Our older toddler groups

Starting elementary school soon? We aim to ensure that children in our older toddler groups are well-prepared for this. Toddlers at this age still have a rich fantasy life and the magical and real worlds can merge. This sometimes results in amazing situations! Toddlers really like to ‘do things themselves’ and show their independence. This increases their self-confidence. Wouldn’t it be great if your child could start their elementary school full of self-confidence?

‘Do things themselves’ and independence

Children need to be independent from the moment they go to elementary school. They need to be able to dress independently, go to the toilet, speak out in group discussions, or present their own work. That’s why our older toddler group focuses on activities that promote independence and really stimulate the children to ‘do things themselves’. For instance, we have a ‘table setting cabinet’ in each older toddler group, and our toddlers always help set the table. As well as being a great learning experience, it’s also a natural transition from playing to eating.

Development is determining

Toddlers undergo rapid development in the 30 to 48 month age range and this differs significantly per child. That’s why, ideally, we focus on each child’s development when moving a child from the toddler to the older toddler group. And there also needs to be a place available in the group.

Decision-making

We involve the children as much as possible in the decision-making process and drawing up group rules. This enables them to have more control and, as the rules feel like their ‘own’, they’re more likely to stick to them. It also increases their understanding of cause and effect. For instance, perhaps they discover that there’s almost no sand left in the sand table after other children have been playing. They decide together that after playing with the sand table, they must use a dustpan and brush to collect any sand that fell next to the table and pour it back into the table.

Learning to handle emotions

It’s vital that we focus a lot of attention on toddlers’ social development. Toddlers want to belong and they’re looking for friends. Our childcare staff guide the children in learning how to handle empathy, compassion, and social awareness. They often also need to learn to handle emotions and their own will. Children learn that it’s fine to have emotions and that we pay attention to this. They also learn to express their feelings.

Older toddler group versus older toddler activities

Many of our Kindergarden locations have one or more older toddler groups. Sometimes the size of a location doesn’t allow this, however, and we will only have a toddler group. Our vision remains the same though, which is why activities at these locations are targeted toward children in the older toddler age range.