Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-wonder-of-the-everyday/5009253/
How do you answer when someone asks you, "What do you do all day with such little kids?" As an infant/toddler caregiver, I always hesitated whenever I was asked this question. I knew whoever was asking the question wouldn't understand if I explained that we spent most of our days together doing ordinary everyday things such as dressing, preparing food, eating, cleaning up, and taking neighborhood walks. I didn't quite understand it myself at first - even though it felt right - until I began looking at the world through the eyes of the infants and toddlers I was working with and asking myself, "What are they experiencing?"As newcomers, infants and toddlers are just beginning to make sense of their world. They are learning about themselves - their bodies, their abilities, and their feelings. They are learning about other people - how they behave and communicate with one another. They are learning about the things around them - their colors, sizes, shapes, and how to use them. To learn about themselves and the other people and things in their environment, infants and toddlers need lots of hands-on experience and practice. Everyday activities give ...