Our philosophy in working with three year olds is based on what we know about three year olds. We know the following:

• Three year olds want to have some control over their environment. They enjoy doing things for themselves and helping adults with their task So we give them jobs to help around the room: watering the plants, setting the table for lunch, clearing their dishes off of the table, cleaning up their spills, etc. We give them choices in which either choice is acceptable.

• Three year olds are curious and want to know about a lot of things. So the curriculum is based on what the three year old finds interesting which means we observe closely to see what they play with, how long they play with it, who they play with, what they talk about, etc. It is an emerging curriculum based on following the child’s interest and what is relevant to her. Vocabulary and math concepts are taught naturally as children play. For example, we may introduce “one-to-one correspondence when we say “Each one of you has one water bottle”; “big, huge, small, and tiny” when we say: “Are you going to take a big step or a huge step? A tiny step or a small step?”

•  The three year old’s brain continues to grow so we look for ways to promote cognitive growth. The classroom is filled with materials that invite exploration and discovery. We would rather the child make his own discoveries. For instance, when children are provided with red and yellow finger paint, we do not say, “If you mix them together you will get orange”. We wait and let them discover the new color for themselves. When working in centers (blocks, dramatic play, manipulatives, art, books, sensory and science), the children are learning about spatial relations, balance, colors, math concepts, vocabulary, etc.) We know that children learn best through play!

• Three year olds are curious and are explorers so we provide interesting, appropriate materials for them to investigate and we give them time to explore. This could include play dough, empty bottles, balls, water, containers, sand, paint, recyclable materials, etc. It is interesting how the simplest objects are the most interesting to them. Children learn best through “hands-on” activities. Exploring these items also help to develop fine motor muscles and eye-hand coordination. Simple toys encourage active thinking.

• Three year olds are capable of being creative and thinking “out of the box” so we provide materials that are open-ended which children can use in many ways without fear of being wrong. The child is free to create whatever she imagines. We believe that the process is more important than the finished product. Therefore, there may not be a finished product to take home at the end of each day.

• Three year olds’ vocabulary is growing every day so we get on their eye-level and listen intently when they are trying to communicate. We value conversations with children. It lets us know what they are thinking and gives us an opportunity to add new words to their vocabulary. Three year olds are learning the rules of grammar, which do not always apply. For instance, the child has learned that “ed” is added to a word to denote past tense so she may say, “Mommy ‘goed’ to work”. When this happens we do not tell the child that she is not correct. Instead, we say, “Yes, your Mommy went to work”. The child will learn by our example. We, also, help to increase their vocabulary by introducing them to new words through songs, books, finger plays, etc. They love repetition so we may read a favorite book over and over. We know that reading age appropriate books to children helps to develop a love of reading which, in turn, inspires them to want to read.

• Three year olds are working on large motor development and like to climb, run, and jump, etc. So we give them lots of opportunities for vigorous play. However, we do not help them climb up on equipment because we believe that they are safer on the equipment if they have had the experience of climbing up by themselves. The ability to climb up by themselves tells us that their muscles are strong enough to be safe on the equipment and in climbing up themselves they know how high they are. We may suggest that they watch a friend climb up to see if they can learn the technique. We provide opportunities that will increase their large motor development and challenge them physically: balance boards, stepping stones, climbing up the slide and not just sliding down the slide, hopping, jumping over appropriate height objects, obstacle courses, balls, etc.

• Three year olds are developing their fine motor skills (including hand-eye coordination) so we provide a variety of materials to develop those skills: play dough, scissors, Legos, puzzles, finger paint, sand, water play, tongs, beads and string, crayons, magic markers, etc. We know that using these materials develops the small muscles necessary for writing.

• Three year olds have lots of feelings: frustration, sadness, excitement, disappointment, fright, confusion, happiness, etc. So we respect and acknowledge those feelings by saying something like, “Anna, I see that you are really disappointed that all of the pears are gone because you really like those pears.” Responding to a child in this way helps to build empathy because we are being empathetic. We are also increasing her emotional vocabulary. We also acknowledge the happy feelings!

• Three year olds are capable of empathy so we want to encourage those feelings but we do not require them to say, “I am sorry” to a friend who they have hurt physically or emotionally. Requiring a child to apologize when he/she is not sorry is encouraging him/her to say something that is not true. Also, it gives the child the idea that saying, “I am sorry” makes everything okay. We model for the children by saying to the child who was hurt, “I am sorry that you were hit. That must have hurt.”

• Three year olds are working on their social development. Many three year olds have moved from the parallel stage of play (playing beside another child but not interacting) to the associative play stage which means that they are playing beside each other with some interaction, e.g. playing in the dramatic play center. So we give them lots of opportunities to play beside or with other children to continue to develop social skills. They also have disputes with each other. We are available to help them work through their problems with the goal of giving them skills so they can solve their own problems. For example, we may say, “So you both want to ride on the red tricycle. Ayla wants to ride on the tricycle and Josh wants to ride on the tricycle. How can we solve this problem”? It is very surprising how many solutions they come up with to solve the problem when given the opportunity. We support them through this process but we try not to solve the problem for them. We want them to see themselves as problem solvers.

