Exploring Their World, Alone and Together

Two's Program at La Petite Academy

Group Time

During a typical day, your two-year-old will enjoy two group times with her classmates, during which the two's teacher reads a story, teaches the class a song, discusses a theme-related topic or facilitates some other activity.

Discovery Time

Your two-year-old will be on her own to explore the materials and learning activities set up in the classroom, as well as participate in various teacher-directed projects. You will likely find more than one teacher in each Two's classroom. This allows one teacher to supervise and interact with the children during their child-initiated activity, while the other teacher is able to manage a small group.

Teacher-Directed and Child-Initiated Activities

Teacher-directed and child-initiated activities are both important to your two-year-old.

Teacher-directed activities are designed and led by the teacher to meet a particular learning goal. Your child's teacher might read a book to a group, lead a music or movement activity, or work with a small group on a planned and prepared art activity.

Teacher-directed activities also include those that require more supervision and assistance, such as food activities or sponge painting. In most cases, the teacher stays with the children from start to finish.

Child-initiated activities are those that the children select on their own from an environment that has been carefully planned and prepared by the teacher. For the most part, these activities can be done without adult assistance. For example, your child may choose to use the puppets from the book and storytelling center. Or she may dress in the firefighter clothes to put out a pretend "fire" in the block and building center. While the teacher sets out the materials, the children's interests and imagination guide their selection and use; thus, these are child-initiated. Child-initiated activities allow your two year old to make choices and learn about her environment in her own way.

In addition to Discovery and Group Time, our Two's classroom has two blocks of outdoor time, as well as ample time for important routines such as lunch, snack and naptime.

View a sample lesson plan.

Look over a daily schedule.