What should toddlers be learning

Give your kid plenty of jumbo crayons and markers, thick sidewalk chalk, and ample opportunities to draw. Using Play-Doh also builds your child's fine motor skills. Developing important social skills is necessary before starting kindergarten; preschoolers will learn how to share and cooperate, work together, take turns, participate in group activities, follow simple directions, and communicate wants and needs.

Develop your child's social skills by arranging playdates and going to the playground. At home, be consistent about simple rules your child must follow, such as making the bed or putting toys away. Let your child take responsibility for cleaning up, but remember to model appropriate social interaction and politeness. By Mary Harvey Updated June 23, Save Pin FB More. By Mary Harvey. Be the first to comment! No comments yet. Close this dialog window Add a comment.

Add your comment Cancel Submit. Close this dialog window Review for. As parents we want to help our kids be successful! It is hard to know when to start guiding kids and expecting more of them too. I share a lot of simple activities for toddlers and toddler parenting tips , but today we're going to dive in a bit deeper.

First off, most importantly, toddlers need to learn how to navigate life successfully with their families and friends! We want them to be happy and have great relationships. Those take work! Communicating, making friends, and being able to get around and use their bodies are all really important skills that don't happen overnight. In some cases, kids seem to pick up these skills by osmosis and other kids REALLY need more structured help from parents or even specialists. Each kid is different!

Each toddler will develop at a different rate, but the most important thing to notice is that they are developing new skills and learning. If your child isn't moving forward or seems to be struggling, it is totally ok to talk with your pediatrician or a specialist you know. I always feel like it is better to be cautious than kicking yourself years down the road for not asking for help soon enough.

Toddlers need to learn how to communicate using their body language and their words! They will start out with a word or two and eventually can use full sentences! Some toddlers will also use sign language to help them as their words develop. I love these 5 simple ways to help toddlers develop language and also think reading together daily is critical! Kids learn so many new words and ideas from books! As toddlers communicate better, they are able to express their wants and needs better which often helps them feel less frustration and more success.

The ability to communicate also helps them create positive relationships with their friends and family! You can read all about 10 of our favorite ways to build toddler language skills here. Here are some activities to build language skills and learn new vocabulary These red-flags for language development are also ones that I look at carefully.

Toddlers need to learn how to use their bodies to move! Developing their big muscles gross motor skills can help with balancing, walking, running, jumping, bouncing balls, climbing, etc. Developing their small muscles fine motor skills can help with more complex tasks like zipping, buttoning, scribbling, drawing, opening things, and eventually writing! Toddlers can develop their motor skills through a variety of play-based activities as well as getting out in nature and playing at playgrounds and parks often.

I put together a weekly park group with some friends so that we get out and get kids moving a lot! Here are some activities to build motor skills while having fun Toddlers can learn things like taking turns, listening, and using manners like greeting people and saying please and thank you.

Learning to take turns and wait as well as learning how to play with friends takes awhile. Most toddlers play alongside of one another using parallel play or they play independently and interact when they both want the same toy. During early years, parents can model appropriate social behaviors and teach toddlers how to take turns and be gentle with their friends. Toddlers enjoy having other kids around, but don't expect them to "play" cooperatively with each other or to be thrilled about sharing toys.

Have plenty of toys for everyone and be prepared to step in when they don't want to share. Older siblings can be role models when it comes to teaching, sharing, and taking turns. Tantrums are more common during the toddler years, so expect your child to get frustrated from time to time.

If you see a tantrum coming on, try to create a distraction with a book or interesting toy. Avoid letting your child get too tired or hungry, particularly while learning new tasks. This can set the stage for tantrums. Toddlers seek more independence, but expect your toddler to go from wanting freedom to clinging to you for comfort and reassurance, and back again.

Allow the freedom to explore but be there when you're needed. If it hasn't come up yet, your child may cry and cling to you when you try to leave and resist attention from others. This is called separation anxiety. It often starts around 9 months of age, but can be later. It lets up as kids develop the language and social skills needed to cope with strange situations. As they get older, they learn that the separation from you is not permanent. Once toddlers learn to walk, there's no turning back.

Yours will want to keep moving and build on this newfound skill. Provide lots of chances to be active and to learn and explore in safe surroundings.