Infant Sensory Play

 

Sensory play is very beneficial for infants in a preschool setting like the Academy because it allows babies to explore the world through their five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. It supports their early development while making learning fun, engaging, and hands-on.

10 Benefits of Sensory Play for Infants

1. Brain Development: Sensory activities stimulate brain connections and help infants learn about the world around them.

2. Fine Motor Skills: Grasping, squeezing, reaching, splashing, and picking up objects help strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers.

3. Gross Motor Skills: Reaching, crawling, rolling, and moving toward sensory materials help develop coordination and larger muscle groups.

4. Language Development: Teachers can introduce new words by describing textures, colors, sounds, and sensations, such as soft, rough, wet, cold, and smooth.

5. Cognitive Development: Infants begin learning cause and effect, problem-solving, and object exploration. For example, they discover that squeezing a sponge makes water come out.

6. Social and Emotional Development: Sensory play encourages curiosity, builds confidence, and provides opportunities for positive interactions with teachers and other children.

7. Sensory Processing: It helps infants become familiar with different textures, sounds, sights, and movements while learning how to respond to sensory experiences.

8. Hand-Eye Coordination: Reaching for toys, watching bubbles, and grabbing objects help infants coordinate what they see with how they move.

9. Creativity and Exploration: Sensory play gives infants opportunities to explore freely, experiment, and discover new things at their own pace.

10. Self-Regulation: Gentle sensory experiences, such as listening to soft music, feeling soft fabrics, or playing with water, can help infants relax and feel calm.

" At the Academy, sensory play is an important part of infant development because it encourages babies to explore, discover, and learn through their senses. Through sensory activities, our teachers guide infants develop fine and gross motor skills, strengthen brain development, improve hand-eye coordination, build language skills, and develop social and emotional connections. These experiences help create a strong foundation for future learning and development.

Fall is for the Family

 🍂 Fall Is for the Family at the Academy 🍂

There’s just something special about fall… the crisp air, the familiar traditions, the laughter of children, and the joy of coming together as a community. At the Academy of Mt. Juliet, our annual Fall Festival, Chili, Chills & Thrills, is one of those special moments that reminds us what makes our Academy feel like family. 🧡

From the delicious chili cook-off and homemade fall pies to warm apple cider, games, arts and crafts, and trunk-or-treat, the evening is filled with all the little things that make fall so magical. 🎃🍎

But the sweetest part of all isn’t the chili, the treats, or even the costumes. It’s the connections. It’s watching children make memories, parents share conversations, families laugh together, and friendships grow beyond the classroom.

At the Academy, we believe that a strong community is built on more than the time we spend together each day. It’s built on the relationships we nurture, the traditions we share, and the feeling that we belong to something special.

Our families are part of our story, and these moments are part of what makes the Academy feel like home.

Chili, Chills & Thrills is more than a fall festival. It’s a celebration of the people who make our community so special. And we wouldn’t want to celebrate it any other way than together. 🍁❤️

Infant/ Toddler Gross Motor Development

 

Importance of Gross Motor Development in Infants and Toddlers in Preschool

Gross motor development matters for infants and toddlers because it involves using large muscles to move in ways such as rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, running, jumping, climbing, and balancing. At the Academy, providing opportunities for gross motor activities in a preschool setting supports children’s overall development.

• Builds strength and coordination: Activities such as climbing, crawling, running, and jumping help children develop stronger muscles and better body control.

• Develops balance and body awareness: Movement activities help children understand how their bodies move through space and improve balance and coordination.

• Supports physical health: Active play encourages healthy physical development and establishes positive habits around movement and exercise.

• Promotes independence: As children become more confident with movements such as walking, climbing, and carrying objects, they are better able to participate independently in everyday activities.

• Supports cognitive development: Gross motor activities help children develop skills such as following directions, problem-solving, spatial awareness, and planning movements.

• Encourages social-emotional development: Group movement games give children opportunities to interact with peers, take turns, cooperate, and build confidence.

• Prepares children for later skills: Strong gross motor skills provide a foundation for more complex physical activities and can support the development of fine motor and classroom skills.

