The Toddler Unit

The Toddler Unit caters for children aged 2 - 3 years and the staff ratio is 1 adult to 4 children. It is divided into three rooms: the 'Quiet Room' the 'Play Room' and the 'Sensory Room'. The Quiet Room is where less energetic activities take place such as hand/eye co-ordination experiences, role play, musical instrument exploration, stories and singing. The Sensory Room allows our children to explore and investigate a wide variety of stimulating objects and materials.

Very young children are natural explorers, driven to discover their world and their place in it! Play activities in the Play Room such as sand and water, paint, various malleable experiences e.g. playdough, flour and water, cornflour and clay etc. provide an ideal vehicle for children to explore their emerging creativity.

Producing an end result can be vitally important in that it not only provides a memento of a captured special moment but it also raises your child's confidence, self-esteem and awareness. However, it is important to remember that spending unhurried, uninterrupted time focusing on one activity without any obvious or planned outcome is also enormously satisfying to young children and enables them to explore, discover and work through ideas and emotions at their own pace.

With the provision of such well planned play, children are encouraged to not only develop and use their imagination but are also encouraged to extend their language/communicative, mathematical, physical, investigatory, exploratory, creative and social skills. They will be learning how to share, take turns, consider the needs of others and will as a result, gain confidence.

Many children of this age are in the process of being toilet trained. This is always done in partnership with parents and full encouragement is given to each child to help them gain confidence and independence.

Children in the Toddler Unit are given the opportunity to have a rest or sleep after lunch. Sleep is carefully monitored and times are recorded so relevant information can be passed on to parents.

As with our other two Units, access to the outside environment is of paramount importance. We ensure all children in the Toddler Unit have daily, unlimited access to our outside play area.