It might look like just child's play, but toddlers are hard at work learning important physical skills as they gain muscle control, balance, and coordination. Each new skill lets them progress to the next one, building on a foundation that leads to more complicated physical tasks. Toddlers always want to do more and want to do it “all by themselves”.
Ways We Support Healthy Growth and Development:

      TODDLERS: 12 - 18 Months

Personal & Social Development

• Support their efforts to do things for themselves.
• Let them know me are aware of the things that belong to them and help them work through conflicts or disagreements with others.
• Know that uncooperative behavior is often a sign of self (wanting to make decisions on their own and be independent). Let them know that their feelings are understood. This will help them calm and regain control.
• Give choices whenever possible. For example, “Do you want to wear the blue ball or the red one?” This will help them feel in control.
• Recognize and let toddlers know we understand that they are fearful, hesitant, and uncertain in new situations. Help them to feel safe and gain comfort through your words and gentle touches.
• With a new found desire to do things for themself, understand we may see them experiencing higher levels of frustration.
• Offer tools for them to use in frustrating situations, such as words to help describe feelings, gestures, or ways to ask for help. This will help them learn to deal with their feelings.
• State clear consequences for actions. Let them know what we will do if they act in a way we do not want them to. For example, “If you swing the bat at Pat, I will take it away.”
• Let them experiment with their self help skills: taking off his clothes, washing his hands, putting their toys back on the shelves.
• Give a warning when activities will change or end, or something needs to be done to the toddler, such as a diaper change. (Example: “After lunch, I am going to change your diaper.”)

Physical Development

• Offer surroundings that are safe to move around in.
• Support their efforts to walk, but be careful not to push them to walk, allowing them to develop at their own pace and in their own time. Changing back and forth between walking and crawling is normal.
• Place favorite toys in different areas of the room and ask them to bring them back to you.

Cognitive Development

• Encourage active problem solving by showing an interest and following the toddler’s lead in play and activities.
• Let ourselves be a safe, secure base from which they can explore. We are there to encourage them to explore on their own, as well as to give comfort and emotional support when needed. We want them to come to count on our trusting relationship for emotional support.
• Continue to provide for interaction with other toddlers.
• Set up their surrounding so that they can see new and more complex ways to use toys and equipment.
• Be open to their new ways of exploring their world ( e.g., stacking pillows, using puzzle pieces as cars, etc.)
• Allow a toddler to make limited choices (e.g., an apple or banana for snack, crayons or markers to color, etc.)
• Let them make mistakes as they are exploring and playing with things. These are learning experiences, too!
• Continue talking with them. This not only supports their developing communication and thinking skills, but also their sense of self. Through practice they become aware of the power of language to gather information and communicate their needs.


Language Development & Communication

• Continue to talk about what they are doing as they do it.
• Get down on their eye level and make eye contact when speaking with them.
• Show excitement in their efforts to communicate with us.
• Encourage conversation with other adults and children.
• Give simple instructions to follow.
• Play games with them.
• Sing songs and repeat finger plays over and over again to support their desire and need for repetition.
• Encourage expression of feelings through words.
• Encourage expansion of language experience.
• Listen to the tone of their voice. Are they asking a question, stating a command, or voicing a protest? Watch them as they try to speak. Are they pointing to something? What are they looking at? These are clues to the meaning of their expressive language.




      TODDLERS: 19 - 24 Months

Personal & Social Development

• Encourage them to help with day-to-day jobs as they are able. Encourage them to try doing new things for themselves.
• Set clear, simple rules (limits) and gently but firmly follow through with them. Safety always comes first (e.g., sitting at the table while eating).
• They want to do things for themselves and will tell us what they want. These times can be very frustrating for a toddler. We will encourage them to find their comfort toys, or to help calm them.
• We will be patient! Although a toddler wants to do everything they set out to do themself, they still need us close by to help.
• Respect them. When we show respect, they learn to respect themself and others.
• Model pro-social, sharing behavior in your everyday interactions with children and other adults. Play games that involve sharing and turn taking. While this will help them to use and practice these behaviors, we do not expect them to share with other children all the time. Toddlers need time to mature and lots of practice to use these skills regularly during play.
• Keep consistent daily routines around eating, sleeping, playing and toileting. Routines help toddlers guess what comes next in their day and master daily experiences which promote self-confidence. Help them get ready for changes by telling them what will happen next and giving them some time to move from one thing to another.
• Be there as a good listener.
• Name feelings - your own and the child’s (e.g., ”I feel sad.” or “Falling down is frustrating.”)


Physical Development

• We will keep the toddler’s play area interesting for them. We will change their toys by rotating them, or adding new ones. For example, when their interest lowers for a toy, we put it away for 2 weeks or so and then bring it back out again. They may have a renewed interest in it. A few toys will catch their attention; with too many choices they may move quickly from one to another.
• Give enough opportunity for physical exercise. They may enjoy dancing to music, hopping, pretending to exercise -touching their toes, reaching high above their head, etc.
• Help the toddler get on and off a 4-wheeled riding toy until they can do it by themself.
• Give opportunities to grasp, hold, pour, scoop, squeeze, and otherwise play with a variety of materials that can be safely handled and put in the mouth.
• Let them see us reading, writing or drawing; observation is a powerful learning tool both for them and us.

