Transitioning from Infant to Toddler Class
Children ready to advance to an older class show many of the following characteristics:
Physical
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Improved walking skills, feet are together, knees flexible (vs. the “new walker” who has a wide-based, legs-apart gait with locked knees).
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Beginning to imitate/explore a variety of traveling movements – walk, run, jump, etc
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Can walk up stairs while holding onto rail or hand.
Emotional
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Use gestures and language to deal with frustration (as opposed to just crying or whining).
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Sustains interest and attention in activity for several minutes. (Note: not wanting to give something up (egg shaker, scarf, etc.) can be a sign of maturation).
Cognitive
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Reliably points to correctly several identified body parts.
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Can follow two-step direction. “Go get a ______, and put it in the _______.”
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Understands what “one” means (vs. a handful).
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Learning to use toys and objects in symbolic ways (moving beyond just enjoyment of sensory properties).
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Moving beyond play schemes of mouthing, throwing and dumping. Actions becoming purposeful and integrated.
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Can interact in a directed activity.
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Able to shift attention with transition.
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Reliably responds to own name (refers to self by name in secure environments).
Language
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Can express wants and needs symbolically (gestures, words).
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Has growing vocabulary of roughly 20 words. Receptive language is still stronger than expressive language.
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Reading with caregiver becomes co-operative. Child will select book, sit, turn pages, relate to the story and interact.
Social
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Interested in what other children are doing.
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Capable of distal communication (i.e., following verbal instructions from further away).
Musical
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Moves to music, perhaps to steady beat.
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Responds to rhymes and songs, recognizes familiar ones.
**You can ALWAYS talk with Michelle about whether or not your child is ready to move up to the next Kindermusik Level.