Today Tile Triggered Content

When we think about waving or moving arms through the air, although it may seem straightforward, your toddler needs to make a complicated, synchronised movement to do this. It’s not until we delve into the magnificence of how our bodies make it happen that we can appreciate every tiny step of progress your toddler’s striving to achieve. 

Let’s start with the skeleton, which consists of bones, joints and cartilage, and is the foundation of the body. 

Have you heard people say creative people are ‘right brained’ or scientists are ‘left brained’? Maybe you’ve even looked at your toddler and wondered what kind of brain they’ve got. But is it true that our interests and personality are decided by which side of our brains dominates?  

First things first – is the left side of our brain logical and the right side creative and emotional?  

If we said your toddler is a scientist, you might wonder what we are talking about – or maybe you see that yourself when you watch them play. Everyday play and routines give your toddler the real experiences that will help them understand the maths and science they will learn in the future.  

Get cooking 

We know parents have an important role to play in building children’s self-esteem – and your toddler is amazing (of course!), but is it possible to praise them too much and if it is, what can you do instead?  

Psychologists Eddie Brummelman and Constantine Sedikides have looked at how we develop our sense of who we are, and what parents can do that raises self-esteem (without encouraging narcissism).  

Looking at books can be a great way to chat about all the things families enjoy doing together, and about who is in your family. Here are some stories we love. 

One Family by George Shannon and Blanca Gomez 

Interoception is our sense of what is happening inside our body. People with a strong interoceptive sense will notice quickly (and so be able to act on it) when they are hungry, full, tired or need the toilet. Interoception also helps us to recognise and understand our emotions, and this is something that researchers are increasingly recognising as important for protecting and promoting good mental health.^[1] 

Feelings are often talked about as a very brain-based sensation, but our bodies also experience changes and send messages to the brain which informs how we feel;^[2] often the physical response to an event or experience is in fact part of our emotional reaction. 

Screen time: something all parents dread having to talk about with other people. Every family will have a different approach to it, perhaps based on how you felt about it as a child or how your routine fits in with watching screens. Whatever your approach, there is a constant stream of information coming towards parents about how much screen time is too much for young children. We’ve looked into some of the most recent research, which suggests there might be a way to balance screen time to reduce any negative impacts. 

The first, and most important, thing to stress is that screen time is not always bad. In fact, sometimes screen time can help us be the best parents we can be.  

Did you know that watching a moving toy helps your toddler develop the essential skills needed to read and write? It's true! In order to read and write, your toddler’s eyes must be able to follow the flow of written text or watch a pen move. This is called visual tracking and it’s a skill they’ll use in everyday life. 

A wiggle here, a jiggle there, and pop! One arm is through an item of clothing. This is an exciting stage of your toddler’s development; here are a few ideas of how you can encourage your toddler to help to move their arms or legs into the right position when getting dressed. 

• Choose suitable clothing – looser clothes are easier for your toddler to wiggle around in and help push their limbs through. Tighter clothes might cause arms and legs to get stuck on their journey. 
• Enhance the experience using sounds – adding silly noises can make getting dressed and undressed a lot of fun. If you put a jumper over your toddler's head and their head pops through, you could say, "Pop!" Or you might make a long sound while their leg is making its way down a pair of trousers until you see their foot appear.  
• Find a comfy position for getting dressed and undressed – find a comfortable position for your toddler to sit in as you help them put on and take off their clothes. They may prefer to sit on a chair, a cushion, or simply on the floor. Encourage your toddler to sit in a way that is comfortable for them and lets them move freely; this might mean moving off your lap for some parts of the getting dressed process. As their level of independence increases, having this experience will help them. 
• Try getting dressed in front of a mirror – toddlers love looking at themselves and they might be able to see things differently if they can view what is going on in the mirror. 
• Think about fabrics – some fabrics feel itchy, or clingy, and this might discourage your toddler from wanting to put them on. Check for any labels which might scratch or irritate them.

It can be instinctive to jump in and help when you notice your toddler trying to lift something you know is heavy, but when it is safe to do so, letting them try (and fail, and try again) helps to develop not only their resilience but also their important gross motor skills.  

Since they were in the womb, your toddler has been building up their gross motor muscles.^[1] This includes all the larger muscles in their body, which need to be strong and powerful enough to support all their movements. Gross motor muscles help your toddler to maintain their posture, and to move their arms, legs and head, so they need to be strengthened to support your toddler to explore the world.