CHD107: Understanding and Promoting Toddler Development

Handout

Welcome to CHD107

In this course, you will learn about the distinct characteristics of early childhood development in children from twelve to thirty-six months of age, often referred to as toddlers. The course provides an overview of development across all domains of growth and learning. The goal of the course is to increase caregivers’ understanding of the challenges and achievements made during this stage of

development as well as strategies they can implement to support children in the early learning environment.

Objectives:

By taking notes on the handout and successfully answering assessment questions, participants will meet the following objectives as a result of taking this course:

Define early childhood development

Identify the factors affecting development

Recognize developmental milestones for toddlers 12 to 36 months of age

Identify signs that a toddler may be over-stimulated or under-stimulated

Identify strategies for dealing with challenging behaviors

Select strategies that support the development of two-year-olds

References:

1. American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, & National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. (2019). Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, 4th edition. Retrieved from https://nrckids.org/files/CFOC4%20pdf-

%20FINAL.pdf 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021). “Learn the Signs. Act Early.”

Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html 3. Gonzalez-Mena, J. & Eyer, D. (2020). Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: A Curriculum of

Respectful, Responsive, Relationship-Based Care and Education, 12th edition. McGraw-Hill Education.

4. Herr, J. (2020). Working with Young Children, 9th Edition. Goodheart-Wilcox Company. 5. Lally, R., et al. (2003). Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Groups: Developmentally

Appropriate Practice. Zero to Three.

6. Martin, J (Ed.). (2011). Preschool Health and Safety Matters. Gryphon House. 7. Murkoff, H. (2014). What to Expect the First Year, 3rd edition. Workman Publishing. 8. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2021). Developmentally

Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8,

4th edition. Washington, DC: NAEYC. 9. Swim, T. (2016). Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: Caregiving and Responsive Curriculum

Development, 9th edition. Cengage Learning.

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Early Childhood Development: An Overview

Important Fact

Early childhood development refers to:

Important Fact

Age ranges are often used to describe:

Toddler Development

Important Fact

The term toddler is used to describe children between

The factors that influence early development are:

Genetics -

Gender -

Birth Order -

Prenatal care -

Prenatal harm -

Prematurity -

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Nutrition -

Environmental stimulation -

Signs that a toddler may be under-stimulated:

Signs that a toddler may be over-stimulated:

Safety -

Developmental appropriateness -

Areas of Development

Physical Growth

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At twelve months, a child’s body proportions are:

A toddler’s physical appearance changes significantly between 12 and 24 months:

Tooth eruption -

Average ages and weights for boys and girls between 12 and 24 months:

Boys

Girls

Between the ages of two and three, children grow:

Two-year-olds’ heads are:

Movement

Important Fact

Gross motor skills are:

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The typical characteristics of a walking toddler between 12 and 24 months are:

12-Inch rule:

Two-year-olds no longer need to focus all their mental energy on gross motor skills. Now they are developing:

Activities that Support Gross Motor Development

Hand-Eye Coordination

Toddler Vision -

By the time children reach two years of age, their vision is usually between:

Depth Perception -

Fine Motor Skills –

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By age twenty-four months, the toddler can perform fine motor activities such as:

Important Fact

As two-year-olds' vision improves, so does:

As they improve their use of pincer muscles and hand-eye coordination, two-year-olds can:

Activities that support hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills:

Cognitive development includes:

Important Facts

A toddler's short-term memory is

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The attention span of a toddler at this age is:

Cause and effect -

Here is a list of a few cognitive skills that children typically achieve between 12 and 24 months of age:

Two-Year-Old Cognitive Development:

Cause and effect -

Numbers and counting -

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Examples of Mathematical Language:

Sequencing Concepts -

Activities that support cognitive development:

Read-aloud often Reading aloud to children is important for several reasons:

Communication

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Important Fact

Expressive language

Receptive language

Ways to promote language development:

Expansion

Important Fact

Ear infections:

Social and Emotional Development

Egocentric -

Toddlers engage in ___________________ and _____________________ play. As they near the age

of 2, they may begin signs of __________________ play.

