1. WestEd.org The California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework: Theory to Practice Perceptual and Motor Development Perceptual and Motor Development

2. WestEd.org Learning Objectives Participants will be able to: Understand how the three learning contexts -- environment and materials, intentional interactions, and caregiving routines -- can support perceptual and motor development. Identify the perceptual and motor skills and knowledge (foundations) typically acquired by infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years. Reflect on observations and documentation of child’s development and interests, and use the information to create and implement a plan. Exchange reflections of child’s interests and development with parents to engage them as partners in facilitating the child’s perceptual and motor development.

3. WestEd.org Reflective Curriculum Planning for Infants and Toddlers: Perceptual and Motor Development Section I: Understanding Perceptual and Motor Development

4. WestEd.org Young children’s bodies undergo remarkable changes in their early years. These changes in weight, size, percentage of body fat, and muscle strength provide perceptual and motor challenges as young children practice a variety of actions. Body Changes

5. WestEd.org What is Perceptual & Motor Development? Perception refers to the process of taking in, organizing, and interpreting sensory information. Motor development unfolds with perceptual development; it refers to changes in the child’s ability to control his body movements. It unfolds with perceptual development.

6. WestEd.org Motor Development unfolds with Perceptual Development Motor development unfolds with perceptual development. As infants develop motor competence, they use perceptual information when choosing which motor actions to take. Likewise, motor movements, including those of the eyes, arms, legs and hands, provide most of the perceptual information infants receive. While most children attain the same motor milestones, each child follows a distinct developmental pathway.

7. WestEd.org Key Concepts Infants’ perceptual skills are working during every waking moment. Infants use perception to distinguish features of the environment, such as height, depth, and color. Perceptual & motor development occur within the context of culture, emotions, social relationships, and experience. Perceptual and motor development impacts development in all domains.

8. WestEd.org Perceptual Development Impacts All Domains For example: Perception strongly related to the social-emotional domain, such as when young children perceive the differences between various facial expressions and come to an understanding of what they may mean. The ability to perceive commonalities and differences between objects is related to cognitive domain foundations.

9. WestEd.org Key Concepts (continued) Responsive caregivers provide strategies to engage children’s drive to explore, building on each child’s interests while supporting overall physical and psychological health. Describing children’s actions can help children connect words with physical sensations and movement. Communicating with family members helps teachers recognize, and support each child’s emerging abilities.

10. WestEd.org Amazing Accomplishments! By 3½ months, infants have made 3 to 6 million eye movements during their waking hours. Infants who crawl and walk spend roughly half of their waking hours involved in motor behavior (5 to 6 hours per day). Daily, infants who are walking take more than 9,000 steps and travel the distance of more than 29 football fields.

11. WestEd.org Reflective Curriculum Planning for Infants and Toddlers: Perceptual and Motor Development Section II: Foundations for Perceptual and Motor Development

12. WestEd.org Descriptions of Perceptual & Motor Foundations Perception refers to the process of taking in, organizing, and interpreting sensory information. Gross motor actions include the movement of large limbs or the whole body. Fine motor behaviors include the use of hands and fingers to grasp and manipulate objects.

13. WestEd.org Ongoing Research in Motor Development Early research: Documented the sequence of biologically programmed steps. Depicted a smooth, upward progression of skill development. Current research shows: Interdependence of factors & processes: developmental domains, culture, experience, etc. Each child may take a unique pathway. “Detours” and steps backwards are common.

14. WestEd.org Vignette: Abasi As you read the following vignette, notice how the child’s prior experience combined with her perception of the food’s color influence her expectations. Notice, too, how the teacher engages the grandmother in a conversation and learns more about the child. Consider what the teacher learns from this experience and plans to do to be more supportive of the child in the future.

15. WestEd.org 7-month-old Abasi is seated comfortably in her teacher Zina’s lap, ready for lunch -- a familiar and enjoyable routine for both of them. Abasi readily accepts the bite of food Zina offers. “Abasi loves peaches, I wonder if she will like these carrots?” “I am hungry!”

