sees Ms. Graciela placing fabrics and objects with different textures on the floor. Babies crawl to them and touch, grab, and run their hands over them as Ms. Graciela describes their experiences and reactions:“ Yes, that one is rough! It’ s a little scratchy and bristly. I see you frowning. But this one is soft and fleecy. Ah... you like it; you’ re putting it on your face. It feels good.”
Continuing down the hall, Lynn sees Ms. Tanika offering snacks to her class of 12- to 18-month-olds. As she asks each baby“ Do you want more?”, she pairs her language with the sign for more. One of the children begins throwing food on the floor, and Ms. Tanika asks,“ Are you all done?” while she signs all done. Watching from the door, Lynn notices how Ms. Tanika responds to each child.“ Just lying there?” she thinks to herself.“ No way! There’ s real teaching— and real learning— going on here. You just have to look for it.”
Incredible learning unfolds in infant and toddler settings. The period from birth to age 3 represents a time of vast and exciting change as children move from early milestones like visually tracking objects and holding up their heads to making jokes and running to kick a ball. Educators support development during this time by honoring the growth and change that’ s unfolding. By providing age-appropriate challenges and engaging learning experiences, infant and toddler educators offer exactly what very young children need to grow and learn( Dean & Gillespie 2015).
Intentionality is critical for early childhood educators as they plan experiences, gather materials, and offer support for infants and toddlers. It is, quite simply, being clear about and able to articulate why certain choices are made. Intentional teachers use their knowledge of how children develop and learn to thoughtfully plan activities and opportunities that guide them toward specific learning and developmental goals. In the infant and toddler setting, this includes providing very young children with experiences that help them develop knowledge and capacities( like self-confidence) that will form the foundation for later school and life( Schmidtke 2025).
During the early years, intentionality includes exploring the what, how, and why of learning experiences( Chazan-Cohen et al. 2017):
› The what entails the planned experiences, daily routines, and materials offered to children, and the ways in which the environment is structured to spark engagement, exploration, and learning.
› The how is the approach taken by the educator— the relationship they establish with each child. This relationship is characterized by responsivity( contingent back-and-forth interactions), individuality( honoring each child’ s unique capacities and needs), and shared pleasure( the enjoyment and mutual engagement that builds the child’ s sense of trust and nurture).
› The why is an understanding of the practices that help children progress toward important goals through child- and adult-guided experiences.
Examples of Intentionality in Infant and Toddler Settings
Cassandra, a 2-year-old in Sheril’ s toddler classroom, has started pinching peers, and Sheril wonders why: Why is the act of pinching so motivating for Cassandra? Is it the dramatic response she receives from her peers? The physical act of pinching? The sensory experience?
Sheril thinks about how she can take a“ pinch” and make it positive. Soon, she offers all the children in her setting the opportunity to hand-wash doll clothes
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