Spinning, Rolling, and Swinging: Investigating Balance with Infants & Toddlers
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Balance is a developmental skill that progresses from birth as children learn to sit, crawl, stand, and walk. Balance investigations are a perfect fit for infant and toddler classrooms as children actively explore the role of balance with their bodies and within the world of objects.
Investigating balance is a STEM experience where children have the opportunity to communicate their interest and understanding, develop motor skills, and engage in all elements of STEM. Through observation, educators discover what infants and toddlers are naturally drawn to investigate and the kinds of problems they create for themselves.
Video exemplars and photos of children using interesting materials in environments where their investigations are supported by knowledgeable adults will be shared. Rationale for investigating balance with infants and toddlers and guidelines for engaging learners, arranging the environment, and selecting materials that promote inquiry and deepen children’s learning will be discussed. Participants will have an opportunity to engage in teacher play with materials that have been vetted in infant and toddler environments. Handouts will include information about easily accessed, safe, and intriguing materials that invite inquiry while inspiring infants and toddlers to begin to explore balance on their own terms.
Workshop format: face-to-face
Length of workshop: 3 hours
Number of participants: limited to 24
