Week 2 — Under the Sea
A gentle ocean week for our littlest ones — soft sea animals, splashy water play, and warm routines — ending with our Open House. June 8–12 · Toddlers classroom, ages 18 months–2.
This guide pairs with the General Planning Guide and applies it to Under the Sea, built around the Toddlers (18 mo–2) daily schedule. For our youngest, the ocean is a sensory week — soft sea animals to hold, cool water to splash, ocean songs to sway to. There is no project and nothing to perform; the whole curriculum is a warm, predictable rhythm and the simple joy of water and soft animals. The week also ends with our Open House on Friday, June 12 — but for toddlers, the best Open House is simply a calm, happy ordinary day, with the room looking lovely when families arrive.
Week Snapshot
Before You Run the Week
How this guide works, the one skill we’re watching for, and what to prep. Read these first; the day plans follow.
How to use this guide. Each day below is the full run-sheet — every block of the Toddlers schedule, in order, so you can print a single day and run it from the page. Transition and fixed blocks are kept brief; the flex blocks carry the detail.
The 📸 Brightwheel moments are built in. Look for the warm camera callout inside each day — it sits on the block where the photo naturally happens, with the shot to grab and a ready-to-post caption. Snap it in the moment, post it that day.
Printing. Use your browser’s Print — each day breaks cleanly onto its own sheet, and the nav drops away.
This Week's EF Lens — Inhibitory Control
One executive-function skill to notice — and for our youngest, it is barely present. Hold it very lightly. (The full EF primer is in the General Planning Guide.)
Gentle hands, toddler-sized
Inhibitory control is the skill of slowing down and resisting an impulse. In an 18-month-to-two-year-old it is only just beginning to bud — and Under the Sea gives it the gentlest possible home: the sea animals are soft, and a soft animal invites soft, slow hands. "Gentle hands" is inhibitory control, toddler-sized — choosing a soft pat over a squeeze, even for a moment.
You do not teach this, and you do not look for it hard. When a child squeezes or tosses an animal, there is no scolding — just a warm model: "Soft hands. The little fish likes to be held gently, like this." Show it, and let them try. If a child is gentle on purpose, smile and say so. That warm noticing is the whole of it.
What it looks like — if you happen to notice
- A child who pats a soft sea animal instead of squeezing it
- A child who slows down for a moment before reaching
- A child who accepts a gentle "soft hands" reminder and tries again
- A child who cradles or strokes an animal with care
What to Have Ready Before the Week Starts
Stage all of this the Friday before. The routines carry over from Week 1 — this list is the theme supplies and the Open House room.
Five Gentle Days
For toddlers, the week isn't really an arc — it's five warm, splashy, deeply similar days. The sameness is the comfort. Each day is soft sea animals, cool water, and ocean songs; Friday is just a touch celebratory, with families visiting that evening.
The Daily Rhythm
Every day runs the identical clock — and each day plan below carries it in full. Four blocks are fixed by the clock — the two snacks, lunch, and the nap. Everything else is flex: gentle, sensory, and care-led.
Friday, June 12 — Evening
Families come to see what we do. Your part as a teacher is the classroom and the children — not the event logistics (snow cones, the raffle, and the rest are run by the leadership team). For the Toddlers room, it's simple — two things:
- Make the room lovely. The little ocean — the water-play setup and the children's ocean crafts on the wall — is the display. Have it looking warm and inviting by Friday.
- Keep Friday gentle and normal, then welcome families warmly. Toddlers don't perform or give tours — their best Open House is a calm, ordinary, happy day. In the evening, be present and warm, and help each family settle their little one in to show them around.
The good news: there is nothing extra to plan. A gentle, well-run ocean week is the preparation.
Five Days, Fully Planned
Each day is the full run-sheet — every block of the Toddlers schedule, in order, so you can print a day and run it from the page. Fixed blocks are kept brief; the gentle flex blocks carry the detail.
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
A calm, predictable start to the week. Familiar table toys out, and perhaps a few soft sea animals tucked among them. Greet each child by name at their level, and give every grown-up a warm, unhurried handoff.
Opening Circle
A short, sing-song circle on the rug. Hold up a soft toy sea creature for everyone to see and pat. For toddlers, circle is about gathering and warmth — keep it tiny, end early if wiggles win.
Opening Circle / Craft — My Little Fish
A gentle first ocean project. Each child makes a paper fish — pressing on tissue-paper scales or big dot-stickers, hand-over-hand as needed. The warm together-time at the table matters more than the picture. Table toys out alongside for any child not ready to craft.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The week's gentle anchor. Outside while the morning is still cool — low water bins or a water table with soft floating sea animals. Toddlers splash, scoop, pour, and meet the animals. No project, no product — pure sensory joy. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by. Stay right alongside — water play always needs a calm, watching adult within arm's reach.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, cups and scoops, soft floating sea animals, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
Ocean songs with big, simple motions — "swim like a fish," "the waves go up and down." Teach the cleanup song here too. Familiar, repeated, joyful.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. A little shaded water play, bubbles, or a blanket with ocean board books. Move indoors on a hot day.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
Children drift to combined care as families arrive. Warm, specific handoffs: "Ask [child] about the soft little fish — she splashed and held it so gently."
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
The same calm start as yesterday — and the sameness is the gift. Familiar table toys out, soft sea animals nearby. Greet each child by name at their level, and give every grown-up a warm, unhurried handoff.
Opening Circle
The little sing-song circle again — the second day of a routine is when toddlers start to feel it click. Hold up a soft sea creature; today add a small cup of water to dip a finger in. Keep it tiny; end before the wiggles do.
