Playing together doesn’t always look like it... especially when you’re looking at toddlers!
Have you noticed your toddler watching other children, copying them but not really getting involved or interacting with the other child? You might even have found that older siblings, or friend’s children, feel frustrated and don’t want to be copied – but your toddler doesn’t seem to want to change how they're playing. This is, in fact, an important stage of your toddler learning how to play with others, called parallel play... and here’s what you need to know about it.
Parallel play is a stage in the development of learning to play with others which was described in 1932 by American sociologist and researcher Mildred Parten.
My toddler’s biting – what should I do?
Many toddlers bite; it might be a one off, or it might happen several times. Either way, if your toddler bites it can feel awful for you – none of us want our child to be responsible for another child being hurt. So, what might be behind a bite and how can you support your toddler in refraining from doing it?
Biting can be one of those subjects that parents avoid talking with other parents about, but if you tell a friend you were horrified when your toddler bit another child at your favourite parent group – you might well find they’ve been there too!
Emotions – innate or constructed – what can you do when scientists don’t agree?
Sometimes the science of child development is presented to us as if researchers agree, but often there is debate about how we understand our children’s learning and development. One area where there is some disagreement is about if we’re born with a core set of emotions or if they are made as a result of our experiences. The question is an interesting one, and the good news is that these different understandings share similar ideas about how we can support our children.
The classic view of emotion
New words and ways of saying them - how stories and play inspire imagination
Hearing your child using language that takes you by surprise (in a good way!) is fantastic. When your child’s imaginative play starts to include new words and language driven by words heard in stories, on TV, life experiences and in conversations, it ignites a new level of play, language and communication.
Stories and books are great for introducing language and themes, helping fuel imaginative play.
Exploring the minds of others
Children are on a continual journey of discovery and exploration. Your child is still discovering who they are and what they think, but they are beginning to understand that other people have ideas and do different things. You might spot this when your child pretends to be someone else when they play.
They may say a phrase you’re not familiar with or you’ll hear them pretending to be Grandma; this is them exploring other people’s thoughts and ideas.
The wheels are spinning in my head all the time – Justin Berfield*
We can be so hard on ourselves. Our minds feel active 24/7 and we just get on with things... keeping it under control. While our minds spin, we juggle commitments, jobs, being a parent, being a relative, being a friend, being a colleague and making decisions. It can leave you feeling a bit like a 'jack of all trades, master of none'. But when your wheels are spinning, it's important to push the break, and know that things will feel more manageable for it.
We recently heard the term ‘brainado’,[1] which instantly resonated with us. Brainado is made from the words, ‘brain’ and ‘tornado’... brilliant. This word most probably sums up what every parent experiences at some point in their week, or day, or hour.
Walking the line – how a wobble helps develops balance
By following a line, your toddler is further fine tuning their walking skills. They are now exploring a more intricate style of walking that helps them improve their coordination and maintain balance.
Following a line, as with lots of other skills, has loads more going on than first meets the eye!
Today I am going to be...
Most toddlers love to dress up! Dressing up is an amazing type of play, bringing with it a whole world of benefits to your toddler's development. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just a few home props can ignite their imagination while also building their gross motor skills.
Imagination strikes us all in different ways. Children are usually super at slipping into another realm and embarking on a journey that they are in control of.
The approximate number system – building a foundation for maths
From birth, we all have the ability to recognise differences in quantity, thanks to something known as the approximate number system. This ability develops with age and experience. So what do we know about how your toddler understands quantity?
What exactly is the approximate number system?
Much more than capital cities – how you can help your toddler become a geographer
You might not have given much thought to your toddler's grasp of geography. But the experiences and conversations they have will give them skills and knowledge that provide a rich foundation for understanding people and places – which really is what geography is all about!
What is geography?
