In a healthy environment, children learn they have some power to influence the world and the people in it, thus helping them to make sense of their environment. Back to table of contents. This unique class for children two to three years of age provides transition time from toddlerhood to preschool. In the transition class, we help children learn how to deal with their new found desire for control and power through activities, peer interactions and adult interactions. Children are encouraged to dress themselves, serve themselves at meals, wash, and dry their own hands, and initiate their own activities.
Adults help by giving appropriate choices and by setting appropriate limits.
At this age, children vacillate between wanting to do it all and wanting to be cared for like an infant. Keeping this in mind, the teachers' approach is to model behavior and language for the children to use with each other. Language development is another area of focus. Children learn to express their needs not only to adults, but also to their peers. This initial form of communication lays a foundation for the more complex communication of adulthood.