Independence:

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Tantrums are often caused by a toddler's:

Here are some ways to help alleviate or prevent tantrums:

Other ways to promote social-emotional development:

At this stage of development, children may start biting or hitting for a variety of reasons, including:

Cause and Effect -

Getting Attention -

Imitation -

Frustration -

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What can a caregiver do to help a child through these difficult situations?

Temper tantrums -

Parallel play –

Associative play -

Look for the following signs that a child is ready for potty training:

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Try This!

Create an Obstacle Course

Set up an obstacle course for crawling or walking. Use overlapping and piled floor mats, cushions, pillows, and other soft objects for toddlers to crawl and walk on. This is great for developing the toddler’s leg muscles and balance.

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Twelve-Inch Rule

For safety, use the twelve-inch rule. Now that toddlers are taller and more inquisitive, they like to pull themselves up and reach across high surfaces. It is important, therefore, to place objects not intended for small hands at least twelve inches from the edges of surfaces.

Tablecloths and other objects that can be pulled down are safety hazards and should be removed from toddler environments.

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Move in Different Ways

Combine the two-year-olds′ ability to control their physical movements and their fascination with

pretending. Ask them to clomp around like heavy dinosaurs, stand on tiptoes like ballerinas, and

prance like unicorns. Add music with varying tempos to accompany their movements. These fun

activities build muscles and improve motor skills and balance.

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Develop Gross Motor Skills

Create a safe obstacle course in your classroom. The following examples will help develop gross motor skills:

Climbing over cushions.

Crawling under a table.

Slithering through a tunnel.

Stepping on pieces of construction paper placed in a pattern on the floor.

Design the course with the children′s age and ability levels in mind. Always remember that their balance, judgment, and coordination are still developing, so close supervision is required.

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Blow Bubbles

Invite the children to chase bubbles that you blow. This is a great exercise that encourages steadier

walking and helps develop hand-eye coordination.

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Develop Fine Motor Skills

Make use of a toddler′s natural curiosity and help them develop fine motor skills. Place safe, colorful

objects in clear plastic boxes and jars with different types of lids (including twist-off, snap-off, and

slide-off). Encourage the toddler to manipulate the box or jar to remove the objects on their own.

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Encourage Curiosity

If the toddlers in your classroom are fascinated by buttons and knobs, add some television remotes, rotary telephones, old computer keyboards, radios, or other safe household gadgets to the drama center. To keep costs down, visit garage sales, or have parents donate items that do not work anymore. Just make sure that they are clean and that parts are not loose to prevent a choking hazard. The small buttons and dials on these objects are good for developing fine motor skills. You can build their knowledge of common household words in the process.

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Develop Hand-Eye Coordination

Activities for two-year-olds that develop hand-eye coordination include:

Stringing large beads onto thick string or pegs.

Painting or drawing.

Putting together simple puzzles.

Building towers of regular blocks and connector blocks.

Gluing scraps of paper or felt on construction paper.

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Classroom Bowling

Help increase hand-eye coordination and motor skills and have fun at the same time! Set up several empty plastic soda bottles in an area of the classroom away from traffic. Provide children with a small

ball and encourage them to knock the “pins” over. As vision and coordination improve, the children will become better at knocking down more bottles.

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Develop Attention Span

The following techniques involving classroom organization can help develop a toddler’s attention span:

Store each toy in its own low, wide cubby to limit digging through toy boxes for pieces.

Provide child-sized furniture and comfortable seating. This encourages children to sit longer and engage in activities for longer periods. Keep in mind some children prefer to stand at tables or work on the floor. Whenever possible, allow for these options.

Hang pictures and posters at the toddler’s eye level. This encourages the toddlers to look at and learn from them.

