At Carrefour Des Poupons, we have the resources, experience, space, time and energy to give each child the attention they need to be happy and healthy. We give the child the opportunity to create their own environment through constructive activities such as art, music, sports, cooking, stories and a lot of time to stretch. Our tools include open learning materials such as blocks, puzzles, books, an abundance of art supplies and many more. We discuss different topics each month and information on topics is made available to all on the billboard. Children think about these issues through discussion, movement, games, stories, art and imitating others. All classes have different objectives, a timetable and specific activities, and we conduct evaluations several times a year, followed by parent-educator meetings.

It is important to know why daycare is important for your children; here are a few points to show you why:

Educational toys are entertaining, but toys are also instruments that help a child learn about themselves and the world around them. Play is important to the healthy growth and development of children. As children play, they learn to solve problems, to get along with others, and to develop the fine and gross motor skills needed to enhance and master living skills. Through educational toys, children discover about themselves, their environment and about social cues. By engaging in play, children are developing creativity and it builds leadership skills and healthy personalities. Play increases skills children need to learn to read and write. Playing with educational toys in early childhood is the best foundation for success in school.

Educational toys help a child achieve the following:

What will your child learn during the day in the classroom?

Growth in All Areas of Development:

Cognitive, social, language and physical are stimulated through the use of appropriate practices for young children. Involving active learning and active play is the process by which young children explore their world. Examples: observing, smelling, tasting, listening, touching and playing.

• Development of physical skills.

Physical and gross motor skills are developed as a child learns to reach, grasp, crawl, run, climb, and balance. Fine motor skills are developed as children handle small toys. Dexterity develops as the child holds toys or other items.

• Development of cognitive thinking.

Children learn to solve problems (cause and effect), through play. Children also learn colors, numbers, size, and shapes. They have the ability to enhance their memory skills as well as their attention span. Children move on to higher levels of thought as they play with educational toys.

• Development of language skills.

Language develops as a child plays and interacts with others. This begins with babies playing cooing games and advances to useful language skills such as storytelling and jokes. Learning to cooperate, negotiate, take turns and play by the rules are important life skills for interacting and communicating.

• Development of emotional well-being.

Through play a child can accomplish his/her wishes and can conquer fears and bad experiences. Play helps the child master the environment and promotes awareness of their surroundings. When children at play feel safe, successful and confident, they gain important principles of positive emotional health. Playing with educational toys also can create strong bonds between parent and child.

• Development of social skills.

Learning to share are important social skills children learn through educational toys. These skills include daily interaction skills such as sharing, taking turns, and allowing others to talk without interrupting. Social skills grow as the child plays. Children learn to imitate desirable responses such as turn taking with board games, cards, or other activities that require a child to wait for others. As a result, children learn the roles and rules of society.

Here is a better understanding of the domains which will help you guide through the year:

Cognitive Development

Cognitive Skills is the knowing and thinking. Cognitive development focuses on how children learn and process information. It is the development of the thinking and organizing systems of the mind. It involves language, mental imagery, thinking, reasoning, problem solving, and memory development. A child enters this world very poorly equipped. The knowledge a child needs to become an individual is not dormant, it is not lurking in them. Everything the child eventually knows, or can do, must be learned. This of course excludes natural body functions, such as breathing, as well as the reflexes, for example the involuntary closing of the eye when an object approaches it. Everything else, however, must be learned. Remember cognitive development is not an automatic process. Example: toys, puzzles, blocks, pegs, etc...

Social & Emotional Development

An estimated 6–10 percent of all children develop serious emotional or personality problems at some point. These problems tend to fall into two groups: those characterized by symptoms of extreme anxiety, withdrawal, and fearfulness, on the one hand, and by disobedience, aggression, and destruction of property on the other. Give your child the opportunity to interact with other children and adults in an active environment. Example: mirrors, active play-pretend play games, etc…

Language Linguistic Development

Many definitions of language have been proposed. Words are combined into sentences, this combination answering to that of ideas into thoughts.” Literacy is the key; educators will engage your child in reading and conversations. Example: Language videos and books

Fine Motor Development

Fine motor skills can be defined as small muscle movements: those that occur in the finger, in coordination with the eyes. Teaching fine motor skills requires patience and understanding. Fine motor skills won't develop right away, but with time and practice. All fine motor activities are built upon four important skills. They are grasping objects, reaching out to objects, releasing objects deliberately, and turning the wrist in various directions. The term “skill” denotes a movement that is reasonably complex and the execution of which requires at least a minimal amount of practice. Children benefit from activities that help achieve gross and fine motor control. The following are some activity ideas that can be used in the classroom environment:
• Puzzles with small pieces
• Peg board games
• Painting, drawing, cutting
• Stringing and lacing activities
• Construction and building sets like Bristle Blocks and
• Buttons, snaps, tying, and other fasteners

Gross Motor Development

Gross Motor skills involve the larger muscles in the arms, legs and torso. Gross motor activities include walking, running, throwing, lifting, kicking, etc. These skills also relate to body awareness, reaction speed, balance and strength. Gross motor development gives your child the ability to move in a variety of ways, the ability to control their body and helps promote your child's self-esteem. Different gross motor activities make multiple demands beyond muscle movements.
The following are some activity ideas that can be used in the classroom environment:
1. Walk on toes, heels, toes pointed in or out,
2. Animal walks - inch worm, crab walk, bear walk, bunny hop, frog leap, and elephant walk,
3. Kickball, balloon volleyball, basketball,
4. Playground - swings, slides, monkey bars, tire swing,
5. Jumping and hopping patterns - i.e. around obstacles, over things, jumping jacks, and snow angels.