2026 June Seedling News

Seedling Families,

In May, we celebrated all our moms for Mother’s Day, spent time outside with the Big Seeds, and noticed a significant jump in our gross motor skills from all the kids! Please welcome Lucy to the class; her parents are Ella and Nick!

Upcoming important dates:

Friday, July 3rd: CLOSED for Fourth of July
Wednesday, July 15th: Growing Tree BBQ
5:30-7 pm at Pilot Butte Trailhead Park

Natural Progression

Allowing children time to naturally reach their next physical milestone is crucial for their development. Infants are naturally eager to develop their gross motor skills. They want to move and will do so when they are ready. Our goal is to help your infant feel confident in their abilities, so we avoid putting them in positions they cannot achieve on their own. Infants are usually placed on their backs in the play area and will naturally roll, rock, or wiggle when they are ready. Creating a welcoming and safe environment is important to us as teachers, enabling children to move freely and comfortably.

Children will explore different ways to move as they find what works best for them. Some infants will start crawling on their hands and knees right away, while others may scoot on their bottoms or even crawl backward.

What can we do to help?

Allowing infants to move freely involves placing them on their backs and letting them discover the positions they find most comfortable. They will wiggle forward and backward, roll onto their tummies, or push themselves up. We can always assist if they struggle, but giving them the freedom to explore encourages them to reach new positions and develop skills. Tummy time promotes muscle strength in the infant’s core, neck, back, and shoulders. In class, when children are struggling with a movement, we sing or offer new, exciting toys to motivate longer time in that position.

Child Highlights:

Asher has been moving all around the classroom, exploring various textured toys, and is purposefully active!
Bodhi and Luke have been using their upper body strength to lift their torsos and start rocking back and forth!
Calvin and Roman have been practicing pulling themselves up to a stand and then releasing for balance! They have also been playing peek-a-boo with each other!
Elliotte has been on the move—she is exploring all over the classroom, searching for different toys and going through the bins! She’s found her voice this month!
Graham has started showing off his walking and visiting with the Big Seeds!
Lucy is rolling back and forth to reach new areas in the classroom! She is exploring happily!