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Different Textures and Materials

Experimenting with different textures and materials is a great way for toddlers to learn through their curiosity. Toddlers at this age are ready to experiment with sand and water, finger paints, and Play Doh®. Be sure to watch toddlers closely during these activities so that materials do not end up in their mouths or eyes.

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Sequencing Practice

Provide many opportunities for children to practice sequencing. Use familiar stories or songs as inspiration for sequencing materials. Ask children what happens next as you are telling the story. Introduce language such as first, second, and last.

Create picture cards that depict important parts of the story, encourage children to tell the story using the pictures. Provide children with felt board materials and encourage children to retell the story using the felt images. Start with just a few events from a story, song, or fairy tale. At this point, children will not remember every detail of the sequence of the story, but they can create their own sequence, which is still using the skill of sequencing.

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Promote Cognitive Development

Other activities that promote cognitive development:

Promote pretend play with a variety of props and dress up items.

Include sorting, patterning, and counting manipulatives of various sizes, shapes, and colors.

Encourage children to explore art materials.

Read stories and ask lots of questions about the events and characters in the stories.

Give children choices as much as possible, within the routine of the day.

Encourage children to measure, fill, pour, and make observations at the sensory table.

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Communication and Memory Skills

Increase communication and memory skills by reading a simple short story or poem to a toddler. When you are finished, reread the story. This time, pause every so often and allow the toddler to supply the next word. For example, as you read Dr. Seuss′s Green Eggs and Ham to a toddler for the second time, say "I am Sam, Sam I am, I do not like green eggs and ____." Encourage the toddler to supply the word ham. If the child does not have the answer, just say it and continue the story, then try again later.

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Building Vocabulary

You can build children’s vocabulary and thinking by teaching them words that are not part of their

immediate world. Display and talk about photographs, posters, books that show unusual things like elephants, tubas, or submarines.

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Handling Tantrums

It is important to be consistent and calm in your response, especially with toddlers who have frequent tantrums. Identify the cause of the frustration and attempt to prevent or alleviate that cause.

Here are some ways to help alleviate or prevent tantrums in younger toddlers:

Provide toddlers with choices.

Help them find ways to express themselves – gestures, signs, language, picture cues.

Make sure they receive appropriate amounts of sleep while in your care.

Establish consistent routines at mealtime, naptime, and drop-off or pick-up times.

Identify emotions and show empathy for what children are feeling.

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Promote Social-Emotional Development

Other things you can do to help promote toddlers′ social-emotional development:

Encourage them to help with cleanup.

Play with the children and point out what other children are doing.

Play turn-taking games, such as passing a ball back and forth.

Provide a wide variety of materials for pretend play.

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Soothing Separation Anxiety

If children in your care experience separation anxiety, reassure them that their parents will return. It is also important that parents not sneak away.

Create a good-bye routine that is followed each day.

Create a picture schedule that shows when parents will return to pick them up.

Incorporate engaging or favorite activities, including calming sensory activities into drop-off time to encourage a smooth transition.

As the children′s language and social skills improve, they will begin to understand why people sometimes leave and that they will return.

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Responding to Tantrums

Here are a few suggestions for responding to tantrums for older toddlers:

Keep your cool. Avoid allowing the behavior to cause you to become upset.

Stop putting demands on the child until they have calmed down. Additional demands may add

to the frustration and lengthen the tantrum.

Acknowledge that the child is upset and let them know that you will be there to talk to them when they are ready.

Move to another area of the classroom or playground. Continue to watch the child to be sure they are not hurting themselves or other children.

Keep the routine. Continue with the planned activity, encourage the other children to continue

with their play, and give the child a chance to calm down.

Maintain accountability. If it seems like the child tantrums to avoid cleaning up the blocks, ask

the child to clean up a few of the blocks after they have calmed down so that they learn that a tantrum will not release them from the request to clean up.

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Potty Time

Make potty time fun and interesting by placing educational and entertaining posters on the wall in the bathroom. Add age-appropriate reading material for children to enjoy as they sit on the potty. Be sure to praise their attempts and successes, and reassure them after accidents.

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