Calm Down, Boris by Sam Lloyd
What a wonderful book! Boris is a lovable, cheeky monster who adores giving people a kiss. You can stick your hand into the Boris puppet and bring him to life; your toddler will probably love doing this too!
Being a puppet, Boris' mouth can be opened and closed in the same way that scissors can be opened and closed. This means that even without practising scissor skills, your toddler will be doing the action required for this skill.
A story for when your toddler (or you) needs a hug – The perfect hug by Joanne Walsh and Judy Abbott
Sometimes, at the end of a long day, or when life is feeling a bit hard, all your toddler might need is a hug. Panda is looking for the perfect hug – what will it be?
This could be a great story for when it’s time to calm down; your toddler might enjoy looking at the pictures, and maybe even trying out a tickly hug.
What is your toddler learning when they pretend with you?
When your child begins to pretend not only does this give you new things to do when you play together, it also provides fantastic opportunities for their development. Your toddler won’t be imagining fire-breathing dragons or superheroes yet, but they are beginning to recreate familiar situations. So, why is this beneficial?
Beyond the headline – things to think about when you see reports about research
It can be hard to pick your way through the information you see in the media and online. Research findings are often simplified and can take you from thinking you knew exactly what you were doing to a feeling of knowing nothing at all! Our articles are one way to get a balanced view but even with the app at your fingertips, it can be helpful to have some pointers for spotting what the headlines don’t tell you.
Why do things we think are fact seem to change?
Stairs can be hard work – and not just for your toddler
It can be quite tiring for your toddler to learn how to come down the stairs; and it might be exhausting for you while you help them! As your toddler concentrates on holding their body weight on one leg at a time to descend the stairs, you might find yourself running up them to help. No matter how fit you are, and how few stairs there are, this could leave you a little out of breath – why is this?
Unconscious breathing – we don’t think about our breathing most of the time
All caught up – skills needed to catch a ball
Catching a ball is a great skill for your toddler to learn as it’s used in many different games and sports. There are numerous times when catching comes into daily life too; think about when someone throws a chocolate to you, or maybe some keys. It is one of those things that will come into play at spontaneous times. But did you know that catching involves a wide range of skills?
Before they can catch a ball, your toddler needs to know what's coming!
I’m putting my foot down – it feels more natural
Earlier in your toddler's journey, we delved into releasing their inner flamingo by being able to stand on one leg. Yet while flamingos rest when they stand in this way,[1] as humans we often struggle to retain balance while one leg is lifted, even for a short while. This is largely to do with the number of different things our bodies control while achieving balance on only one leg and foot. So for your learning toddler, this outwardly simple action is all the more remarkable.
Strong muscles and joints in their body help to keep them balanced and upright.
Caring for your toddler’s eyes
Our eyes are incredibly special. Your toddler's eyesight has been developing continuously since birth[1] and is now becoming able to adjust to near and far vision and focus on shapes and objects.[2] Their vision will resemble that of an adult within the next few years[3] as more anatomical changes take place.
Here are a few tips to help keep your toddler on a healthy eye development journey:
Fantastic fingers – why crayons and pencils can wait!
When you think of your toddler learning to write, you probably think about them using a crayon or pencil – not their finger! But using their finger to make a few squiggles is great for their fine motor development and will help them as they begin to understand how moving in different ways makes new marks.
Why might a finger be better than a pencil or crayon at the moment?
Holding, turning, positioning and pushing – interlocking bricks and fine motor skills
Many of us have happy memories of building with LEGO® or the larger DUPLO® blocks, or other sets that need pushing together such as, mobilo®, Stickle Bricks and more. You might have already added something like this to your toddler's toy box, but if not, what do you need to look for and why might now be a good time for this type of toy?
Why interlocking blocks?