16. WestEd.org Yuck! Those aren’t my peaches! “Oh my, Abasi! That was a big reaction to the carrots!”

17. WestEd.org “Are you thinking that over? Do you want to try another taste?” “This feels funny on my tongue…”

18. WestEd.org No more! “Okay. It looks like you don’t want carrots today.”

19. WestEd.org “I’ll tell grandma all about lunch today.” Zina gives Abasi a bottle instead. “mmm…..milk !”

20. WestEd.org When the grandmother arrives at the end of the day, Zina shares the lunch episode with her. “ Abasi’s favorite food is peaches! Carrots must have been a big surprise!” “Abasi let me know…”

21. WestEd.org “Abasi, you looked at the orange color and expected peaches! From now on, I’ll tell you what is on the spoon and give you a tiny taste first!” Thanks for being responsive!

22. WestEd.org Reflections on Vignette What did Zina learn today from Abasi and her grandmother? How can Zina use this information to facilitate Abasi’s perceptual development? How can Zina continue to engage Abasi’s grandmother?

23. WestEd.org Reflection on Application 1.How can you use the Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations to deepen your understanding and become a more careful observer of children perceptual and motor development? 2.How would a deeper understanding of this domain influence the ways in which you plan curriculum and partner with families?

24. WestEd.org Making it Your Own: Step 1 Planning your support for perceptual & motor development Create 4 sections by folding your paper in half & in half again. Reflect on your perceptions of the child. What delights you about this child? What is the child drawn to and excited about? Where do you see examples of perceptual & motor strengths & competence? What perceptual & motor skills seem to be emerging? Is there anything else to keep in mind about the child or family at this time? Record your reflections/considerations in the first section of your paper.

25. WestEd.org Reflective Curriculum Planning for Infants and Toddlers: Perceptual and Motor Development Section III: Supporting Perceptual and Motor Development Guiding Principles Learning Contexts

26. WestEd.org Guiding Principles for Supporting Perceptual & Motor Development Recognize the child’s developing abilities. Encourage self-directed movement. Respect individual differences. Provide a safe place for each age group. Be available to children as they move and explore.

27. WestEd.org In developing curriculum for infants and toddlers, teachers need to plan for 3 learning contexts: 1.Play environment as curriculum 2.Intentional interactions and conversations as curriculum 3.Caregiving routines as curriculum Reflective Curriculum Planning Contexts: (CA Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework, California Department of Education, 2012)

28. WestEd.org Context: Environment and Materials Teachers are the architects of the infant’s environment. Once the environment is designed, teachers continually scan and make judgments about what is safe yet challenging. Toddlers usually repeat over and over the skill they are perfecting. When the challenge diminishes, toddlers look for greater challenge.

29. WestEd.org Research Highlight: Specialized Use of Perceptual Cues A study by Claxton and colleagues suggests that infants use perceptual information, not only to guide their actions in the moment, but also to plan what they will do with an object. For instance, if infants (10½ mos. old) planned to throw a ball, they reached toward a ball more quickly than if they planned to fit the ball into a tube.

30. WestEd.org Supporting Perceptual & Motor Development through the Environment and Materials Choose materials based on children’s interests and how to expand them. Offer plenty of safe yet challenging opportunities for movement indoors and outdoors. Consider the arrangement of furniture as physical boundaries for moving and exploring. Consider the young infant’s need for protected, quiet spaces. Offer variety in sensory and motor experiences and materials. Including natural materials.

