From Wobbly Steps to Big Adventures

Welcome to the Toddler Room

By the time children enter our toddler classroom, their world is full of possibility — and we are right there beside them, nurturing curiosity, celebrating independence, and guiding big feelings with warmth and patience. This is a stage of rapid language growth, blossoming personalities, and growing friendships, and at London Brook Academy we honor every moment.

Our toddlers are active thinkers, problem-solvers, and explorers. We encourage them to ask questions, test ideas, practice boundaries, and learn what it means to be part of a community — all while feeling deeply supported and loved.

We build on the strong, secure foundation developed in our younger rooms, offering structure, freedom, and gentle guidance in equal measure.

Connection, Kindness & Emotional Foundations

Toddlers feel big emotions, and we help them learn to:

  • Name and express feelings in healthy ways

  • Practice taking turns and using gentle hands

  • Build empathy, patience, and kindness

  • Use simple conflict-resolution language

  • Develop confidence through supported decision-making

Teachers stay close and responsive, offering co-regulation, eye contact, calm voices, and reassurance. When children feel safe emotionally, they are free to think, wonder, explore, and grow.

A Predictable Rhythm for Confident Learners

Toddlers thrive with routine — so our days follow a consistent flow, including:

  • Child-led exploration and centers

  • Music and movement

  • A balance of individual, small, and large-group learning experiences

  • Outdoor play and nature time

  • Family-style meals and self-help practice

  • Rest and cozy quiet-time routines

We continue diaper changes every two hours or as needed, and gently begin preparing children for toileting when they show readiness — never rushed, always encouraged.

Play-Based Learning & Sensory-Rich Exploration

Play is the work of early childhood, and our classroom is designed to inspire:

  • Dramatic play: kitchens, dolls, dress-up, pretend story scenes

  • Art & messy creativity: safe paints, stamps, clay, mark-making

  • Sensory tables: water, rice, oats, scoops, funnels, textures

  • Fine-motor work: puzzles, threading, sorting, stacking, building

  • Gross-motor play: obstacle paths, dancing, climbing, balance play

  • Language-rich engagement: singing, storytelling, fingerplays, simple questions

We believe in beautiful messes, joyful noise, hands-on learning, and guided independence.

Toddlers also enjoy:

  • Nature walks and seasonal exploration

  • Simple science activities (pouring, sinking, magnet play, bubbles)

  • Early math through play (counting, shapes, matching, classifying)

  • Early literacy through books, songs, vocabulary, and picture-rich materials

Every experience is purposeful, developmentally aligned, and rooted in curiosity and joy.

Growing Independence With Gentle Support

At this age, children are proud to try new things — so we support emerging independence through:

  • Self-feeding and family-style meals

  • Drinking from open cups

  • Choosing activities and cleaning up with support

  • Practicing dressing skills (zippers, shoes, jackets)

  • Encouraging problem-solving and autonomy

We honor where each child is on their journey — meeting them exactly where they are, and gently guiding forward.

At London Brook Academy, toddlers are not rushed — they are encouraged. They are not directed — they are supported. They are not expected to be “big kids” yet — but rather to learn and bloom in a nurturing, respectful environment that celebrates the magic of this extraordinary stage.

Here, curious hands become confident thinkers — and every “Why?” is a doorway to imagination, learning, and joyful discovery.

Daily Anchors

Toddlers thrive on routine. These consistent touchpoints provide structure and confidence throughout the day:

  • Arrival & Welcome: Settling in, connecting with teachers, soft transitions

  • Meals & Snacks: Family-style eating, self-help skills, language development

  • Diapering / Toileting: Every two hours or as needed, with encouragement

  • Exploration & Centers: Hands-on, sensory-rich learning and play

  • Music & Movement: Dancing, singing, rhythm, gross-motor games

  • Outdoor & Nature Play: Physical activity and discovery in the natural world

  • Group Learning

  • Time: Circle, story, puppets, songs, social engagement

  • Rest & Quiet Time: Napping or cozy quiet activities

  • Wrap-Up & Dismissal: Reflection, connection, and preparation for home

Little Learners in Motion - A Day in our Toddler Room

At London Brook Academy, the toddler years are a stage of big feelings, growing independence, and endless curiosity. Our Toddler Room is a place where children explore, question, and discover — all within a safe, nurturing, and joyful environment.

We explore every “Why?” and celebrate every new skill, supporting toddlers as they navigate friendships, emotions, and their growing abilities.

