This month, the Toddler 2 educators were noticing a big need for both big body play and also more cozy spaces. Educator Kat decided to bring in her Nugget couch from home to support both of these needs. The Nugget is a soft, transformable climbing cushion with so many opportunities for play. While having the Nugget in the classroom, we’ve used it as a ramp for climbing and sliding, a tunnel, a jumping surface, a door to our tent, a base for a fort, and a cozy spot to sit and enjoy stories, songs, and puzzles.
As the toddlers engaged with the Nugget this month, they were able to engage in a lot more big body and gross motor play inside the classroom. While opportunities for gross motor play often seem to happen outside, it’s so important for us to support this type of play inside the classroom, too. The toddlers were able to engage different large muscles as they crawled, climbed, balanced, and jumped! The need for calmness and coziness to balance out all of the big body play is also important, and being able to build forts and enclose our tent has supported this need as well. Supporting various needs as they arise is another way that we ensure we are supporting inclusion and belonging in our classroom too.
As the toddlers continue to grow and get even closer to preschool, their need for big body play will continue to grow as well. Perhaps we can find some more creative ways to use the Nugget in the classroom!
