Development > Toddler Development

As infants become toddlers (ages 12-36 months), a whole new world opens to them. Toddlers begin walking and talking and claim everything in their world as their own.

Talking with toddlers and helping them increase their language is very important at this stage. Toddlers need a safe environment with many items to explore. Having choices with safe limitations is very important for toddlers to promote independence and to build confidence and self-esteem. For example, unsafe items should be moved out of reach in a toddler's play area, so that the toddler can safely explore all items in the environment. Adults should interact in positive ways to guide a toddler's exploration. For instance, if a toddler is playing with the trash, an appropriate response would be, "I know the trash seems like fun, but trash is dirty and can make you sick. Let's find something else to play with." Following through to make sure that the child is busy playing with something else is VERY important! This approach is much more effective than the negative approach of, "Don't play with the trash!"

Push-and-pull toys are very appropriate for toddlers. This helps them develop balance. Toddlers also enjoy "dumping and filling," so having containers with soft blocks and other building materials will help to fulfill this need. By working with your toddler to pick up (or fill) containers with materials that have been "dumped," you are helping to teach responsibility and the concept of taking care of their environment.

Toddlers enjoy pretend play, but often pretend by themselves alongside other children (parallel play) rather than pretending with other children. Having dress up clothes, phones, and play kitchens and accessories will help children to develop social and language skills.

Books continue to be important for toddlers. Repetition is important as well as page turning. Toddlers really enjoy singing and rhymes, which will also promote language and literacy.

Discipline often becomes a challenge for parents of toddlers. Try to say things in a positive way rather than using negatives. This may take some practice, but is very effective once you form the new "habit." For example, instead of saying "Don't run," say "Please walk," or instead of "Don't take your shoes off," say "Please keep your shoes on." Developmentally, toddlers (as well as preschoolers) hear the action word and ignore negatives, so when you say, "Don't run," they hear the word, "RUN." Start now with a positive approach and see if it works for you!