Early Childhood Curriculum 5Early Childhood CurriculumThe Early Childhood Curriculum book consists of sequential developmental skillsand activities. Each age group (0-6 months) and (6-12 months) contains a themewith different activities for the infant, and the units follow these themes. Thiscurriculum is arranged and organized to ensure that cognitive, physical,emotional, language and social areas are addressed. Activities aredevelopmentally appropriate, so that the children can receive the best possiblestimulation. This book contains lessons, ideas, and activities that any personwould be able to use. People, including parents, presenters, school administrators,graduate students, staff members in childcare laboratories, and early childhoodteachers, are all individuals that could benefit from using this curriculum.This curriculum contains units and ideas that are simple and easy tounderstand, so that readers, parents and teachers, can use it on a daily basis, bothin the classroom and at home. It is functional and pleasing to the eye, and itcovers quality, not just quantity. This curriculum is also unique because it is userfriendly. The simplicity is convenient for our readers' and professionals' busyschedules. Parents and professionals rarely have the time or luxury ofuninterrupted periods to sit, read, and search through and pull out theinformation that is needed. This simplified version gives them that opportunity.The latest research shows that between birth to three years of age is the timewhen a child's mental capacity is the greatest. Research illustrates that if positiveand appropriate stimulation of a child's mind is provided, the child will become abetter-rounded individual. Recent research also supports the link betweenliteracy and school success; literacy refers to reading and writing skills, andbuilding oral language skills, such as listening and speaking. Childcare providerscan foster the development of literacy in children. Strategies used to developreading and writing include: listening to stories, reading stories, talking andlistening to children, playing sound games, saying nursery rhymes, singing songs,singing and saying words that rhyme, using phonetic sounds, exploring rhythms,scribbling, and verbally labeling objects and events. Caregivers and parents canuse seasonal songs, rhymes and stories throughout the year. Also, choose and useage appropriate toys, songs, rhymes, and books that go along with the themes andunits in the curriculum. The appropriate books to use with infants are boardbooks and plastic books with real photos that can be seen easily.Coming Fall 2003: "The Early Childhood Curriculum Resource Book by Betty Hanks.