one: After learning more from the text about toddler development and the motivation behind their behavior (especially Erikson’s stage of autonomy vs. shame & doubt and research on toddlers’ compliance and active resistance), do you think that “the terrible twos,” a commonly used expression to characterize typical toddler behavior, is a fair description? Why or why not? You can use your own personal experience with toddlers (younger siblings, children, etc.) to support your answer as well as information from the text. two :
How would you describe your temperament as a young child? Do you think it has remained stable, or has it changed? What factors might be involved?
three : Pretend you have been asked to speak to a group of parents and preschool teachers about early motor development. What topics would you include in your presentation? For example, what gross- and fine-motor advances occur during the preschool years? Will parents and teachers notice differences between boys and girls? How can adults enhance children’s motor development? What activities or behaviors should adults avoid, and why?
four : One day, Leslie prepared a new snack to serve at preschool: celery stuffed with ricotta cheese and pineapple. The first time she served it, few children touched it. How can Leslie encourage her students to accept the snack? What tactics should she avoid?
five: : After watching the video “Investigating Trees,” answer the following questions:
-In what ways are the activities in this lesson developmentally appropriate (e.g. hands-on, active learning activities)?
-Which activities in this lesson are related to mathematics? Literacy? Art? Science?
-How did the teachers in this video facilitate learning? What materials did they provide? What questions did they ask children?