information needed for working with twos

[Lynne-W]

I will soon be working with two year olds. I have normally worked with threes and fours. Has anyone advice on running a two year old class room. Can they sit down for craft time would be a question I have. Thanks for any help.

[vea29]

hi! Over the last few months I've been working with 1 1/2 - 3's...I suggest you be very flexible. I used to do 3-5's and I had a very hard time switching my train of thought. Most craft/art activities I only do 2 children at a time....the younger ones I do on their own. Some times we just skip it all together...That was hard for me...Good luck!

[Leigh]

Hi! I worked in a two year old room for almost a year, and I found that they can sit and do simple crafts. I wouldn't have them sitting for long periods of time, I would make the crafts simple, and I would do small groups if possible.

Some of the crafts we did were:
1. sticker art (give them stickers and let them put them on paper)
2. string art (let them glue little pieces of string on paper)
3. confetti art (glue ripped up paper on paper of another color)
4. coloring (on a blank sheet of paper let them color what they wanted)
5. water paints
6. stamps on paper
7. noodles on paper

Hope these help.... if I think of more, I will let you know!

[preschool mommy]

Working with two year olds can be tough at times but I love it! You don't have the pressure of having to teach them abc's 123's before the end of the year, but in most cases they will all learn them.

I think that it is very important to stay as close to a schedule as possible. Young children need to have a routine, otherwise they tend to get out of hand!

As far as crafts are concerned, I suggest you purchase The Mailbox. It is a wonderful magazine full of great ideas for all themes and seasons of the year! If a project seems to difficult for your age group, then simply modify the craft. My class of 2's last year were very capable of doing many crafts.

The hardest part that I found was lunchtime. At 2 they are very fidgety and it's hard for them to sit still for long.

2 year olds love stories, crafts, dress up, playground, songs, fingerplays, music with dancing (try using rhythm sticks and dancing ribbons!!!).

I'm sure you'll do just fine and you will love it!!

Good luck!