We present the Mini SKILLZ program!
Between the ages of 18 and 36 months, the development of children’s skills is rapid. Their brains develop rapidly, their language thrives, and their motor skills develop. At the same time, their thinking becomes more developed and their social and emotional skills enable them to interact with more people. So this is the ideal age to start participating in structured group activities like the Mini SKILLZ. We have carried out extensive research on the developmental stages of children of this age and based on this information we have created a fun and exciting program suitable for both the CHILD and his CAREER.
Development stages in the Mini Skillz program
Here is an overview of the developmental stages of babies between 18 and 36 months of age:
- PHYSICAL – they are very active but do not have much control over their movements.
We expect that they will stumble in most activities and show very little gross and fine motor skills.
The goal of building the physical skills of our program is to get your child to perform basic exercises and activities with control, such as stepping and jumping without falling, kicking from a bent knee, and punching while pulling the other arm back.
- INTELLECTUAL – their thinking and reasoning skills are versatile, making it difficult for them to predict what will happen in the future. Therefore, their attention is usually very limited.
We expect that children will often lose concentration in class and get distracted quickly.
The intellectual goals of our program are to get children to focus on the task at hand with minimal distraction by listening to the instructor, thinking about what is about to happen during training, and following the directions.
- EMOTIONAL – at this age, children’s feelings are very strong, but still not in the process of recognizing them. Therefore, children show a wide range of strong emotions that they are not able to quickly control.
We expect that there will be tantrums when children fail to exercise and they will run uncontrollably if the excitement takes over.
The emotional goals of our program are to help children remain patient in class, despite how difficult their emotions are.
- SOCIAL – has a great influence on their social development. They will imitate others, but will quickly fight for personal space when they feel too crowded.
We expect that they will interact at a very basic level, but at the same time engage in “parallel” games.
The social goals of our program are to help children interact positively by sharing and showing respect to other people in the classroom.
Skills development
Understanding the developmental stages of children aged 1.5-3, we could select 8 age-appropriate skills that make up the Mini SKILLZ program:
1. Stepping
2. Listening
3. Patience
4. Respect
5. Jumping
6. Thinking
7. Following
8. Sharing
Here’s how the Mini SKILLZ program works:
1. Each class is dedicated to one of the above skills (sequentially)
2. There is a warm-up in each class; we have a short conversation on the mat about skills; then there are three skill-building exercises, followed by a checkpoint to see where the skills are at that day.
3. We end the classes with stretching and then having fun.
4. Repeat the same pattern for each skill to complete each of the 8 skills in a month.
5. When children reach the age of 3 and are able to exercise without a guardian, they are ready for the next program, Early SKILLZ for 3 and 4-year-olds.
As you can see, this is not a typical toddler program! We use research and development knowledge in a program appropriate to their age, while taking them beyond their current stage of development. This means that every child will learn and develop at a faster pace than the average toddler. The best part is that the Mini SKILLZ program is also a great way to bond better with your parent!
FIND OUT MORE
Brain Development in Children 18-36 Months – Article
Healthy brain development is one of the most important aspects of childhood development. More specifically, the first few years of life are a significant period as synaptic connections are at their highest. This is a time when positive and nurturing experiences are essential for the brain to form the strong connections that underpin learning. By understanding the importance of early synaptic connections, parents realized that it was worthwhile for their children to participate in enrichment programs such as Mini SKILLZ to assist with this development. [Read more…]
