Acknowledgements - gapitc

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Around the Town
Sit on the floor with some toy vehicles.
Say to your child, “I’m going to drive this bus around the town,” and pretend to
drive your toy vehicle on the floor.
Invite your child to take her own vehicle and drive around.
Say, “I’m driving this bus to the library to read some books. Oh, look, there is the
McDonald’s. Now I’m passing the big school.”
Talk about several familiar places that you travel to by bus or car with your child
such as the grocery store or a nearby relative’s home.
Encourage your child to pretend she is driving the bus or car and tell you where
she is going around the town.
A variation of this activity is to let your child sit in a laundry basket or cardboard
box and pretend to be driving a bus around town, a boat on a lake, or a train on
the tracks!
Your toddler has developed a strong attachment to you and his other primary
caretakers. His family is his most important social group. He is learning about his
connection to others and the special place he has in the family.
Toddlers are curious about everything in their environment, including the physical
differences among people. They will notice and sometimes point to a person they see
with a cane or in a wheel chair. They will touch another child’s hair that is different
from theirs. Parents and teachers can help young children feel comfortable about
differences with comments such as, “You use your legs to walk. His legs don’t work
so he uses the wheels on his wheel chair to get where he wants to go.” Or, “Your
skin is pink like mine. Your friend Danielle has brown skin like her Mommy’s.”
The public library is a good source for multicultural books that reflect positive images
of different races, cultural groups, and people with disabilities.
Books and learning activities for young boys and girls should go beyond the traditional
stereotypes such as boys play with blocks and girls play with dolls. Boys also need to
develop nurturing, social, and communication skills, and girls will benefit from play
with construction toys that support visual-spatial skills.
Look for books by Richard Scarry to read about all types of community helpers.
The everyday “field trips” you take with your child build her understanding of the
world around her. Outdoor play, walks to the park, bus rides, and movement games
all provide wonderful opportunities for your child to explore concepts of place
(where am I?), space (what’s around me?) and location (how did I get here?).