Early Math Counts

• None

Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Drop-off in the morning: Drop-off time is a good time to teach IN and OUT as the parents and infant come IN and then as parents leave for work and go OUT. When opening the door for the family, say: “Good morning (child’s name), come IN.” Do your typical routine at drop off with the family. When the parent is ready to leave, take the infant to the door to say good-bye. Wave and say: “Bye bye, mommy/daddy, you are going OUT” as the parent walks OUT the door, then say: “(Child’s name and your name) are IN.”

Pickup time in the eveningWhen parents come to pick up their infant in the evening, use IN and OUT language again. As soon as the infant sees the parent, say: “Hello mommy/daddy, you are IN our classroom.” After the typical pick up time routine is completed and the family is walking OUT the door, say: “(Child’s name) and mommy/daddy are OUT of our classroom now. I am IN the classroom. Bye-bye (child’s name).” Be sure to wave as you say goodbye to the infant.

Play: At the beginning of this stage, play is mostly shaking, banging and mouthing toys. By the end of this stage, infants begin to combine objects that go together in play. They reach for and hold two objects and may begin to reach for a third. Many infants will look for dropped toys and find partially and completely hidden toys. Many infants enjoy taking objects out of containers and putting them back in.

Communication: At this age, infants respond when their names are called. They may turn their heads, make eye contact and sometimes smile and vocalize. They may look for family members and pets when called by name. They may respond to simple requests made with gestures, such as: “Come here.” They may understand “No” or “Stop.” They may lift their arms to be picked up, clap hands and wave bye-bye. They love to shout and squeal and may be babbling with many different sounds. They may be participating in and sometimes initiating peek-a-boo.

Motor: During this stage, many infants begin to sit by themselves and play. They begin to move by rolling, crawling and cruising. They pick up toys by using a raking motion with their whole hand and, by the end of this stage, they are using their fingers and thumbs to pick up small objects. They may feed themselves small bits of food.

• None

Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Drop-off in the morning: Drop-off time is a good time to teach IN and OUT as the parents and infant come IN and then as parents leave for work and go OUT. When opening the door for the family, say: “Good morning (child’s name), come IN.” Do your typical routine at drop off with the family. When the parent is ready to leave, take the infant to the door to say good-bye. As the parent walks OUT the door, wave and say: “Bye bye, mommy/daddy, you are going OUT.” Point OUTSIDE. Say: “(Child’s name and your name) are IN” and point INSIDE.

Pickup time in the eveningWhen parents come to pick up their infant in the evening, use IN and OUT language again. As soon as the infant sees the parent, say: “Hello mommy/daddy, you are IN our classroom.” After the typical pickup time routine is completed and the family is walking OUT the door, say: “(Child’s name) and mommy/daddy are OUT of the classroom now, bye-bye (child’s name)” and point OUTSIDE.  Say: “I am still IN” and point inside. Be sure to wave as you say bye to the infant.

• None

Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Drop-off in the morningDrop-off time is a good time to teach IN and OUT as the parents and infant come IN and then as they leave for work and go OUT. When opening the door for the family, say: “Good morning (child’s name), come IN.” Do your typical routine at drop-off with the family. When the parent is ready to leave, take the infant to the door to say good-bye. As the parent walks out the door, encourage the infant to wave and say: “Bye bye, mommy/daddy, you are going OUT of the classroom now.” Point OUTSIDE and encourage the child to point OUTSIDE. Say: “(Child’s name and your name) are IN” and point inside and encourage the child to point INSIDE.

Pickup time in the eveningWhen parents come to pick up their infant in the evening, use IN and OUT language again. As soon as the infant sees the parent, say: “Hello mommy/daddy, you are IN.” After the typical pickup time routine is completed and the family is walking OUT the door say: “(Child’s name) and mommy/daddy are OUT of the classroom now, bye-bye (child’s name).” and point OUTSIDE and encourage the child to point OUTSIDE.  Say, “I am IN.” and point inside and encourage the child to point INSIDE. Be sure to wave as you say goodbye to the infant.