12-36 months TODDLERS

Body growth begins to slow

Body appears less plump, arms and legs grow long in

proportion to the body, and head is more

proportioned

Motor development

▪ Learn more motor skills

▪ Refine existing skills

▪ Walking is the major

milestone

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Continued development of large muscles enables

child to crawl, walk, and climb with more ease

Balance may not be best but toddlers do not need

any support to walk

Will start to master stairs, placing two feet on each

stair

GROSS MOTOR

Hand-eye coordination develops

Feeding skills improve – not as messy, but still messy

18-24 months – a toddler can hold a large crayon,

string beads, open doors

No hand preference or dominant hand

FINE MOTOR

You try!

Color the picture

▪ With your non-dominant hand

▪ With your feet (more accurate)

Now, cut out your pictures, again using your non -dominant hand

When small muscles aren’t developed enough to be skillful, what should adults do?

How could adults be more empathetic with the child?

FINE MOTOR

Still egocentric (focus on

self)

Want to do things that are

more advanced than their

abilities allow

Do not always understand

rules of appropriate

behavior

Use negative behavior to get

attention at times

Parallel play – play next to

(not with) someone

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT 12-18 MONTHS

Can do simple

self-help skills-

brushing hair

Has difficulty

sharing

Can be defiant

Have developed

an awareness of

other’s feelings

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT18 MONTHS

Are possessive of

belongings and desire

independence

Enjoy helping adults

Play cooperatively with

others

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT24 MONTHS

Toddler Car Jacking

Their developing mental abilities allow for expansion

of their emotional understanding and expressions:

▪ Expand their experiences - know more people to love and

more people or things to fear

▪ Can sense and respond to emotions in others – respond

to crying, smiling, and detect fear in others

▪ Respond to emotions verbally and physically

▪ Run or hide when fearful and kick or hit when angry.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENTTODDLERHOOD

Crawl around the room with head at 2 ½ foot

level and observe what you can see. Have one

person come along and pat you on the head

and mess up your hair and say “How are you

doing, kid?”

What do you see? How do you feel about the

way you are treated?

PHYSICAL/SOCIAL EXPERIMENT

Expand their affection

to adults other than

caregivers

▪ Relatives

▪ Children

▪ Pets

Will want to be near a

caregiver especially in

stress or fear evoking

situations

LOVE

As tots mature, so do fears.

More fearful because…

▪ Broadened knowledge

▪ Developed imagination

Often fear unusual creatures or

situations that exist only in

their minds.

FEAR

Afraid of Shadow

Temper tantrums frequently occur

Happens when situations or events do not go as they

would like

ANGER

It’s Too Heavy!!!

Temper Tantrum

Inquisitive learners

Use their senses to learn (Piaget-

sensorimotor stage)

12-18 months

▪ Discover new ways to solve problems

▪ Will shake, roll, throw objects just to

see what happens

18 months-2 years

▪ Child thinks before does

▪ Ex: If tot wants a cookie on the

counter, will push chair over, climb

on the chair, and then take a cookie

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

Star Wars: 3 Year Old

Rapid!!

Articulation and comprehension of many words are developing.

▪ Some articulation is hard

▪ Ex: May say too for shoe, or Caffy for Cathy.

Join words to make 2 or 3 word sentences

Expand their vocab to approximately 300 words!

Rate of language varies greatly between children

▪ Hearing disability

▪ Mental disabilities

▪ Need of speech (older siblings talk for them?)

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Boy Hears For First Time