What’s that? It's moving, let me grab it!
Your toddler is now better able to pick up objects that move, thanks to their developing fine motor skills. Great when it comes to playtime, but what about when they see a spider or ladybird? Your toddler might use their developing fine motor and sensory skills to try and grab it.
It’s moving, I want to pick it up!
Motor planning and what it means when stacking blocks
You'll spot the term 'motor planning' a few times in the app. It involves making lots of different connections between the body and brain. Watching your toddler stacking blocks is a great way to see this complex process played out in a seemingly simple (but incredibly skillful) way.
Motor planning is a skill used in loads of everyday activities; it’s a combination of thought, sensory information and movement
More amazing things you can learn from your toddler
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: toddlers are inspirational. They have an intuitive way of thinking about things and their headspace isn’t as full as yours might be. It doesn’t harm to revisit ways of thinking that may be totally forgotten about.
Be in the moment
Why you should let your toddler puzzle it out... even when you’re itching to jump in
Watching your toddler play with a simple puzzle can be its own form of torture – especially if it’s taking them what feels like hours to fit a small cut out of a cat into a clearly very cat-shaped hole on the board! But, although our instinct is so often to help them ‘finish’, this might not be what your toddler needs. There are many, many skills being practised which might be more important to your toddler than finishing the puzzle.
Your toddler is exploring the puzzle piece, and board, every time they play with it. Their fine motor skills, which allow them to move and control the tiny muscles in their fingers, are now more sophisticated and your toddler can move the puzzle piece, turn it and flip it over. They might spend a long time doing this, and perhaps trying and failing to fit it into its space.
Storytime shapes – inspire mark making with books about lines and circles
Your toddler is becoming more able to control their fine motor movements, and is now linking their movements to the marks they make. They will still need some help to recall what they are drawing, so might enjoy watching you draw then copying you. These three sweet books about line and shape will inspire lots of imagination next time you draw together.
How you, and the world around them, help your toddler to become a confident walker
When we think about our toddler becoming a confident walker, our focus is probably on their muscles getting stronger or their movements being more coordinated. Some scientists suggest that we shouldn’t think about the development of movement without thinking about the world around your toddler.
The development of movement depends on environment – and your toddler learns more about the environment when they can move (this is known as the development systems view).
Why turning a page in a book is not as simple as it looks
Your toddler might already be a master page turner – but sometimes toddlers, in their enthusiasm to turn the page, can be a bit rough. If you’re wondering why your toddler can’t just turn the page carefully it might be interesting to know the skills that go into getting to the next page.
Turning a page in a book or magazine is not something we think about unless we come across a couple of pages that are stuck together or we’re looking at a particularly delicate or precious book.
We don’t have three brains – find out more about your toddler’s brain
If you’ve ever googled brain development you might have come across articles that refer to the triune model of the brain, or that describe us as having a lizard brain which takes over when we feel scared or threatened. As neuroscientists learn more about our brains, this way of understanding the brain has been questioned – read on to find out more.
We don’t have a lizard brain
Do you want to help your child start writing? Here are some things to think about
When your child masters writing the first letter or their name, they’ll feel extremely proud to have made (and left) their mark. And rightly so. It’s not a process that can be hurried. Writing recognisable letters is a very complex skill to master – one that involves many streams of development, including language, cognitive, emotional and gross and fine motor skills.
At first, when we are learning to write, forming each letter can take great concentration and effort, as we plan and carry out the combination of movements. Over time, with practice, writing can be performed almost automatically and without thought.
Space, secret hideaways, science and your toddler!
The world is an exploration wonderland, especially for toddlers. They love seeking out spaces to crawl into, or places where they can cover themselves and hide... just a special place for them and no one else. As your toddler's body awareness grows, they might enjoy finding a space to squeeze into.
Your toddler is becoming increasingly aware of their position in the environment
