Category Archives: Infant/Toddler

Songs and Rhymes- Infant Edition

Here are some songs and rhymes for Infant Development Playgroup! Some are very similar to the ones I have used or seen used in preschool however the actions are different or the pace the songs are sang are different!

Zoom Zoom Zoom

We’re going to the moon!

Zoom Zoom Zoom

We’re going to the moon!

If you want to take a trip climb a board my rocket ship

Zoom Zoom Zoom we’re going to the moon in 5-4-3-2-1 Blastoff!!

 

Now it’s time for Juice or Water

Juice or Water

Juice or Water

Now it’s time for Juice or Water

I want a drink!

 

Slippery fish, Slippery fish, Swimming in the water!

Slippery fish, slippery fish, slippery fish OH NO it’s been eaten by

An Octopus! An Octopus!

Squiwigling in the water!

An Octopus! An octopus OH NO it’s been eaten by a

a hermit crab, a hermit crab….

A humongous whale, humongous whale!

Home visits and CFSPs

Today I went on some home visits with one of the infant development consultants. This was extremely interesting to me as although I had studied about home visits in some of my early childhood education courses I never anticipated I would actually ever go on a home visit as it’s not common practice for teachers anymore. However the infant development consultants, behaviour consultants and supported child development workers at reach are visiting families in their homes daily!

Everyone at Reach is incredibly family-centred in the true sense of the word. From my observed of IDP, being family centred is the key to getting accurate and helpful assessments on home visits. Here are some of the tips I read that helped me feel prepared to go on a home visit.

  • know your own culture and your own biases
  • there to assess the child and not the home
  • you are a guest in the home
  • listen more than you speak
  • have a plan but be prepared to go where the family or child wants to go

IDP visits consist of play and observation of the infant as well as conversation with the caregivers. The IDP worker brings a variety of toys and materials to the visit to play with the infant, take some notes and ask some questions. The IDP workers also will often use developmental checklists and assessment tools. They always try and leave the family with some ideas and strategies they can try. The IDP workers help the families work towards predetermined goals as outlined in the CFSP which is similar to an IEP. Like an IEP it has the child’s strengths and interests as well as goals broken down into measurable chunks.

I see that a lot of what we are doing in IDP is showing families how they can extend their play to enhance their child’s cognitive, language or physical development. That being said I frequently hear Reach consultants saying “You know him best” to the caregivers of children. I really appreciate that as I think it gives families power and makes them feel like they are partners with you. It shows that you have respect for them, and the extremely important role they play in the lives of their children.

So far everything I’ve done at Reach has been a really practical blend of what I learned in ECED 421 (Home, School, and Community Relationships) and what I’m currently studying in ECED 438 (Observation and Documentation in Early Childhood Contexts). The observation and assessment part of working with very young children with special needs is so important however it has to be balanced with being accessible and family centred. One of the visits we did was a joint visit with a consultant from Sunny Hill in order to reduce the number of home visits for the infant and family. It was also important for the IDP worker to be there to take detailed notes to be shared (with permission) with the whole team of therapy professionals working with the child. I’m really seeing now how caring for children with special needs is a very multidisciplinary effort.

Infant Development Program

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Sign for “more”

As part of my practicum at Reach I have been involved in infant playgroup which is for children 0-3. I have been very interested in the work done by the Infant Development Consultants. Although I have a theoretical background from my studies in psychology about infant and child development, I have never actually worked with children this young!

My experience so far has been a combination of being in my comfort zone and trying new things. My experience in the preschool at has been very comfortable for me whereas my observation and participation in IDP has been very new and exciting!

Some observations from infant playgroup:

  • just like a classroom there is a wide range of development amongst the children who come to playgroup.
  • play group serves as a social space for some of the families, especially caregivers for infants with special needs.

The IDP workers who I have been shadowing are wonderful and caring professionals. The IDP consultant who runs playgroup has a great organization to the drop in program. First there is play- the children explore the environment and play with the toys that interest them. Sometimes the children play near or occasionally with other infants. After the clean up song the group washes their hands at a very low sink. The infants then come to sit at a very low table where we sing our “Juice or Water” song. We try and encourage communication by having each child choose between two colours of cups, we pour a tiny bit of juice or water so that the children are encouraged to use their language or signs to ask for more! After that is a quick circle time (maybe around 5 or 6 minutes) with lots of dancing and puppets.

There are a few main differences in the circle time compared to a circle time with older children such as kindergarten or preschool

  • use of infant signs (hand signals for basic and frequent words like play, more, juice, water, time, etc)
  • singing much more slowly
  • lots of physical objects for the babies to hold or shake while we sing and dance!
  • parent and caregiver participation – many adults!