31. WestEd.org 1.Look closely at the photo. 2.Consider the child’s perspective. What might he/she: -Be drawn to? -Be investigating, experimenting with, sensing, practicing, etc.? 3. What learning or development could it support? 4. Consider the contexts of environment & routines: - How is the organization or use of the space and materials impacting this situation? - How might schedules or routines influence this experience? 5. What other materials, ideas, or opportunities could be offered to build on this experience? Photo Reflections

32. WestEd.org

37. Making it Your Own: Step 2 Based on what you know about the child, how might you use your environment and materials to support & expand the child’s perceptual & motor development? Return to your sheet of paper and reflections on the child chosen for your course project. Consider: How is the organization and use of the space and materials impacting the child’s experience? What other materials, adaptations, and “invitations might be offered to enhance the child’s experience? What might be incorporate into your care routines? What adaptations to your schedule might be helpful? Brainstorm a list of ideas and record them in the second section of your paper

38. WestEd.org Context: Interactions In planning interactions, it is important to consider the following: Infants are not “taught” movement. They achieve the specific competency when they are ready for that specific challenge. This is a primary principle in fostering physical development. Consider a child’s readiness for specific skills when we interact with them.

39. WestEd.org Interaction Strategies that Support Perceptual and Motor Development Provide the infant with freedom to move. See things from the infant’s perspective. Help build the infant’s feelings of comfort, security and awareness of his body. Use common routines, activities, and behaviors to allow for practice. Acknowledge each child’s accomplishments.

40. WestEd.org

43. Context: Routines as Curriculum Again, consider the child’s perspective. What might capture the child’s attention? What perceptual and motor experiences are involved in these routines? Consider how you can be intentional about using routines to support perceptual and motor development.

44. WestEd.org Making it Your Own: Step 3 Based on what you know about the child, how will you think about interactions and communication to support and expand perceptual & motor development? Return to your sheet of paper and reflections on the child chosen for your course project. Consider What topics of conversation might be meaningful? When and where would these be likely to occur? What new vocabulary might be used? What questions might you ask to get the child’s perspective and expand the child’s thinking? Brainstorm a list of ideas and record them in the third section of your paper

45. WestEd.org Reflective Curriculum Planning for Infants and Toddlers: Perceptual and Motor Development Section IV: Engaging Families

46. WestEd.org Ideas for Engaging Families: Talk with families about how gross motor activities are not limited to parks and playgrounds. Suggest ways in which toddlers can engage in fine motor activities at home. Invite families to share songs, games or other childhood rituals that incorporate perceptual and motor development, and include some of these activities regularly in the early education setting. Encourage families to use community resources that are available to them.

47. WestEd.org Making it Your Own: Step 4 How will you engage the child’s family in understanding and supporting the child’s perceptual & motor development? Return to your pink sheet of paper and reflections on the child chosen for your course project. Consider How might the family’s background and values be influencing their expectations and experience in this area? What questions might you ask to deepen your understanding of the family’s perspective and strengthen your relationship? What might the family want to know about their child’s perceptual & motor development In how many ways might you engage the family in planning and/or implementing the ideas brainstormed in steps 2 & 3? Brainstorm a list of ideas and record them in the fourth section of your paper.

48. WestEd.org Concluding Thoughts As infants and toddlers are developing in all domains, they spend a significant part of each day engaged in a variety of perceptual and motor behaviors. In light of children’s active engagement in perceptual and motor learning, it is important to keep overall development in mind while planning to support the children’s ongoing processing of sensory information, fine and gross motor movements.

49. WestEd.org Making it Your Own: Steps 5-8 Developing and Implementing Your Plan Step 5: Create a brief and flexible curriculum plan fro perceptual and motor development. Review the ideas you generated in the previous 4 steps Select 1-2 ideas from each category to implement. Write these on the form provided. Feel free to use the back, too. Step 6: Implement your plan. Step 7: Observe, document, and reflect as you implement the plan. Remember, this will become part of your project display Step 8: Record your reflections on the process. Use the form provided. This will become part of your project summary and will be shared at the next class.

50. WestEd.org Review Learning Objectives Participants will be able to: Understand how the three learning contexts -- environment and materials, intentional interactions, and caregiving routines -- can support perceptual and motor development. Identify the perceptual and motor skills and knowledge (foundations) typically acquired by infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years. Reflect on observations and documentation of child’s development and interests, and use the information to create and implement a plan. Exchange reflections of child’s interests and development with parents to engage them as partners in facilitating the child’s perceptual and motor development.

51. WestEd.org Questions? Assignment Reading Next session Wrap-up