… Children learn from each other. Children learn at their own pace, without comparison or pressure. Children stay in the same setting for years, which supports confidence and security. Caregivers enjoy variety and challenge. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 4

The bad news Managing the needs of children at multiple ages and stages is challenging. Caregivers worry that something will be missed. Caregivers get stressed trying to individualize everything for everyone. Parents get upset if they think their children are being overlooked. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 5

But more good news Family childcare providers can easily promote learning for every child in their multi-age setting. Let’s look at issues of Safety Scheduling Schooling and Satisfaction (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 6

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson © 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 7 Author Long-time professor of Early Childhood Education Mother of two Grandmother of four … and someone very, very interested in the development of your potential and of human potential everywhere…

Online and onsite STARS training © 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 8

Safety first, of course! Walks around the block, trips to the playground, and other outings and activities can be too dangerous for some multi-age groups. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 9

Safety issues kids outgrow are raised again by younger children Part of having a multi-age group is understanding that some fun is likely permanently off-limits. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 10

Managing different schedules Just as in a biological family, children in your family childcare home have different sleep schedules and feeding schedules depending on their ages and individual needs. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 11

Stealing time for learning Naptime for non-nappers is a time for activities that are best done when little ones aren’t around. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 12

But no schedule for screens Avoid using “educational” television, “educational” video games and other screen-time activities as ways to manage diverse ages and needs. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 13

So… (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 14 Safety is a given. Children must be protected at every age. And the schedule can help us, but more about that later… What about learning?

Learning activities for everyone At every age, children should be actively engaged in hands-on, real-life activities every moment they are awake. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 15

Real-life activities focus on… (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 16 Using the senses Increasing coordination and strength Seeing how things work Solving problems Cooperating with others Talking about what’s going on

Are real-life activities enough? (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 17 Will children who engage all day in real-life, hands-on activities be ready for kindergarten?

WA-Kids and your kids What children need to know before they move on to kindergarten 1. How to run, jump, and wiggle 2. How to dress, feed, & use the toilet alone 3. How to use crayons, pencils and scissors 4. How to get along with others 5. How to carry on a conversation 6. How to make decisions and carry out plans 7. How to use books, count, and identify a few words and symbols Learning all this takes a full five years (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 18

Let’s look at each of these, one at a time… (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 19

Physical development For babies and toddlers, attention to muscles and coordination are largely indoor activities. Rolling over Sitting up Pull to stand Crawling Cruising Walking (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 20

Physical development For older children, attention to muscles and coordination requires outdoor space or lots of room indoors. Running Jumping Hopping Throwing & catching Skipping Climbing (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 21

Large motor development requires different times and spaces Babies and toddlers practice large motor skills when everyone is indoors and older children are playing. Older children practice large motor skills when everyone is outdoors and babies are just watching. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 22

Fine motor development For everyone, feeding time is a good time to practice finger control and coordination. In addition, free play time provides practice for all in grasping, placing, and balancing objects. Older kids can also draw, paint, and write. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 23

Life skills Always permit children to do what they can do. Take the time to guide children in mastering life skills, even if it seems like that’s all you get done in the day. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 24

Teaching life skills takes time (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 25 Yes, you could do things quicker. Yes, you often have to redo what children do on their own. But teaching life skills is essential, both for the skills themselves and for children’s feelings of confidence and competence.

Social skills: What kids need Infants need security and trustworthiness Toddlers and Twos need support to do things on their own Threes also need support to do things on their own and support to take chances Fours need to feel capable and competent but also supported when they feel overwhelmed (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 26

Model the social skills kids need All children need support and safety Focus on people and feelings first. Take your time. Notice when you’re feeling stressed. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 27

Provide practice for social skills (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 28 Encourage playing together, even across ages. Encourage older children’s impulse to care about younger children. Teach and reteach how to be nice.

Provide practice for social skills (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 29 Babies: Watching others and engaging with them Toddlers: Watching, imitating, taking charge Twos: Watching, imitating, taking charge, waiting Threes & Fours: Watching, imitating, showing, helping, taking turns, sharing

Let’s recap… WA-Kids says children need to know… 1. How to run, jump, and wiggle 2. How to dress, feed, & use the toilet alone 3. How to use crayons, pencils and scissors 4. How to get along with others 5. How to carry on a conversation 6. How to make decisions and carry out plans 7. How to use books, count, and identify a few words and symbols (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 30

Learning to talk (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 31 Two activities are essential in children’s ability to talk well: Listening to rich, interesting conversations Talking to others and being listened to

Everyday conversations (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 32 Asking questions Listening to children Talking turns talking Using encouraging speech Never using speech as a weapon

Language skill is the most important indicator of kindergarten success (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 33

Planning and problem-solving (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 34 Kids at all ages need opportunities to decide what to do and how to do it. Free play with interesting play options is important

Struggle is part of learning (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 35 Ask… “What is happening?” “What could you do differently?” “What help do you need?” Avoid jumping in too quickly to solve problems.

Being persistent, resourceful, and able to think through problems are also important indicators of kindergarten success. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 36

What’s left? WA-Kids says children need to know… 1. How to run, jump, and wiggle 2. How to dress, feed, & use the toilet alone 3. How to use crayons, pencils and scissors 4. How to get along with others 5. How to carry on a conversation 6. How to make decisions and carry out plans 7. How to use books, count, and identify a few words and symbols (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 37

Math (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 38 Children are born mathematicians. Math includes Counting Sorting Estimating Measuring Comparing Adding & subtracting

Everyday math is part of play (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 39 Ask questions: Which is more? How heavy is that? How many are there? If you had one more, how many would there be? What page number do you see?

Early literacy and reading (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 40 What children need to know: How a book works How a story happens Why reading feels good That words on the page tell the reader what to say

More that children need to know (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 41 That different sounds make up the words we say (“baby” starts with “buh”) That sounds we say are represented by letters (“buh” is written “b”) That words are made of letters that make sounds

Even more basic knowledge (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 42 What the child’s name looks like What a friend’s name looks like That words have meaning and are useful tools in different situations

So… Where are we? (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 43 What children need to know before kindergarten takes five years to learn. Learning happens little-by- little in conversation and play experiences Learning activities fit each child’s needs at every age

Meeting parents’ expectations (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 44 Take time to educate parents about children’s learning. Be able to share the value of what children are doing for kids at every age. Listen to parents’ concerns and reassure them as best you can.

Planning for learning requires… (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 45 Knowing what children need at each age. Adapting activities for children at different ages. Knowing that quality learning is based in real- life, hands-on activities.

Thank you for thinking along with me © 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 46 Find out more at patricianananderson.com Courses and workshops at