Gently does it! Your toddler might now be more careful with precious items

Your toddler might be beginning to show more care as they look at or handle delicate items. This is linked to the development of their senses and means that they can explore and enjoy lots of new experiences. There might also be times it doesn’t work out and things get broken as part of their learning process, so we have shared some ideas to help you talk to your toddler in those moments.  

It is important to remember that your toddler is still learning these skills.  

They might need you to remind them how much force they need for a particular task, especially if it is something they’ve never experienced before. 

You can give them lots of opportunities as you go about your day to try different levels of force by asking your toddler to help you with tasks such as opening doors, taking the tops off boxes or jars (you may need to loosen them first, especially if they have strong seals), washing the windows or squeezing the water out of sponges.  

If your toddler does misjudge the force they use, once you have dealt with any immediate mess or danger caused by a breakage, find a calm moment to talk to your toddler about what happened and why.  

You can talk about what the item was made of and why it broke, and how it might feel to be more gentle next time.  

Toddlers often benefit from being able to see and feel big concepts when you talk about them, so using safe toys to show them what you mean can help.  

Playdough is a perfect toy to use to help your toddler understand the difference between a gentle touch, which won’t change the playdough much, and lots of force which might squish it flat!