Don’t think about toy monkeys – why using negative instructions can have unintended consequences!
We know what you are thinking about now – even though we told you not to. Are you wondering what toy monkeys have to do with your toddler’s development? Thinking about how you respond to a negative statement can be helpful when thinking about supporting your toddler’s understanding and behaviour.
A deeper look into how your child 'learns how to behave’
As you follow your child’s journey in the app, you will find lots of activities, tips and information linked to supporting their behaviour. We thought it might be helpful to have a bit of an overview of the skills involved in ‘learning how to behave’ and some practical ideas about what you can do to help.
Social, emotional and cognitive skills and ‘learning how to behave’
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.
Boundaries and choices – some tips to find the balance for you and your toddler
Your toddler will be much more aware of their own wants and needs now, including their desire for autonomy. It's something we all have: to feel we can make decisions about the things that happen to us. Fulfilling their need to be in control is important, but may also cause frustration for you both. Balancing choices and boundaries can help
Give choices when you can
Sharing could make your toddler feel happy – but only if you don’t make them do it!
Most of us experience our toddler either snatching a toy from another child, or having their toy taken – followed by someone being hit, crying, shouting or screaming. What is great to hear if you’re wondering about helping your toddler to share, is that researchers found sharing makes children happier – but there are a few things that need to be in place for that to be the case![1]
Sharing when there are lots of something might be easier at first
Parent or climbing frame? Why physical play is great and what to do when you need a break
Your toddler loves you, and might have their own way of showing it – so as well as hugs and kisses (great) you might feel your toddler is using you as a climbing frame (fun sometimes... maybe?)!
Your toddler wanting to climb, bounce and swing on you might not feel like a good thing (and we will get to why it’s ok to say, ‘No,’ sometimes, too) but we think it can be great – at the right moment and in the right way.
My toddler’s biting – what should I do?
Many toddlers bite; it might be a one off, or it might happen several times. Either way, if your toddler bites it can feel awful for you – none of us want our child to be responsible for another child being hurt. So, what might be behind a bite and how can you support your toddler in refraining from doing it?
Biting can be one of those subjects that parents avoid talking with other parents about, but if you tell a friend you were horrified when your toddler bit another child at your favourite parent group – you might well find they’ve been there too!
Emotions – innate or constructed – what can you do when scientists don’t agree?
Sometimes the science of child development is presented to us as if researchers agree, but often there is debate about how we understand our children’s learning and development. One area where there is some disagreement is about if we’re born with a core set of emotions or if they are made as a result of our experiences. The question is an interesting one, and the good news is that these different understandings share similar ideas about how we can support our children.
The classic view of emotion
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
My toddler keeps taking their shoes off – help and hacks are here!
Is this your toddler? Do you find that shoes come off when driving, while walking and as soon as they are put on? Although it may feel frustrating at times, this is one way of your toddler promoting their own learning and encouraging greater independence. We have some tips here for helping all the shoe removing toddlers out there!
Lots of learning is taking place
