Presently, I work in an Infant/Toddler Daycare Room where the children are predominantly between the ages of one and two. After so many years working with preschool ages (3-5), I am pleasantly surprised at how much they LOVE the felt stories. I watch their faces light up as I pull out the box. As I repeat many of the same stories, songs or poems with felts, the words and melodies become familiar to the children. It truly makes me smile as they jump up to dance, clap their hands, and sit down to listen. The felt pieces allow the children to visually make a connection to the words being spoken which fosters language development. If permitted, they love to participate in the process by placing the felt pieces on the board or removing them. A story like The Very Hungry Caterpillar involves a number of concepts and with each telling of the story, the lessons are repeated.
When I am selling my felt stories at our local Farmer's Market in the summer, I have many shoppers asking me if their toddler is old of enough to enjoy. This year, I am going to say that I think it is the perfect age for felt board activities!
