1. Understanding Toddlers

2. Who is a toddler? A child between the ages of 1 and 3 years old. Before the age of one they are considered an infant. When they hit 3 years old they are considered Preschool age.

3. Physical Development After infancy, growth in height and weight slows. Appetites decrease Gain lots of teeth! Body proportions gradually change. Infants have large heads in proportion to their bodies---this becomes more of a natural proportion.

4. Physical Development Gross motor skills: skills that use large muscles (back, legs, shoulders, arms, etc) Climbing and walking is mastered Begin to push themselves on wheeled toys then pedal by end of their second year.

5. Physical Development Fine motor skills: skills that require use of small muscles (fingers, wrists, ankles, etc.) Improved hand eye coordination Stack blocks, string beads, simple puzzles, turn pages of a book, scribble with crayons, turn doorknobs, feed themselves.

6. Physical Development Toilet Training – Children around the age of two are physically and intellectually ready to begin toilet training. – Girls tend to master the skill earlier than boys.

7. Intellectual Development Ask “Why” Discover their world by satisfying their curiosity. Use trial and error, repetition, and imitation Increased attention span Increased memory

8. Intellectual Development Remember Piaget’s first period of intellectual development was the sensorimotor period (ages birth-2) Piaget’s second period of intellectual development– Preoperational Period – Covers ages 2-7 – A period when children start to think symbolically and imaginatively. They rely less on motor abilities and more on thinking to direct behavior. Examples: Make believe play, inventing and creating

9. Intellectual Development Language – Start by answering yes and no, pointing, and following simple commands. – By two years old they have a growing vocabulary of 50 to 300 words. Can name familiar objects.

10. Intellectual Development Children try to understand new information 2 ways: Assimilation: children take in new information and try to make it fit with what they currently know and understand. (example: thinking a black and white spotted dog is a cow) Accommodation: children change their thinking to make new information fit. (learning the difference between a dog and a cow)

11. Emotional Development Still learning control Prone to impulsiveness and quick mood swings Develop a sense of independence Develop fears (spiders, water, etc.) Sense of security continues as a primary emotional need for toddlers.

12. Social Development PLAY is how they are learn. Solitary Play: Playing alone (1-2 years old) Parallel Play: Playing alone but next to another child. (2-3 years old) Begin to learn social rules