The Infant and Toddler Handbook: Invitations for Optimum Early Development
by Kathryn Castle
Category: Education

Noting that care and teaching can be provided simultaneously by a knowledgeable, responsive, warm and loving parent or child care workers, this infant and toddler handbook provides developmentally sequenced cognitive, social, motor, and language activities, called "invitations," for infants and toddlers from birth to 24 months. Chapter 1, "Infant/Toddler Development," discusses social, motor, language, and cognitive development from birth to 24 months. Chapter 2, "The Infant/Toddler Environment," describes how to arrange an appropriate environment for infants and toddlers, including identifying trouble spots, arranging indoor and outdoor play spaces, and conducting basic care routines. Chapter 3, "Invitations to Look and Listen," describes visual and auditory preferences and the caregiver's role, and presents activities using sight and sound. Chapter 4, "Invitations to Touch," describes tactile activities. Chapter 5, "Invitations to Communicate," describes the role of the caregiver and presents language/communication activities. Chapter 6, "Invitations to Move," discusses the balance between safety and freedom in the infant and toddler's environment and presents motor activities. Chapter 7, "Invitations to Discover and Solve Problems," discusses the child's emerging understanding of cause-effect relationships, object permanence, and goal-directed behavior; the role of the caregiver and the importance of freedom to explore and a responsive environment; and presents relevant problem solving activities. Each "invitation" delineates the emerging ability involved, the caregiver's role, and the activity. Appendices provide a list of resources and materials and a system for matching caregiving activities to the child's individual temperament. (KDFB)