Get your toddler cleaning – it's fun and good for their gross motor development!
Toddlers love to clean. We know this might not quite feel true – as toddlers can also be the messiest people in the house by far – but while they might not yet have the skills to keep everything neat and tidy, when given the opportunity toddlers often enjoy the act of cleaning itself. Putting away dishes, wiping a table, mopping a spill, using a dustpan or sweeping with a broom, the act of cleaning itself is something toddlers are often drawn to, and with good reason.
Toddlers’ bodies are growing and changing, they’re getting taller, stronger and more coordinated, all of which means they can be successful in a wider variety of tasks. They are also looking for opportunities to challenge and build on the physical skills they’re learning.
Your toddler: the great pretender!
It's possible that pretend play is starting to become a regular part of your toddler's fun. As they whizz round the house, starting one thing and then another, you might see signs of new thoughts and ideas weaving into their play. It’s around now that your toddler’s understanding of the world is beginning to grow and expand, and they’re increasingly able to absorb the things they see and hear around them.
For the most part of their lives, your toddler will have spent their time playing with you and other family members.
Associative play – a bridge towards making friends
You might not remember how you made friends when you were little, we kind of just know we had them. Becoming friends is a long, steady process, with ups and downs along the way. Your toddler won’t know what a friend is just yet, or what it means to be friends, but they are beginning to show interest in others who enjoy doing the same things as they do. What a great start for them!
Having the same interests helps your toddler create connections with others
Your questions about behaviour – What do I do when my child says, “I hate you”?
When your child is upset or frustrated and says things like, “I’m not your best friend” or “I don’t like you,” it can be hard not to feel upset or angry yourself.
It might help to think about what your child really means; it takes us a long time to develop the skills needed to recognise our emotions and to talk to other people about them.
What research tells us about counting – and what it means for your toddler
Lots of children love counting, they might enjoy the excited responses of people around them, or the rhythm and music of chanting numbers – and researchers found even young toddlers preferred a correct counting sequence to an incorrect one.[1] But there’s more to understanding numbers and quantity than saying the numbers in order.
There are several skills involved in understanding numbers and counting, and some your toddler will have had since they were born. Researchers have found that babies have an awareness of quantity from birth – this seems to be quite accurate for small amounts (up to two or three items), and more approximate for larger ones.[1]
Can we fix it? Helping your toddler understand that sometimes we can’t
Sometimes it’s hard to understand the world from your toddler’s point of view, but a bit of knowledge about child development can help to make sense of what they do!
Does your toddler seem shocked when the flower they took off a plant can’t simply be placed back on? They might be devastated when they can’t put a bit of a broken toy in position and see it magically fixed.
One of the ways we all learn about the world is through cause and effect, and one thing your toddler has learnt is that somethings can be changed – then changed back again.
Find out more about the link between maths and play
We know play is fantastic for learning as well as being enjoyable and engaging. What’s really fascinating (we think) is that sometimes researchers find connections between play and children’s learning that maybe don’t seem very obvious at first (and even they can’t always explain the connection!).
Professor of Early Years Education at the University of Stavanger, Elin Reikeras, gathered observations of 1,088 toddlers during a three-month period, looking specifically at their maths and play skills.[1]
Questions, questions, questions – why so many?
Questions are a sure sign that your toddler’s language and cognitive skills are growing. They’re making loads of connections in their brain and wanting to discover more about the world around them. Questions are very simply your toddler wanting to gather information.[1]
Research tells us that there are three types of question[2,3]
Say my name, say my name, I might know you’re trying to get my attention
As adults, we often zone in and out – sometimes actively choosing to just to get a few more seconds of peace and quiet (shhh – don’t tell anyone!). At other times, we think we hear everything that’s said to us, but we might be focused on something else and discover that someone has been talking and we simply haven’t heard them.
In your toddler's case, there may be times when you think they're ignoring you deliberately, but more often than not, they will just be engrossed in what they're doing and genuinely don't hear you. Your toddler is learning to be able to stop what they're doing and switch their attention to listen and focus on what you are saying. And this is a skill that takes time to master.
Your conversations about stories could get even more exciting when your toddler really understands doing words!
Have you noticed that your toddler is beginning to understand action words a bit more? When you ask them to run with you, they might do so, or you might see them follow the actions in some of their favourite rhymes and songs. Being able to spot and join in with action words can help jazz up daily activities and bring your toddler a great deal of enjoyment, especially during story times!
Take time to chat with your toddler about the ‘doing’ words you see and read about.
