Toddler Development

Toddler Room

Each week staff meet to plan activities for the children using the 18 months – 5 years curriculum as a guideline. Samples are displayed in the child’s personal profile, which is available in the cloakroom for parents to view at any time. Each child is allocated their own key worker and group. They will spend a short time each day doing a structured activity with their key worker.

Toddler development – 18+ to 24 months

Your baby is now one-and-a-half years (18 months) old. The period between 18 and 24 months is an age where toddlers show a lot of development but there is also very wide variance when they reach certain milestones. Some toddlers will exhibit certain behaviours early in the period, and some by the end. Remember that every child is unique and that is what we love about them. Do bring it to your doctor’s attention if there is an abnormal delay in reaching a developmental milestone. Regular visits to the paediatrician are required to ensure that your toddler is progressing normally.

From the mouths of toddlers

I like to be hugged, kissed, and cuddled.
I may start stringing together two or three words and say things like “red ball” or “need my doll”.
I can use more real words like “milk”, “dog”, “plate” as my vocabulary is growing.
I can start turning pages in a book.
I can use a spoon reasonably well.
I will try to empty out containers or cans or buckets to see what comes out of them.
I can identify some colours.
I listen when people talk to me (I may not always do what they tell me to!).
If I see a button or switch, I will try to press it to see what effect it has. If I discover that I can make something happen by doing that, I will try to press it many times.

PHYSICAL

By 24 months, your toddler will be running hard, sometimes without looking. Take care of those sharp edges or things that are just around the corner which maybe knocked down.
Your toddler will squat down to pick up toys or other things from the ground.
Your toddler’s hands will develop and she maybe able to turn things like a door knob (less than a full turn) with her hand.
Your toddler will develop enough lower body strength to be able to stand up from a sitting position, without resting her hands on the ground.
Your toddler will also scribble a lot if given a crayon and paper.
Your toddler may be ready to slide down some small slides in the park.

NURTURING

Your toddler may start to seek out other children of her own age. But she may not play with them. Sometimes, if there is an older sibling, they may play with each other.
Your toddler is not ready to understand social concepts like sharing, taking turns,or giving back other children’s toys. Be patient as he/she learns this.
Your toddler’s clinginess to you will decrease as he/she starts to understand that you will be there for her or that you will come back after a short separation. Separation anxiety will fade away.
Your toddler will like to participate in things that you do for him. For example, he will help you undress him. Even if this may take a little longer, encourage this as it allows them to develop confidence and their physical skills.
Your toddler will start to test her limits and show defiance, including increasing use of the word “no”.
Your toddler is developing cognitive ability at this point. It is important to let it flourish. For example, he/she may surprise you by using a cricket bat to get a ball that has rolled under a bed. It is important that they learn these things by experimenting. Your role should be to ensure safety and to help them before they get frustrated.
Your toddler is also growing his vocabulary a lot and is learning more from you. Since he/she imitates what you say, be careful about what you say around him to avoid any embarrassing repetitions. Help him grow his vocabulary with more picture books and by continuing to expose him to various scenarios.

Toys1

Doll carriage, wagons
Small rocking horse
Construction sets with large plastic blocks and interlocking mechanisms
Large wooden blocks
Toys that let you match a pattern (As an example, a board with slots where specific peg shapes fit a slot)
Toys with turning mechanisms, like turn-and-open locks
Drums (if you can stand the noise)
Crayons and paper
Hand puppets that toddler can play-act with
Train sets with simple coupling mechanisms
Toy sets that help a child create an environment like a farm, airport, railway station etc.,
Cloth books, board books with pictures or objects to touch
Books with pop-ups or tabs that are lifted to discover something underneath.

Pre Nursery Programme

Children learn best through play. We provide a broad range of challenging and stimulating play activities, both indoor and outdoor, that promote children’s overall development. The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the statutory framework for young children’s learning and development from birth. Our aim is to support and develop each child to become secure, confident, imaginative and creative.
The areas of learning and development encompass:

Personal, social and emotional development
Communication, language and literacy
Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
knowledge and understanding of the world
Creative development
Physical development

Childminders

Childminders are based in their own homes and provide childcare for small groups of children aged up to eight years. They give your child the chance to meet and play with other children, while being cared for in a home environment. They are usually self-employed and decide which hours they work.
Children love to have the chance to make up their own stories. You can help by supplying some simple items to aid their imaginations. For example, you could set up a mini-kitchen area, with some pots, pans, plastic cups and plates. This offers children the chance to:

Act out aspects of their own lives which may be puzzling them;
Develop mathematical ideas of one-to-one correspondence, as they offer imaginary treats to imaginary guests “one for you and one for you”;
explore the idea of symbolic representation – the idea that one thing can stand for another; and try out how it might feel to be someone differ