Abstract
Creating activities that challenge toddlers has been difficult for teachers to develop. California has designed foundations as a resource for preschool teachers to construct and implement activities that assist children in social-emotional development, language and literacy, English-language development and mathematics (California Department of Education, 2008). Other resources are the approach to use in the development of such curricula such as a theme-based and developmentally appropriate practice (Katz & Chard, 2000). However, these resources are often not geared toward children younger than three years of age. The current project is designed to assist toddler teachers in the preparation of developmentally appropriate activities, which are linked, to the California Preschool Learning Foundations (California Department of Education, 2008). To develop the curriculum, the scholarly literature and California Preschool Foundations were consulted. Vygotsky’s (1989) theoretical ideas of the Zone of Proximal Development and the importance of social interactions in cognitive development served as the basis for the project. The review of literature focused on the following areas: developmentally appropriate practices (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009), theme-based curricula (Katz & Chard, 2000), Reggio Emilia approach (New, 2003), the preschool foundations (California Department of Education, 2008), and social competence skills (Brownell, 1990). The classroom should include a well-rounded environment that fosters the development of young children. The resource materials in this theme-based curriculum will comprise of challenging lesson plans that are in line with the current research on the best practices in teaching young children and that compliment the California preschool learning foundations (California Department of Education, 2008).