Opening Circle / Craft — Splashy Blue Painting
A simple, sensory ocean craft. Children sponge or finger-paint blue "water" onto paper — big, free, splashy strokes. The feel of the paint matters more than the picture. Table toys out alongside for any child not ready to paint.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The gentle anchor again, while the morning is still cool — and today it's all about the water itself. Cups, scoops, funnels, and little pitchers in the water bins. Toddlers pour, dump, fill, and splash. The soft sea animals bob along too. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by; an adult within arm's reach at all times.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, cups, scoops, funnels, small pitchers, soft floating sea animals, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
The same ocean songs as Monday — repetition is how toddlers learn them. "Swim like a fish," waves going up and down, and the cleanup song. Familiar, repeated, joyful.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. Bubbles, a little shaded water play, or a blanket with ocean board books. Move indoors on a hot day.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
Children drift to combined care as families arrive. Warm, specific handoffs: "Ask [child] about pouring water today — she scooped and splashed for the longest time."
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
The familiar calm start. Today, set the soft sea animals out where small hands will find them. Greet each child by name at their level, and give every grown-up a warm, unhurried handoff.
Opening Circle
The little circle, midweek and well-loved by now. Pass one soft sea animal slowly around the rug — each child gets a moment to hold and pat it. That passing-and-holding is the whole lesson. Keep it tiny; end early if wiggles win.
Opening Circle / Craft — A Friend for the Sea
Each child decorates a simple sea animal — gluing on cotton-ball "soft," pressing stickers, or patting paint. Hand-over-hand as needed. The warm together-time at the table matters more than the result. Table toys out alongside for any child not ready to craft.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The gentle anchor again, in the cool of the morning — and today the soft animals take the lead. Give the sea creatures little jobs: a fish that "swims," a turtle that "rests" on a sponge island, an octopus to cuddle. Children hold, carry, and care for them in and out of the water. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by; an adult within arm's reach.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, soft floating sea animals, sponges for "islands," cups and scoops, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
The same ocean songs — and toddlers will be starting to anticipate the motions. "Swim like a fish," waves up and down, the cleanup song. Familiar, repeated, joyful.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. Bring a few soft sea animals out for shaded cuddle-and-carry play, or a blanket with ocean board books. Move indoors on a hot day.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
Children drift to combined care as families arrive. Warm, specific handoffs: "Ask [child] about the soft turtle — he carried it so gently all morning."
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
The familiar calm start. As children settle, glance around the room — the ocean crafts and the little water world should be looking lovely for tomorrow's visitors. Greet each child by name; give every grown-up a warm handoff.
Opening Circle
The little circle. Today, gently mention the visitors: "Tomorrow, your mommies and daddies and grandmas come to see our ocean!" Toddlers won't fully grasp it — that's fine. The warmth in your voice is what they'll catch. Keep it tiny.
Opening Circle / Craft — Finishing Our Ocean
A final, gentle ocean craft — and the chance to finish anything started earlier in the week. Children add to a shared ocean mural, or complete their fish and animals. Everything that goes on the wall is part of tomorrow's display. Table toys out alongside for any child not ready to craft.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The gentle anchor in the cool morning — today, the full little ocean, all of it together: water to scoop and pour, soft animals to hold and float, splashing and caring side by side. A whole, happy ocean. This is the experience families will hear about tomorrow. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by; an adult within arm's reach.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, cups, scoops, funnels, soft floating sea animals, sponges, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
The ocean songs, well-loved by now — many toddlers will join the motions on their own. "Swim like a fish," waves up and down, the cleanup song. Familiar, repeated, joyful.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. Bubbles, shaded water play, or ocean board books on a blanket. Move indoors on a hot day. Before pickup, do a last tidy of the room so it's ready for tomorrow evening.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
Children drift to combined care as families arrive. Warm handoffs — and a friendly Open House reminder: "We can't wait to see you tomorrow evening for Open House — come see our little ocean!"
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
The same calm start — and on Open House day, that ordinariness is exactly right. A gentle, happy, normal Friday is the best gift you can give a toddler today. Greet each child by name; give every grown-up a warm handoff.
Opening Circle
The little circle, one last time this week. A warm, simple wrap-up of the ocean — the songs, the soft animals, the splashing. Mention the evening lightly and happily, then move on. Keep it tiny.
Opening Circle / Craft — Free Ocean Play
No new project today — Friday is for revisiting favorites. Set out the ocean crafts, the blue paint, the stickers, and let children choose. Anything made today can join the wall before evening. Table toys out alongside for any child who'd rather.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The gentle anchor, one last cool-morning splash. The whole little ocean out — water, scoops, soft animals — and the children simply enjoying what's become familiar and beloved. Take a few last photos for Brightwheel and for tonight. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by; an adult within arm's reach.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, cups, scoops, funnels, soft floating sea animals, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
The ocean songs one more time — a joyful, familiar sing-along to close the week. "Swim like a fish," waves up and down, the cleanup song.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block. A well-rested toddler is a happy Open House toddler.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. Keep it easy and unhurried. As the block ends, do the final room tidy: the little ocean and the craft wall ready and inviting for the evening.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
The regular day closes as usual — children to combined care as families arrive. Warm handoffs, and a happy reminder for those returning tonight: "See you back here this evening for Open House!"
Open House
Open House — Welcoming Families to Our Little Ocean
The evening event. The leadership team runs the logistics — snow cones, the raffle, the all-school pieces. Your job is small and warm: be present in the room, and help each family settle in.
For toddlers there is no performance and no tour — the room is the show. The little ocean water-setup and the children's ocean crafts on the wall tell the whole story. As families arrive, greet them, point out their child's fish or painting, and share a sentence about the week. If a child is here, let them lead their grown-up to whatever they loved.