Cognitive Development

• Continue to offer choices, but only two or three at a time. Let them make decisions throughout the day and be sure that the options we offer are ones we are okay with them choosing.
• Allow them to work out a challenge or problem they are facing without our help. Think of ways in which they might solve this problem. Be close by to ensure their safety. Applaud their accomplishments.
• Continue to encourage their use of language by giving them words to express their feelings and desires. Continue to talk about what we see and do.
• Encourage their exploration of toys. Be sure to let them pace themself. They will determine their own rate of learning.
• Get down on a toddler’s level and look around to identify the things that might catch their interest.
• Call their attention to small things in books, magazines, or on other everyday items like cereal boxes. Ask them to point to some of the details.
• While a toddler’s experimentations may cause frustration and irritation, knowing that these are the ways in which they have to learn about their world and what their body can do, it is important to be patient, provide guidance and ensure their safety.
• Play pretend games with them. We will learn a great deal about their thoughts and how they feel and will have many chances to expand on their thinking. This can help them be more creative.
• We will “teach” toddler specific academic skills, such as colors and shapes in the course of your daily conversations. “Do you prefer a red apple or green apple?” or “Can you hand me the blue ball?”


Language Development & Communication

• Continue to talk about what they are involved in. We will name things for them encouraging them to use their words. Ask them to name things they see during their play. If a toddler says a word or phrase incorrectly, we simply repeat it correctly for them.
• Their speech may be hard to understand and often they speak slowly. We will be patient, giving them time to complete their thought.
• We will praise toddlers for trying to communicate with us and encourage their continued use of language. Remember that speaking “correctly” comes with time and maturity.
• Read aloud and often with them. We have quiet spaces and reading areas where they can sit together while reading a book or alone.
• Ask them questions and encourage them to ask us questions. Be an active language partner with them.
• Continue to listen with interest to what they are saying and give them more words to describe their thoughts. For example, “That flower?” “Yes, that is a flower and the petals are red.”
• Offer real pictures of animals, people and familiar things to draw their attention and encourage their conversation.

      TODDLERS: 25 - 36 Months

Personal & Social Development

• Model sharing and turn taking. Waiting helps children learn self-control and recognize that others have needs too. Encourage cooperative play with others but do not expect a toddler to be able to show these behaviors all the time.
• Allow them the opportunity to try things themself even if we know it will take a little longer to get done.
• Read books that explore and discuss feelings. For example, consider “When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry” by Molly Bang and “The Way I Feel” series by Cornelia Spelman.
• Help toddlers stay involved in play by extending their play experience and preventing interruptions of their play.
• Help them her identify and name their feelings: anger, frustration, happiness, and sadness.
• Anticipate situations in which they may have difficulty and intervene before an aggressive action takes place, such as hitting or biting.
• Help them connect their feelings with actions. For example, “I know that you are angry, but you may not hit Claire. Say, I’m angry.”
• Offer strategies that they can use in frustrating situations, such as using their words to solve the problem or asking for help.

Physical Development

• Encourage free movement (within safe limits) and self-expression through movement - running, spinning, dancing.
• Provide for and become involved in sensory experiences with them. Talk about what we are feeling, smelling, tasting, and hearing.
• Offer them simple choices whenever possible.
• Offer a variety of toys that encourage their hand and finger use. Rotate toys available within the environment and encourage new ways to use familiar toys.
• Be a toddler’s “coach” by supporting them if they get stuck when trying new things.
• Include them in making experiments (pouring ingredients, stirring, etc.) or setting-up and cleaning the table with us.
• Go for walks exploring the outdoors together and use these opportunities to teach them about concepts such as big and small.

Cognitive Development

• We will try to look at most things with a sense of timing, knowing when to step in and when to hold back and let them work out her differences.
• Be aware of the strength of emotions, the development of thinking and problem-solving skills, and the difficulty toddlers may have in controlling their impulsive behaviors. We will try to help them learn how to control aggressive behaviors by being attentive to their play and interactions; by helping them identify, label, and connect their emotions with actions; and by helping them find more appropriate solutions when conflicts arise.
• Give both girls and boys the same opportunities to explore different activities such as large and small muscle play, conversation, dress up and dramatic play, art, music, science, and outdoor play.
• Talk about events we have done together, such as a blowing bubbles. Ask them to remember things they saw and did.
• Play a game having toddlers touch body parts, head, nose, ears, eyes, as you name them.


Language Development & Communication

• Continue to encourage them to talk with us and their friends. Ask questions such as, “What do you think would happen if...?”
• Ask them what they are feeling in different situations. For example, “Are you happy to see Beth?” “Did it make you feel angry when Josh took your toy?”
• Ask them to tell others what they want. Provide him with examples such as, “I want the truck.” “I was using that ball.”
• Remind them to solve challenges with others using their words as opposed to physical means (hitting, grabbing, kicking).
• If a toddler is approaching a “break down” point (e.g., ready to break into uncontrolled crying), let them know that we understand what they are feeling and provide support (e.g., “I know you are tired and feel frustrated because you cannot find Elmo. Let’s look together.”)