Our yellow group – Babies to toddlers

Our yellow group – Babies to toddlers

The Yellow Group is one of the first two groups we opened on 31 March 2008. Every day, eight children aged between 3 months and 2.5 years old are lovingly looked after in the baby/toddler Yellow Group. Our Early Years Practitioners have consistently developed the group’s organisation to meet the needs and interests of young children and infants.

The Yellow Group is divided into three areas. In the first, children have a large, brightly lit area, which is designed for “building, constructing and mathematics” theme. Age-appropriate playing materials are placed within their reach. With diverse materials to build towers, houses or other buildings, move mountains with “heavy construction machines”, or to acquire first mathematical experiences with quantities, sizes and redistributions. Twice a day, this educational space is available to all four baby/toddler groups for about an hour.

The second room is the retreat area for babies and toddlers. Infants, who need more sleep, or fewer stimuli for self-regulation, find comfort and security in the enclosed area. It fulfils three functions:  the lower floor there is a kitchen corner, the steps allow first experiences with climbing and the upper level is intended to stimulate all the senses.

The changing table on our children’s groups is constructed in accordance to Pikler pedagogy that children from a certain stage of development can climb independently onto the changing table. The frame, fixed with a back wall and two grids, provides the children protection and familiarity, so that they can get onto the changing table by themselves. At the same time, the children can stand next to it and hang on to firm grip sides.

We encourage children to take part in doings according to their development readiness, such as lifting their legs, their bums, taking off their clothes, removing the diaper, cleaning, putting on a new diaper, putting clothes on. We take a lot of time to ensure that children are as comfortable as possible.

The third room curls into a snail-shaped. It is the encapsulated resting/napping space. This room is darkened and quiet and has small windows. Here the children can sleep according to their own rhythm or merely take a break. If sleeping children do not occupy the room, it can quickly be recreated as their own playing space thanks to moveable furniture.