Tickling - exploring force and learning about people through tickling games

Love it or loathe it – your toddler might be starting to have a go at tickling other people now. They might not quite get it right, but they’ll learn a lot as they give you a tickle. 

Tickling is linked to sensory and social development 

Your toddler is becoming more aware of their body and starting to develop their social awareness, so they can think about different ways to interact with the people around them.  

They might start to try to play some tickling games, or to give you a tickle at the end of a favourite rhyme or song.   

Tickling supports your toddler’s development in different ways:  

They learn about the amount of force that they need to use 

At first, your toddler’s tickles might be a bit rough – they will notice how you respond and learn just the right amount of force to use.  

They learn about interactions and noticing what other people like and don’t like  

You can help them with this by stopping if they are not enjoying being tickled or if they say, “No!”, and by stopping them if they are too rough. This will take some experience, and your toddler might not quite have the body awareness to adjust the force they use yet – so if they are a bit too rough this is likely to be accidental.  

Tickling and other physical play supports the development of self-regulation 

Self-regulation is the ability to manage your emotions, behaviour and reactions. This is really hard for your toddler, so they will probably need you to support them by noticing when they are getting a bit too excited as they play. 

If you think they need a moment’s pause, gently distract them or add a countdown into your tickling game.