Examples in a classroom

Academy teachers support gross motor development by providing tummy time for infants, crawling opportunities, push-and-pull toys, dancing, outdoor play, climbing structures, balls, obstacle courses, and simple movement games. Activities should be appropriate for each child's developmental level and abilities.

Overall, gross motor development is an essential part of preschool because young children learn through movement. A preschool environment that provides safe, consistent opportunities for active play helps children develop physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally.

Progress Monitoring

 

ESGI Testing Helps Your Preschooler Learn and Grow

As parents, you want to know that your child is learning, growing, and getting the support they need at school. Preschool is an exciting time because children are developing new skills every day—from recognizing letters and numbers to learning how to communicate, problem-solve, and become more independent.

One tool our teachers use at the Academy to better understand a child's early academic skills is ESGI testing. ESGI stands for Educational Software for Guiding Instruction, and it gives teachers a simple way to see what children know and which skills they may need more practice with.

What Is ESGI?

ESGI is an assessment tool designed for young children. Instead of a traditional written test, teachers ask children age-appropriate questions and record their answers.

The assessment looks at skills such as:

• Recognizing letters and numbers

• Identifying letter sounds

• Counting

• Recognizing shapes and colors

• Recognizing their name

• Developing early reading and math skills

The goal isn't to give children a grade. Instead, ESGI helps teachers understand where each child is in their learning journey.

Every Child Learns at Their Own Pace

One of the wonderful things about preschool is that no two children develop exactly the same way. One child may know all of their letters while another is still learning a few. Some children may be excellent counters but need extra practice with shapes or letter sounds.

ESGI helps teachers identify these individual differences so they can provide activities that are appropriate for each child.

For example, if a child is having trouble recognizing certain letters, the teacher can provide extra opportunities to practice those letters through books, songs, games, puzzles, and hands-on activities.

It Helps Teachers Know How to Help

Teachers observe children throughout the day, but an assessment can provide additional information about specific skills.

ESGI results can help teachers answer questions such as:

• What skills has my child already mastered?

• What skills are they currently developing?

• Where might they need additional practice?

• What should we focus on next?

Having this information allows teachers to make learning more intentional and meaningful.

It Shows Your Child's Growth

Children make tremendous progress during the preschool years. A skill that seems difficult in the fall may become easy by spring.

ESGI can help teachers track that progress. Seeing a child's growth over time can be encouraging for both teachers and families.

It also gives teachers an opportunity to celebrate accomplishments with children: "You didn't know this letter before, and now you do!"

Those little moments of success can help children build confidence and develop a positive attitude toward learning.

It Can Help Families Support Learning at Home

ESGI results can also give parents ideas for simple activities to do at home.

If your child is working on recognizing letters, you might look for letters together on signs, food packages, or favorite books. If they are practicing counting, you can count toys, steps, snacks, or objects around the house.

Learning doesn't have to feel like homework. Some of the best learning happens naturally during everyday activities with family.

ESGI Is One Piece of the Picture

It's important to remember that ESGI is just one tool our teachers use to understand a child. Preschool teachers also learn about children through daily observations, conversations, classroom activities, play, and interactions with families.

A short assessment cannot tell us everything about a child. Instead, it gives our teachers another helpful piece of information they can use when planning instruction and supporting individual needs.

Working Together to Help Children Succeed

The preschool years are the beginning of an exciting educational journey. When teachers and parents work together, children benefit from having support both at school and at home.

ESGI can help teachers identify skills, celebrate progress, and determine where children may benefit from additional practice. Most importantly, it helps keep the focus where it belongs: on helping each child learn, grow, and feel successful.

Every child has their own strengths, interests, and pace of development. With caring teachers, supportive families, and the right tools, we can help children build a strong foundation for the years of learning ahead.

Play the Day Away

 

Play the Day Away: Celebrating the Power of Play in Early Childhood

What happens when we give children the freedom, time, and space to simply play?

They explore. They imagine. They create. They problem-solve. They connect with others. They build confidence—and most importantly, they learn.

That’s exactly what we celebrated at our preschool conference, Play the Day Away!

This special event is designed to bring early childhood educators, preschool professionals, and passionate advocates for young children together for a day filled with inspiration, connection, and plenty of opportunities to rediscover the joy and importance of play.