If your child is only 16-17 months at the beginning of the semester, you should plan on entering a FOUNDATIONS class for Newborn to 18 Month olds and transitioning to the LEVEL 2 class for 1.5-3.5 year olds half way through the semester or better yet, staying in FOUNDATIONS the whole semester.
A FOUNDATIONS class is typically full of 8-20 month olds and they’ll be much more confident being the oldest in class than the youngest in class. The LEVEL 2 class is a big jump and we’ve often seen children being overwhelmed with activities they can’t yet do and the adjustment takes a good 4-5 weeks when done at 1.5 years.
Here are some characteristics they should have BEFORE entering LEVEL 2 (1.5-3.5 year olds):
Physical
* Improved walking skills, feet are together, knees flexible (vs. the “just walker” who has a wide-based, legs apart gate with locked knees)
* Beginning to imitate/explore a variety of traveling movements — run, jump, leap
Cognitive
* Reliably point to correctly identified body parts
* Can follow two-step direction
* Understands what “one” means (vs. a handful)
* Learning to use toys and objects in symbolic ways (moving beyond just enjoyment of sensory properties)
* Can interact in a directed activity
* Able to shift attention with transition
* Connects to an activity; initiates a play sequence
* Reliably responds to own name (refers to self by name in secure environments)
Emotional
* Uses gestures and language to deal with frustration (as opposed to just crying or whining)
* Sustains interest and attention in activity for several minutes (Note: not wanting to give something up, such as bells or sticks, can be a sign of maturation)
Language
* Can express wants and needs symbolically (gestures, words)
* Has vocabulary of at least 20 words; receptive language is still stronger than expressive
* Reading with caregiver becomes cooperative. Child will select book, sit, relate to the story and interact
Social
* Interested in what other children are doing
* Capable of distal communication (i.e. following verbal instructions from farther away)
Musical
* Moves to music, perhaps to steady beat