• Three year olds need lots of opportunities to work on social skills. So we see lunch time as an opportunity for social interaction, a time to introduce new vocabulary words and encourage eating new foods. We model table manners by eating with the children and increase vocabulary by talking about what we are eating or what they are excited about, etc.

• Three year olds are getting better at sharing but may not be completely ready to share. Since we realize that a child cannot willingly share until they have first had the opportunity to possess, we say to the child, “Yes, it is yours until you are finished with it but when you are finished Sara would like a turn”. It is quite amazing how willing they are to share when they are in control. We, also, realize that if we, the adult, take a toy away from a child who has taken the toy away from another child, we are demonstrating that it is okay to take the toy away if you are bigger. That is a confusing message for the child!

• Three year olds’ attention spans are developing, we realize that when they choose the activity, they spend more time with it so they are allowed to choose where they play, with what and with whom they play with and how long. We realize that the length of group time should match their attention span so we read an age appropriate book, sing a song, etc. but we are careful to limit the time of the group time to about 15 minutes. We know that learning really takes place when the children are physically involved with materials-not sitting and listening to an adult.

• Three year olds need consistent limits. So we provide consistent, appropriate limits, along with appropriate freedom. When trying to decide if what the child is doing is inappropriate, we ask ourselves:

• Is the child in danger? We realize it is important to determine if the child is in real danger of getting hurt or are we being too cautious. Children need opportunities to test their physical abilities. We realize that climbing up the slide uses different muscles than sliding down the slide. The slide can safely be used in many different ways.

• Is the child hurting others?

• Is the child tearing up reusable materials? For example, it is okay for a child to tear up his/her art work but not a puzzle.

• Is the child being responsible for his actions? Three year olds need to begin to be responsible (with adult help) for their actions, e.g. cleaning up spilled milk, helping to clean up toys, etc. We do not require the three year olds to keep certain materials in specific centers. We know that three year olds enjoy carrying items around the classroom. They may want to take their “baby” to the block area and make a bed with blocks. What is important is that the items are returned to the appropriate center at clean-up time. This is important because it helps twos to understand about order-certain items belong in specific areas. This is also helping them to classify which is a math skill and it helps them to be responsible for their actions.

• Is the child being disrespectful of others? For example, calling other children names, etc.

• The goal of setting limits is for three year olds to learn to self-regulate (emotionally, cognitively and behaviorally). The next four bullets describe some of the ways we help children self-regulate. We practice taking deep breaths to calm ourselves. We play games that require the children to follow directions, e.g. Freeze or Simon Says. We encourage children to talk about their feelings. As teachers we model self-control ourselves so as to be a model for them.

• Three year olds need predictability. So we keep the schedule as consistent as possible so that the children know what comes next each day. We give them a “warning” before transitions. “You have a few more minutes to play before it is time to clean up”. “It is almost time to go inside. You have five more minutes to play.” This shows that we respect their needs and know that they need time to adjust to the idea of a transition.

• Three year olds want some “power” so we give them choices. They get to choose what centers they work in, they choose whether they do the art activity or not, they choose what book they look at, they choose whether they want more food or not, etc. We are always looking for opportunities to give them choices.

• We understand that children have their own time table for readiness for toilet learning. Therefore, sometimes three year olds have not yet mastered toilet learning. So there are signs that we look for to determine a child’s readiness which include three developmental domains: cognitive, physical and emotional. We encourage parents to also look for the signs of readiness. Below are a few of the questions to determine readiness:

  • Is the child physically ready? Does he have sphincter (the muscles related to elimination) control? Is she staying dry for longer periods of time? Is he dry in the morning? Can she pull up and down her pants?

  • Is the child cognitively ready? Does she understand the connection between the feeling of a full bladder and the need to urinate? Does she verbalize when she feels the need to urinate or have a bowel movement? Is he uncomfortable with wet or soiled diapers? Can she follow simple directions?

  • Is the child emotionally ready? Is he willing to use the toilet? Has she expressed interest in using the toilet?
    We believe that the process of toilet learning involves the family, the teachers and the child. It is a partnership, so we work together throughout the process. We also know that there will be accidents and that is part of the learning process. Children are not chastised when accidents  happen nor do we reward with stickers or lots of praise. We may say, “You did it” or “You seem pretty excited that you used the potty.”

• Three year olds have developed a “sense of self” so we respect them for who they are and make sure that our words are positive even as we set a limit. We understand that building a caring relationship with the child is of utmost importance. We realize that children need positive encouragement but do not always need to be praised. We do not need to say “good job” but rather to verbalize what it is they did that was good. “Wow, you just figured out how to climb down from that big rock”. Being specific with positive remarks tells the child exactly what it was she did and also says to the child that we are really paying attention. This also gives the child the positive attention that three year olds need. Greeting a child with joy at the beginning of the day can make a big difference. “Greg, I have been waiting for you. I remember that you enjoyed working with the beads and strings yesterday so I put them on the table for you.” Through our words and actions, we strive to support the development of positive self-esteem and a competent three year old!