A ‘Sense of Belonging’ is a feeling of acceptance, support and safety. As early years educators in the Toddler program, we bring out our powers to create a secure, nurturing setting for our children to develop a strong sense of belonging in the new space they are becoming a major part of. In our inclusive environment we want to carefully craft genuine connections with both children and families, we want them to feel welcomed and enjoy the warmth of a space like home.
As we know, Toddlers explore their environment mostly with their sense of touch and feel, so we include sensory provocations in the room through many ways such as books with different textures and materials like, lights and spinners on them, we also added a sensory bin, bottles.
This activity offered children to experiment with 4 bins of different colors and cotton balls in them. We observe children sharing space with other peers, practicing social interactions and spatial awareness. Some completely soak the cotton balls, some squeeze and transfer the water between bins, some observe other peers, and some enjoy the splashing.
Conversations heard-
Lyle- "Green is my favorite color”
Roohi- "These are so soft, I like them”
Troy- "Look I got two colors in them”
Alongside younger friends express through smiles, and being engaged in the play.
In addition, we also see a great interest of children towards books and stories. So, we have incorporated all kinds of books- big, small, with lights, sense of touch in them, about love and kindness, favourite cartoon shows, and others. They ask for Paw Patrol and Disney bookreading when they need some emotional support or one-o-one with an educator. We have witnessed book sharing with peers and simply enjoying the company of friends and books throughout the day. All of these assist in creating a sense of belonging through language and literacy.
