I have two 3 year olds and a 1 year old in my daycare. I'm trying to make a daily schedule that works for everyone. The 1 year old boy does not take a morning nap. I want to incorporate learning in our day.

Any ideas on how to work with the older kids and keep the 1 year old occupied? I know the older kids can keep themselves busy while I work with the 1 year old. His mom wants me to do flash cards with him.

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ditch the flash cards and welcome a world of playing together.


I would do a really short circle time./ Read a book that repeats a lot like brown bear brown bear.

then you can act out the animals in the book, or find some to play with. Maybe you can make them into puppets from paper bags.

then you can sing some fun songs like old mac donald, and sing it using all of the animals in the book. The book also focus on colors too so you can focus on that.

Billy can you hand me the red fox, or the red crayon.

print off some coloring pages from brown bear brow bear, let the kids color them pertaining to the colors in the book. Can you color the duck yellow?

as you color you can sing ducks are yellow, ducks are yellow, yes they are, yes they are, ducks are yellow, ducks are yellow, rest they are.

I would not do too much more than that with kids so young.

Once circle time is over let the little play in a controlled area with toys. I would maybe look into starfall.com and get some fun ideas on how to teach letters and letter sounds.

I like to use zoo phonics.

I focus on emergent literacy, which I believe begins at birth. the best way I know how to teach it is to develop through playing with "me" using meaningful activities.

As you are working with the older child, you can still affirm what the little ones are doing by talking to them from where you are.

The best way you can teach the little ones is talk talk talk talk talk...
we learn to talk, read and then write.....

maybe you can have the 3 year old start writing their name at the same time as learning the letters. I always teach the letters in their name first.

so if their name is Bill, I would start with the B and every day have them work on the letter B, learning the sight, sound and how to draw a B. when they can do that, then I move on to the next letter.

Wow you can draw your B, lets add on to that. Lets add the i to your name Bill.

You write it Bill, then have them write the B and the i........stay with that until they get the "i" down and then rinse and repeat. Move on to the next letter....

I have tons of ideas for you that I would be willing to share.

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I think flash cards at one is overkill. That is just my personal opinion. Now if you are doing flash cards with the older ones and the one year old is playing nearby, they might pick some of it up. They tend to pay attention when we don't think they are. But forcing them to sit down and do it? I think that is a bad idea.

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I have two 1 yr olds, two 2 yr olds, a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old. They're all welcome do the same things together unless they don't want to participate.

Sometimes I put the 1s in their high chairs with toys, or just let them play on the floor while we're doing things on the table. At Story they're on/off my lap, on/off a friends' lap, standing in front of the book, wandering in/out, etc. It works.

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I remember having these same questions for my mentor many years ago....but as I grew, I realized children are learning all things (colors, shapes, letters, numbers) through the environment, no flash cards! Providers' conversation along with play makes materials come to life...."well, look at that green basket" or "the big red fire engine" or "how many blocks do you have", then comes sorting, rhyming, etc.....I love mixed ages in family child care....I have one big room so each child is learning at their own pace EVERY DAY!!! I am sure children in your programs are learning daily!

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