Think About It
Try It
ROCKING & ROLLING
“ rain” water over their hands while singing“ Rain, Rain, Go Away,” listening to their laughter and babbling as they participate in the activity.
Being intentional does not mean scheduling or planning every moment. Rather, it is a way of thinking about learning environments, routines, schedules, and experiences that center children’ s skills and interests( Chazan-Cohen et al. 2017). When mediated by an intentional educator, unplanned situations can be important learning opportunities— a way to tap into children’ s interests in how the world around them works( Schmidtke 2025).
For example, in the vignette above, Sylvia observed how captivated the children were by the falling raindrops and quickly pivoted to build on this curiosity and engagement. This openness is why one of the most important components of intentional teaching is flexibility( Zimmer 2021): When teachers are open to exploring children’ s curiosities and questions, they can build on infants’ and toddlers’ internal drive for learning and mastery.
When the environment and daily routines are planned with intention, the learning that occurs is“ not a free-flowing discussion but a teacher-guided journey of discovery. The children must discover the meaning, but the teacher gently leads them to it”( Bodrova & Leong 2007, 85). Through a cycle of observation, action, and reflection, infant and toddler teachers see the learning opportunities inherent in very young children’ s play( State of New South Wales 2024). Guided by their knowledge of
Putting These Strategies to Work
Think About It
› What is something you are intentional about in your life outside of work? How would you explain your intention to another person?
› Reflect on an experience or material you offered to children recently. What was your intention in offering it? What happened? What did you learn from the experience?
› How do the babies or toddlers in your setting show interest in an activity, toy, or material? How do they communicate disinterest or disengagement? Do you see any patterns or takeaways? How can this inform your plans for the future?
Try It
› When planning learning experiences for infants and toddlers, take a moment to consider the children’ s current development.
What skills have they mastered, and what are they working on? Reflect on what children have shown interest in or curiosity about lately. Challenge yourself to design a learning experience using these data points.
› Ask a colleague to step in for you for 15 to 20 minutes, so you have time to truly observe the children as they play. Observe three to four children for five minutes each, and note what you see. What can they do independently? What are they attempting? What materials do they seek out? What activities do they engage with? Use this information the next time you plan learning experiences, and share what you observe with families as well.
› Consider setting an intention for yourself each morning. What do you need in order to show up as your best self today? What do you want to achieve in the next eight hours? Research has shown that intention setting is a powerful tool for personal growth and motivation( Sweeney & Freitas 2018).
88 Young Children
Summer 2026