Oh no! There goes the cup again!
Being aware of our body and its size is important in many aspects of life; it helps us judge things like how close to get to people when chatting and how far to reach when picking things up. Now that your toddler is becoming aware of their body size, they may realise they are too small to reach the kitchen surface, or their arms are longer than they realise when they go to pick up their drink, or they are too big for their doll’s buggy.
To gain awareness of body position your toddler relies on sensory information received from muscles, joints and limbs.
Playfulness, you and your toddler
Your toddler’s playfulness is growing, but what about your own? We know that toddlers love to invite their most loved ones to play with them, and while you might be tempted to answer something like, “I’ll be with you in a minute,” let’s think about how play benefits you, your toddler and their learning.
Dr Stuart Brown, a leading researcher on play, says that “We are built to play and built by play.”[1]
Stepping out – the challenges and benefits of outside stairs and surfaces
Spending time outside is remarkably beneficial for you and your toddler. Some of the skills they are working towards right now are far more easily achieved in the great outdoors; it can offer a freedom that being inside just can't quite match.
Now that your toddler is walking downstairs with more confidence, getting outdoors to practise this skill can be much more exciting.
I Walk with Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness, by Kerascoët
What can we say...? This wordless picture book is simply fantastic. It is perfect for teaching children about kindness and helping other people. If you’re new to wordless picture books, don’t worry, by following the pictures and the emotions of the characters’ faces, the story easily draws you in.
Vanessa is a little girl who moves to a new home and starts a new school. At the beginning of the story, we can see that Vanessa is lonely and she runs into some trouble with a classmate.
Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
Can thinking about actions now help future decision-making?
Your toddler is beginning to understand and learn more about how their actions affect what happens next. The more they play and explore in this way, the better they will become at thinking how to do things.
Cause and effect will always be an exciting phase of learning; as your toddler grows, they constantly learn more about how their actions can cause something else to happen.
First Aid – what do I need to know?
Toddlers are very active beings – always looking for places to hide and leading investigations into who knows what! With their physical skills matching their curiosity, there’s bound to be an accident at some point.
We never wish for any child to have an accident, but they do happen. We hope the bumps and mishaps your toddler has are small ones that can be dealt with quite easily at home.
Look! The world is full of similarities and differences
Your toddler's world is an ever-growing array of colours, shapes, smells and tastes – some similar, some different. As they become more aware of what's around them, and show interest in particular things, they can make connections between what they see and how these look like the things that really spark their interest.
Your toddler has been learning about items and objects since they were a baby, and now they are beginning to extend their early sorting and classification of objects.
Parent or climbing frame? Why physical play is great and what to do when you need a break
Your toddler loves you, and might have their own way of showing it – so as well as hugs and kisses (great) you might feel your toddler is using you as a climbing frame (fun sometimes... maybe?)!
Your toddler wanting to climb, bounce and swing on you might not feel like a good thing (and we will get to why it’s ok to say, ‘No,’ sometimes, too) but we think it can be great – at the right moment and in the right way.
How progressive – your toddler's using grammar while talking!
Talking about toddlers and grammar in the same sentence might conjure up the old adage of running before you can walk. But, believe it or not, very soon your toddler will be getting to grips with the 'present progressive tense' (and yes, grammatical terms usually have a knack for sounding more complicated than they are!)
Why does grammar matter?
