How toddlers remember: growing and learning through life experiences
When you ask your toddler what they’ve been doing in their day, it can be hard for them to think. They may say they’ve been doing nothing or that they simply don’t know, yet they are able to remember things from a while ago and tell you about them out of the blue; this is because their memory and language skills are still developing.
Memories are formed by neurons that fire in our brains
Puzzles and jigsaws – where did they originate from and why are they so good?
Puzzles and jigsaws have been around for centuries, with evidence of puzzle-like games dating back to ancient civilizations (it’s believed by some that Greek mathematician, Archimedes, created the first puzzles around 250 BC when he cut up a square of wood into 14 different shaped pieces and tried to reassemble them).[1] However, the modern-day jigsaw puzzle was invented in the 1760s by John Spilsbury, a British engraver and mapmaker, who pasted a map onto a wooden board and cut out the shapes of the countries with a jigsaw.[2]
Initially used to teach geography, Spilsbury’s idea caught on and evolved from map-based images to interlocking images of animals, historical images and other things around the mid-1800s, and really took off in the 1930s; thought to be popular as they were reusable as well as entertaining.[3]
What is sensory integration and why does it matter for your toddler?
Sensory development is perhaps something we don’t think about as often as other aspects of our children’s learning. This development is important for so many things your toddler does now and will do in the future. Our senses help us read and write, move, and respond to our emotions (among other things) and developing these skills is not just about hearing better, seeing better, or noticing the sensations from our body, but also about how we bring the information from all our senses together to respond to what is happening around us.
What is sensory integration?
What’s in a name? How your toddler’s name shapes who they are
Did you spend months before your baby was born choosing a name? Perhaps you’d had a name in mind for you baby even before pregnancy – or waited a few days after they were born to choose one that was just right for them. However you chose their name, and even if you now call them something different a lot of the time, names are an important part of who we are.
Sociologists are becoming increasingly interested in names, and how these relate to people’s experiences and how they are perceived. Taking a quick look at statistics about names in England and Wales you can see that there are trends in the names we use.
Balancing your toddler’s needs and your own – our tips for when you need some quiet time
Today’s generation of parents are more aware of the importance of good mental health and wellbeing than any other. You know that your toddler needs your calm presence when they’re overwhelmed – and you probably won’t be using the naughty step anytime soon! Does this mean you can’t let them know when you need some space? We’re here to tell you why it’s ok to tell your toddler you are having some time doing something else – and how to do it in a gentle and reassuring way.
Your toddler learns a lot about the world, not from what you say but from what you do. They will watch you and copy your actions, whether that is pretending to make a meal, take a selfie or message a friend. They will also notice how you look after your wellbeing and respond to your emotions and copy that too.
Five books about care routines to share with your toddler
Hair love by Matthew Cherry
Supporting your toddler's sense of proprioception
Do you look at your feet as you walk upstairs or at your arm as you push it into your sleeves? You might if the steps are uneven or if there is a bit of twisting involved in getting your arms in the right position. The reason you don’t need to look every time is that you have developed a good proprioception – the sense that enables you to be aware of your body’s position and movement. Your toddler is still mastering these skills and they are particularly tricky for them as they are growing all the time, which means their body awareness constantly needs to change.
Proprioception is the sense that enables us to be aware of our body’s position and movement.
The wonder of mixing in the great outdoors
When your toddler is mixing with a spoon, they may make quite a bit of mess! It’s such a great feeling to stir different ingredients in a bowl and while their handling skills are developing you might find the spoon, bowl and all the ingredients go flying! Thankfully, the outdoors can provide children with a better space, and less constrained way, to practise these developing skills.
The outdoor world offers rich and diverse experiences that change throughout the year.
Seeing all toys for all children is a game changer
You may have seen your toddler showing a preference for certain types of toy and styles of play. This is an exciting stage for them, as they are becoming more tuned into the world and noticing things around them. However, as we all know, play hasn't always been offered equally to girls and boys, raising the question of whether they are innately drawn towards particular toys and types of play, or are encouraged to choose what's 'set out' for them by society and tradition.
For centuries, gender-based ideals[1] for how children should play have been set and met, with a typical play scene depicting girls engaged in role-play looking after a baby, and boys playing with big trucks and cars.
There’s so much more than drawing happening here
Learning to write is a complex process that requires a combination of skills. Your toddler is in a fabulous stage of their development right now and we would encourage you to embrace and enjoy it because it will benefit them tremendously when they begin to learn handwriting. To understand more about how what they are doing now will serve them well later, we need to look at the wider picture.
Writing relies on skills in a variety of development areas.
