Home / Educators / Professional Development (3 - 5 YEARS) / Supporting Older Infants’ Learning
- Introduction
- Expand Language—All the Time
- Use Language to Support Exploration and Problem Solving
- Help Children Connect with Each Other and Make Friends
- Try It
- Wrap Up
- Learning Guidelines and Standards
- baby sign language: a set of conventional signs designed to make it easier for older infants and young toddlers to communicate with their caregivers
- expressive language/communication: the words and phrases a child speaks and/or the specific, mutually-understood signs and gestures she uses to communicate meaning
- joint attention: a shared focus on an item; an older baby and an adult pay joint attention when they notice where the other is looking or pointing (by one year, babies should be able to point, gesture, or vocalize to get an adult to pay attention to something)
- parallel play: playing near another child and noticing each other but without interacting
- receptive language: the words and phrases a child understands
- social referencing: the process by which young children check with trusting adults to see how to react to new situations and people, including whether new people can be trusted
Learning Guidelines and Standards
The content of this tutorial aligns with Massachusetts learning guidelines and standards.
Massachusetts Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers
Social-Emotional Development:
- Relates to, trusts and becomes attached to consistent educators.
- Notices and interacts with children of a similar age.
- Acts as a social being by engaging with others and the world around them.
- Experiences and expresses a range of emotions.
- Begins to regulate own feelings and behavior.
- Develops a positive sense of self.
Language and Communications Development:
- Demonstrates the meaning of language by listening.
- Develops expressive language.
- Engages in social communication.
- Engages in pre-reading activities.
- Develops in multiple language acquisitions when considered a dual language learner.
Cognitive Development:
- Refines reflexes into purposeful actions.
- Develops memory skills.
- Performs simple actions to make things happen and displays a beginning understanding of cause and effect.
- Develops problem-solving skills.
- Explores materials and discovers mathematical concepts.
- Explores the environment making new discoveries.
- Discovers creative expression through music, drama, dance and art experiences.
Physical Health and Well-Being Development:
- Develops ability to move the large muscles (gross motor).
- Develops ability to control and refine small muscles (fine motor).
- Develops sensorimotor skills where children use their senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch—to guide and integrate their interactions.
Approaches to Learning:
- Shows eagerness and curiosity as a learner.
- Becomes intentional and persistent in their learning and discovery.
Massachusetts Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
Center and School Based:
- Curriculum and Learning 1A: Curriculum, Assessment, and Diversity: Level 2 Materials that promote cultural and individual identity, family relations, cultural appreciation, and cognitive and social development are integrated into the curriculum and children’s everyday experiences.
- Curriculum and Learning 1B: Teacher-Child Relationships and Interactions: Level 3 Educators engage children in meaningful conversations; use open-ended questions; provide opportunities throughout the day to scaffold children’s language which supports the development of more complex receptive and expressive language; encourage children’s use of language to share ideas; stimulate problem solving; and guides children in engaging in positive peer interactions.
- Curriculum and Learning 1B: Level 4 Educators utilize teaching strategies that ensure a positive classroom environment, engage children in learning and promote critical thinking skills.
Family Child Care:
- Curriculum and Learning 1B: Teacher-Child Relationships and Interactions: Level 2 Educator has participated in formal professional development on how to support positive relationships and interactions with children through positive, warm and nurturing interactions.
- Curriculum and Learning 1B: Teacher-Child Relationships and Interactions: Level 4 Educators engage children in meaningful conversations, as age and developmentally appropriate; use open-ended questions and provide opportunities throughout the day to scaffold their language which supports the development of more complex receptive and expressive language, support children’s use of language to share ideas, problem solve and have positive peer interactions.