Daily Learning Activities in Our Appleton Child Care Program
So what will your child do all day? Plenty! Every day at Amy & Kids Co. is filled with growth, play-based learning, and child-led exploration that supports the whole child and builds a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
Play-Based Learning in Our Child Care Program
Studies show that learning through play is the way children learn best. Child-led free play is essential for children's well-being and development; new concepts, improved skills and enhanced comprehension come to children through play.
Play-based learning activities help children create and organize ideas, practice problem solving, develop longer attention spans, and learn how to communicate their thoughts, feelings, ideas, and needs to others. Free play encourages children to explore the world around them and to develop imaginations that will take them anywhere they want to go.
What Children Learn Through Daily Activities
Daily activities are planned to support each child’s growth, guided by developmental assessments and ongoing observations. Amy & Kids Co. is one of only seven area family child care programs participating in the Help Me Grow screening program.
Our daily learning activities:
- Foster positive self-esteem.
- Encourage the development of communication and social skills.
- Support independence and problem-solving skills.
- Strengthen skills across all domains.
- Develop healthy habits to last a lifetime.
- Stimulate imagination and creative expression.
- Promote tolerance and unbiased attitudes.
- Consider the individual needs of each child.
A Balanced Day of Child-Led and Guided Activities
Ample time, materials and space are provided for the children's interests to guide their learning. Daily learning activities provide a balance of teacher-planned activity invitations and child-led exploration in carefully planned learning centers.
Some activities your child will enjoy include:
- Exploring books, listening to stories, writing and alphabet activities
- Doing puzzles, lacing cards, and Montessori transfer activities
- Building with blocks, Magna-Tiles, and other construction materials
- Exploring a wide variety of free art materials
- Cutting, gluing, taping, and paper punching
- Free access to play dough and play dough tools
- Engaging in music and movement, rhyming, and singing
- Early math and science activities such as counting, sorting, weighing, estimating, etc.
- Plenty of time outdoors to move their bodies
- And much, much more!
Rest Time is Part of a Healthy Day
After a busy morning, children are ready for a break! Active children need rest to experience proper growth and development. Your child is welcome to bring a favorite toy or blanket for naps.
Screen Time is Limited and Intentional
Screen time is a part of everyday life for most families, so our occasional screen time fits the family-style environment at Amy & Kids Co. We mainly watch book “Read Alouds” and animated stories that fit with other learning activities, but may also have screen time in the basement during tornado warnings.
Outdoor Learning and Nature-Based Play
Learning doesn't stop when we go outside! Our outdoor classroom offers the same large and small motor, math, science, art, music, and imaginative play learning opportunities as indoors, plus the opportunity to explore and learn about nature!
Amy & Kids Co. is proud to be the first Nature Explore certified outdoor classroom in Appleton. Nature Explore classrooms apply research-based, field-tested principles to create beautiful, nature-rich outdoor spaces designed especially to enhance children's learning and play.
