Our sessions are designed by specialists, carefully adapted to the age of the child. The toddlers’ sessions are suitable for children from 1 to 4 years old, as all the activities can be adapted in difficulty to suit different ages.
At Shaping Little Minds we are committed to free play, allowing each child to choose the activity or game they want to do at any given moment, which is very beneficial for decision-making, the development of imagination and personal autonomy.
However, we are also aware that children need to learn from a very young age to follow instructions, to listen, to sit for a while and to participate, together with their peers, in group activities. For this reason, our sessions also have two moments (at the beginning and at the end) where we sit together and participate in group activities.
Shaping Little Minds’ sessions have different stations that will change each week depending on the theme of the week:
During the second year of life, children are becoming more aware of themselves and the environment that surrounds them. Their desire to discover and explore is still very intent at this stage, and it is this curiosity that makes early learning that much more effective.
Children begin to develop a sense of self-awareness and a feeling that they are different from those around them. They start to become a little more independent, wanting to do some of the most basic things on their own through trial and error experimentation.
The little ones begin to imitate many behaviours, especially those of adults. In addition at this stage, delayed imitation appears, so it is essential to offer the child activities with a purpose that is appropriate to their evolutionary stage. In this way, the child’s brain will not only be working during the session, but will also be processing it later, thanks to delayed imitation. These purposeful games found in our sessions are always based on the 4 key areas of development:
Begin with delayed imitation and continue with symbolic play.
The first attempts to organize and categorize objects, among other cognitive advances happen in this age group.
Independent vertical mobility. After the first steps come, many other 'firsts' such as running, jumping, eating alone, holding a pencil or building a tower emerge. All of these actions are positively promoted through games.
The first words appear! They begin to understand familiar instructions and anticipate routines. Language development in the second year of life is immense, so language stimulation is essential. Learning a second language is also very easy and fun for them!
While engaging with the world around them, children experience many emotions such as anger, pain, fear and pleasure. These emotions are unknown to them, so a little guidance through is essential.
Children may not always be very interested in playing with other children while in a stage of affirming their identity, so it may be that sharing is not yet their forte.
16 Allen St, London W8 6BL
Lyncroft Gardens, London NW6 1JU