7:00 – 8:30 AM | Arrival & Gentle Beginnings

  • Warm welcomes, snuggles, and soft hellos to ease transitions from home

  • Parent check-ins about sleep, meals, and morning routines

  • Free exploration with soft music, books, and choice play time

  • Teachers help toddlers settle in through connection, comfort, routine and play

8:30 – 9:00 AM | Breakfast

  • Family-style breakfast

  • Practice using utensils

  • Social skills development

  • Opportunities to practice self-serving.

  • Handwashing and early independence practice

9:00 – 9:45 AM | Free Exploration/Choice Time

  • Invitations to explore through open-ended play:

    • Dramatic Play

    • Classroom Library

    • Blocks, Cars, Dolls

    • Music and Movement

    • Arts and Crafts

    • Small Motor Manipulatives

    • Sensory Bins

    • Math, Science, & Literacy

  • Teachers engage in language-rich play, labeling actions and emotions, actively working to maximize each learning opportunity.

9:45 – 10:15 AM | Outdoor Adventures (Weather Permitting)

  • Age appropriate, state of the art playground areas.

  • Tricycles, scooters, wagons

  • bouncy balls, seasonal activities

  • Practice following safety rules and routines

  • Nature exploration: trees, flowers, wildlife, weather cycles

  • Outdoor sensory play: bubbles, chalk, water

  • Teachers model safe risk-taking and joyful exploration

10:15 – 10:45 AM | Large Group Learning

  • Interactive group time with stories, songs, fingerplays, and puppets

  • Practice sitting together and participating as a class

  • Calendar, weather, letters, numbers, colors, shapes, monthly theme

10:45 – 11:15 AM | Small Group Learning

  • Interactive group time with songs, fingerplays, and puppets

  • Simple art and sensory activities: paint, stamps, or nature art

  • Fine-motor play: puzzles, posting toys, stacking cups

  • Opportunities for early choice-making

11:15 –12:00PM | Free Exploration/Choice & Transition to Lunch

  • Toddlers engage in another funtastic free play session.

  • develop social skills

  • use imagination

  • opportunities to practice sharing, choice making, and cleaning up after a mess.

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM | Lunch

  • Family-style lunch where toddlers eat alongside teachers

  • teachers model good manners and table etiquette

  • Toddlers observe and practice self-help skills: using spoons, cups, napkins

  • Gentle conversation and labeling of foods, colors, and textures

12:30 – 3:30 PM | Rest & Quiet Time

  • Peaceful nap environment with soft music and individualized soothing

  • Teachers stay close for comfort and regulation

  • Early risers enjoy books, puzzles, or soft play in a cozy area

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Wake-Up, Snack & Care Routines

  • Gentle wake-up routines with cuddles and connection

  • Afternoon snack served at tables, encouraging social interaction

  • Diapering and toileting routines

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Large Group Learning

  • Indoor or outdoor gross-motor play: climbing, tunnels, push toys, dancing

  • Group movement games: “Follow the Leader,” “Shake, Shake, Shake,” or simple yoga

  • Opportunities to explore balance and coordination through safe challenges

4:30 – 5:15 PM | Language, Music & Social Play

  • Storytime, puppet shows, and sing-alongs

  • Early language games and simple sign language practice

  • Guided peer play: practicing turn-taking, sharing, and gentle touch

5:15 – 6:00 PM | Evening Care & Transition Home

  • Choice play and exploration

  • Clean-up

  • Teachers share daily notes and check in with praents guardians

Guiding Principles & Philosophy - Toddler Team

  1. Connection & Emotional Foundations

    • We name and validate feelings, helping toddlers build emotional awareness.

    • Gentle language, turn‑taking, and empathy are central to how we interact.

    • Teachers provide co-regulation through calm voice, eye contact, and warm presence.

    • We maintain consistency and trust: children know they can rely on us.

    2. Play-Based Learning & Sensory Exploration

    • Our environment is rich in open-ended, safe materials: messy art, sensory bins, dramatic play, and more.

    • Learning happens through the body: climbing, balancing, scooping, sorting — all rooted in exploration.

    • Language and curiosity are encouraged through storytelling, fingerplays, and simple science.

    • Nature is part of our classroom: seasonal experiences, natural materials, and outdoor learning are woven in.

    3. Supported Independence

    • We foster self-help: self-feeding, using open cups, cleaning up.

    • Dressing skills (zippers, shoes, jackets) are practiced with gentle guidance.

    • We respond to toileting readiness without rushing — every child moves at their own rhythm.

    • Autonomy grows through choice: children pick activities, and teachers scaffold problem-solving.