Little Steps Make Big Differences Family

Introductory Paragraph: Welcome, it is with sincere pleasure I would like to introduce to you the Little Steps Make Big Differences Family and Recreational Center of Upstate New York. I am asking that you and your fellow peers on this board will take into consideration my expert opinion on the following proposals for rooms specific to, and focusing on each of the five stages of development (Infant, Toddler, Early Childhood, Middle/Late Childhood, and Adolescence). There will be a room geared specifically for the infants, a room set up for the toddlers, a room for the children in the early childhood stage, a middle/late childhood room, and a room for the adolescence. Within each of these five rooms will be the tools, supervision, and support necessary to enhance the physical, cognitive and psychosocial areas of their development. 1.ROOM #1 – Infant Room

Paragraph 1.The first of the five rooms is for the infants. This room will offer various areas of play to help aid in the physical, cognitive and psychosocial areas of development. In this room there will be several different kinds of play mats and mobiles. These mats and mobiles will have various objects hanging from them that will be of different colors, textures, and make a variety of sounds. These will help the infants to practice sitting up, develop hand eye coordination, learn about cause and effect and encourage sound and texture discoveries (Guyton, 2011). The basic hygiene of this room is something that can become an issue. Because this is an infant room and infants spend the majority of their time on the floor it is absolutely necessary that this area be kept clean and as sanitary as possible. These extra precautions need to be taken not only on the floor and play areas but with the toys themselves, as babies tend to bring objects to their mouths.

Paragraph 2.Musical activities and interactions are also going to be a key feature within this room. There will be rattles of various sizes, colors and noise making capabilities available for each child in the room. There will also be xylophones, guitars, drums, and a radio made specifically for infants. Studies have shown that active musical participation in infancy impacts social and communication development (Gerry, Unrau, & Trainer, 2012). This is an activity that may not be suitable to specific infants if they do not like loud noises.

Paragraph 3.This room is going to need play mats for the infants that will not only grow with them physically, but developmentally as well. Lights and sounds are also a must for these items as they will encourage the infant’s movements and maintain attention. The link where these can be purchased is:

2.ROOM #2 – Toddler Room
Paragraph 1.The second room I am proposing is the toddler room. The first activity I would like to incorporate into this room is pretend play. Research has documented relationships between pretend play and language and cognitive development including specific processes such as logical and casual reasoning, hypothesizing, metacognition, theory of mind and creativity (Morrissey, &Brown, 2009). As with in the infant room the overall cleanliness of this room is very important. Gender is also going to play a major role in this activity as toddler girls will be more likely to play with dolls and tea parties while their male counterparts will learn better with cars and action figures.

Paragraph 2.The second activity to be incorporated into this room will be daily art and sensory projects. Children benefit from engaging in hands on exploration of materials. Poking, smashing, squeezing and rolling play-dough and clay improves hand strength and motor skills. Having children work together improves socioemotional skills and emphasizes the importance of pro-social skills (Young Children, 2012). An issue with this activity is the amount of supervision needed to ensure the toddlers are using the items as they are supposed to and keeping them out of their mouths.

Paragraph 3.One specific item I feel is absolutely necessary in this room is play food. Play food can be used by toddlers of both genders and found at several local toy stores as well as on online retail sites. Here is a direct link this item can be purchased through.

3.ROOM #3 – Early Childhood Room
Paragraph 1.The third room is the early childhood room. The first scheduled activity for this room is a group exercise routine, either inside the family rec. center or outside. Many studies in recent years showed that being well nourished and healthy in the early years of childhood are very important for a child’s physical, mental and social development (Kartal, 2007). An issue that may arise with this activity is that not every participant is going to be able to do as well as someone else in the group. This may be due to a physical limitation or even as simple as a willingness to try.

Paragraph 2.The second scheduled activity for this room will be sociodramatic plays/skits and dress up activities. This type of play helps children’s interactions to last longer, the children show higher levels of involvement and cooperation and all of this has important benefits for their cognitive development (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009). An issue that may arise here is a child’s unwillingness to try anything new because of fear or shyness.

Paragraph 3.A necessity in this room is exercise/yoga mats for the children. These mats will provide a soft, non-slip surface the children can exercise on while keeping them up off the floor. These mats I have found to be the best are easy to keep clean and store away easily. They can be found online at .

4.ROOM #4 – Middle/Late Childhood Room
Paragraph 1.There will be a sport’s station in this room for all children to utilize. These types of activities and games will encourage responsibility, teamwork, and self-esteem. Team sports are not only good for a child’s physical health but also for their fine and gross motor skills, their language development, their cognitive development, and their socioemotional development. An issue that may arise with this activity is the ability for all participants to be able to play. This could be due to physical limitations or just an unwillingness to try new things.

Paragraph 2.The second activity implemented into this room will be a reading corner. Reading can improve cognitive abilities in a number of different ways including helping kids to expand their knowledge base, increasing language skills, and improving concentration (Cherry, 2014). Because the children will have different reading abilities there will need to be a selection of books to suit both genders and their personal interests.

Paragraph 3. This room is going to need a portable basketball hoop that can be used outdoors and indoors as well on days of inclement weather. The basketball hoop I feel is best suited for this room can be found on amazon.com and through the following link I have provided for you. http://www.amazon.com/Lifetime-Youth-Portable-Basketball-System/dp/B002PL5KYI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1398715342&sr=8-4&keywords=portable+basketball+hoop

5.ROOM #5 – Adolescence Room
Paragraph 1.The big activity of this room will be the utilization of laptops. These laptops will be for the students to do research on both college and career choices and to learn computer skills that they may need later on in life. Some of these kids may not have access to laptops or computers at home and by having them provided here no child will be left out or fall behind due to a lack of resources. An issue with the computers is that they have to remain updated and with virus protection to ensure they continue to work properly.

Paragraph 2.The second scheduled activity for this room will be the use of musical instruments. Active participation in playing music and music appreciation has been demonstrated to increase self-esteem (Assoc. for Natural Psychology, 2013). An issue that be encountered during this activity is the willingness of all members to play music.

Paragraphs 3.Computers are going to be needed for each member of the group.
These computers can be found online at amazon.com and by following the link I have provided. .

Conclusion: I would like to bring this proposal to a close by first thanking you for your time and consideration. I firmly believe that this Family and Recreational Center has the full potential to bring to this community the much needed support and encouragement our children need. Within each room our children will not only learn the tools needed to succeed but be aided along the developmental pathway of life. I really hope that you will accept this proposal so we may move onto the next step of this process. Our children are our future and a facility likes this can make for one bright future. Thank you!

REFERENCES

Association for Natural Psychology (2013, October 29). Music Psychology | Music and Teens, Children| Music in Education. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from http://winmentalhealth.com/music_psychology.php

Cherry, K. (2014, January 1). Encouraging Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood.About.com Psychology. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from http://psychology.about.com/od/early-child-development/a/cognitive-development-in-middle-childhood.htm

Copple, C. and S. Bredekamp, eds. 2009. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8, 3d ed. Washington, DC: NAEYC. 121, 127–128, 131.

Gerry, D., Unrau, A., & Trainor, L. J. (2012). Active music classes in infancy enhance musical, communicative and social development. Developmental Science, 15(3), 398-407. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01142.x