Virtual workshops available

Child Development

More virtual workshops available featuring shorter online sessions. We will be “chunking” the content of our 3-hour workshops into shorter, 1-hour sessions, held over 3 days during naptime hours.

At Innovations in Education, LLC, we cater to the needs of individuals. Whether you are a family child care provider, child care center staff, teacher, administrator or parent, our goal is to help you provide the most current information about child development as well as the highest quality services to help you be the best in your field.

Physical Development & Health

What’s it all about?

To be successful in school, children need to be physically healthy and have many opportunities to practice growing skills. Some of these skills include:

Fine motor skills, such as the ability to hold a pencil
Gross motor skills, such as running and jumping
Physical fitness
Good nutrition
Self-care skills, such as hand washing and toileting

It takes good fitness and nutrition at home to help children grow into healthy adults. Regular visits to the doctor and the dentist, along with healthy eating habits and regular physical activity help children feel strong and confident.

The Arts

What’s it all about?

The Arts provide children with hands-on, interactive experiences that promote language skills, problem solving skills, and social skills. The Arts include:

Music
Visual
Dance
Drama

Providing children with the opportunity to explore a variety of art experiences helps to promote creativity and self-expression. Art is an important part of a well-rounded education and helps support development in all areas.

Social Foundations

What’s it all about?

Personal and Social Development is about how children interact with others. Good social skills are one of the strongest indicators of school success. Children need practice with these skills:

Working independently
Working with a small group of children
Working with the whole class
Sharing
Taking turns
Waiting for a turn
Asking for help
Cleaning up from play time
Changing activities
Expressing how they feel

Practicing these skills with your child will help prepare them for school.

Language & Literacy

What’s it all about?

Good communication skills help children express themselves to others. When children know how to share their ideas with others, they gain confidence in their abilities. Communication involves:

Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing

There are many ways young children can express their ideas before they can read and write. This includes drawing and painting pictures, creating with playdoh, retelling a story, acting out a story, and talking about their favorite toys. Reading to your child every day is an excellent way to support a child’s communication skills. Ask questions about the story, but know that it’s OK if your child isn’t interested in the story or doesn’t want to answer any questions.

You may have seen the viral internet video of twin baby boys babbling. This blog explains the significance of the interaction for early language development.

Reading aloud to children is good for parents, too!

Spend time together: practice Nursery rhymes.

Math

What’s it all about?

Mathematical thinking helps children see patterns and relationships in the world around them. Math involves problem solving skills, logic, and reasoning. Early math skills for children include:

Number skills
Patterns
Geometry
Measurement
Understanding how to use and apply mathematical information.

Building math skills with young children is all about hands-on learning. Young children learn best when they are actively using materials to help them solve problems

Block Play is Fun and Beneficial

Understanding Numbers and Counting in Preschoolers
Early Math Matters: A Guide for Parents of Preschoolers
Preschool Math Grows Up: Tips for Teachers

Science

What’s it all about?

Science encourages children to explore the world around them using their five senses and observation skills. Children learn how to make predictions and experiment with new materials. A big question in science is “What will happen if…?” Science explorations include learning about:

How things grow
How things move
How things change
How things fit together
The importance of the environment
Science explorations allow children to ask questions and try to figure out the answers.

Looking for more resources for supporting Science learning in early childhood? Check out these resources.

Social Studies

What’s it all about?

Learning about Social Studies helps children understand other people and how they live. Social Studies helps children understand:

Rules and government Other cultures and the world around us How we meet our needs for food, shelter, and clothing History Learning about other people helps children understand themselves. For young children, Social Studies includes learning about families and the local community. It is also about appreciating the differences in each of us. Learning about rules at home and at school prepares children to learn about our government. Social Studies helps prepare children to be good citizens.