Our top five tips for encouraging language when playing with toys
Talking to their toys is a wonderful stage in your toddler’s development. It starts around now and evolves over many years, and for some, it never stops! Embracing this time in your toddler’s life can help them become comfortable with storytelling, sharing ideas and acting out narratives with their safest and most trusted friends: their toys. Here are some ideas for encouraging this type of play and supporting your toddler’s early language skills.
1) Take time for imaginative play
Defining ‘play’ – it's so much more than just filling time
Play is essential for children’s development, so much so that it has its own section in The United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child, outlining the right for all children to have access to “rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.”[1]
Making sure your toddler has plenty of time for play can transform a day, and be positive for your relationship with them. But sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what play is, and there are times that what we think of as play might not be quite what it seems.
Childhood amnesia - how much does your toddler remember?
What is your earliest memory? When asked, most adults can’t recall memories from toddlerhood (we might think we remember things, but this is often a memory of a family story – not the event itself). Does this mean your toddler truly won't remember their early experiences?
What is childhood or infantile amnesia?
Did you know, your toddler is learning to understand what people think, feel and believe
Theory of mind is the understanding that there is a difference between the self and others.[1] It’s the ability to consider what other people might think and feel in a certain situation, as well as that other people have different beliefs, thoughts and feelings. This develops in early childhood and your toddler will start to understand that other people have different points of view.
New research has explored how neurons will help our understanding
Your baby's teasing is their sense of humour shining through
The development of humour shows us little hints about your baby’s social and cognitive skills. From laughing when they notice something unexpected, to offering a toy and then taking it away, to giggling when anyone says the word “poo” or “knickers”, your baby’s sense of humour changes during their first five years.
Your baby is now starting to realise they can do something you don’t expect and that you might find it funny.
Why attention is an important part of learning to talk – and how you can help
An important part of communication is listening to another person – and not being distracted by all the other noises around us. As adults we can do this pretty well (most of the time), but the part of your toddler’s brain that helps them with attention is still developing. You can help.
Attention is more than listening
Looking after yourself – think about the five ways to wellbeing
Your toddler is learning so much about themselves now and starting to want to be more independent and make choices. This is a brilliant time for their development but can be a challenging time for you – and with a busy life it can be easy to forget about looking after your wellbeing. Stop for a moment today and think about how you take care of yourself as well as your toddler.
Bodies, brains and emotions – why your toddler can't calm down without your help
We know toddlers can get overwhelmed at times, we all can when you think about it, but your toddler probably finds it more difficult than you do to calm again – and this could be explained by their brain development.
What are executive functions and why are they important in emotions?
Learning about themselves and other people, challenging stereotypes and celebrating diversity
Your toddler is interested in the world around them, including the people they meet. To understand the world they group together things they think are similar, in what are described as schemas – so your toddler might have a people schema and within that, group people together according to similarities they notice (or that other people seem to think are important). This organisation of information can lead to your toddler developing stereotypical views.
For example, if they see a male doctor in real life, then in a story and on a TV programme they might think doctors are always men.
Researchers have found that babies prefer faces from their own racial group over others,[1] and that toddlers show bias towards their own race when selecting who and what toys to play with.
Your toddler’s language and the emergence of emotional self-regulation
Have you noticed your toddler becoming aware of their emotions and beginning to use words to describe some of them? You may hear them start to say how they feel; this can be helpful for your toddler, as it helps them to regulate their emotions.
Emotions can be very powerful for toddlers, as can the feelings that come with them.
