Toby’s OAC Grow Story July 2018

Toby Half Yearly 2018

Physical:

Toby is emerging in his gross motor skills and spatial awareness and demonstrates enthusiasm for physical play. He uses small manipulative items (fine motor skills) and uses tools and equipment in a purposeful manner. Fine motor skills are involved in smaller movements that occur in the wrists, hands, fingers, and the feet and toes. In particular, Toby has been observed playing with the diggers in the sandpit, working out puzzles, playing with the toy cars, painting, manipulative games, and construction.

Gross motor skills are larger movements children make with their larger muscles such as the arms, legs, feet, or their entire body. Some examples are running, jumping, throwing a ball, dancing.

Gross motor movement develops fundamental skills such as hand-eye coordination, strength, coordination, postural strength, balance, strength and endurance, attention and alertness (sensory processing), body awareness and movement planning (praxis).

Toby shows interest in gross motor experiences outside, such as riding the bikes, shovelling and transferring dirt in the dirt patch, building blocks, running, OAC Active and climbing the obstacle course.

In the long term, physical play is so important in providing long-lasting good health, increased confidence and the improved self-esteem that comes from being able to successfully take part in games with other children, release of stress and frustration and improved skills to prepare the children for school.

Communication:

Children communicate with others, using gestures, sounds, language and assisted communication. They are social beings who are intrinsically motivated to exchange ideas, thoughts, questions and feelings. Toby takes the initiative to communicate his needs for comfort and assistance. Toby uses two to three words together in a sentence and is building an extensive repertoire of words. Toby is acquiring skills in comprehension and Toby likes listening to stories, which is a major beneficiary in enhancing Toby’s language and understanding.

Social:

Toby is beginning to develop friendships as he engages in parallel play and has begun to initiate one-on-one interactions and play cooperatively with peers and teachers. This includes participating in teacher directed group games, such as ‘Sandy Boy’ or ‘Cheeky Monkeys jumping on the Beam’.

Through these interactions, Toby is learning fundamental social skills such as sharing, turn taking, empathy and understanding group rules.

Toby regularly looks, communicates with and smiles at his teachers and seems to enjoy and take comfort in interactions with us. Toby is developing skills in interacting with both adults and his peers and is beginning to develop friendships and emotional connections.

Spiritual/Moral/Sense of self:

Toby is becoming aware of his effect on the environment and shows respect for both natural and constructed environments. He is beginning to understand how and why it is important to be socially responsible. (Outcome 2.4: “Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment”). Toby has often been observed enjoying himself and the beauty of nature in the secret garden as he explores and plays in it!

Toby’s sense of belonging is evident as he is very settled within the Room and easily follows the routines and transitions throughout the day. “When children participate collaboratively in everyday routines, events and experiences and have opportunities to contribute to decisions, they learn to live interdependently” (EYLF Belonging, Being, and Becoming, pg. 25).

Toby explores his identity through play, shared interests, expression and is emerging in perspective taking.

This belonging is also observed through Toby beginning to make connections (as aforementioned) and engage in shared play (involving negotiations, collaborating, sharing and turn taking), and Toby is learning to consider the rights of others and fairness.

Through the strong emotional ties that Toby is building, this enables him to feel secure and confident in his environment and develop a strong sense of self.  (EYLF: ‘Children have a strong sense of identity’).