Toddlers

The Toddler stage is the time when children gain greater control over their bodies, develop a first vocabulary and first begin to suspect that they are not the very center of the universe! As with the Infant Program, we believe toddlers need respect, nurturing care and individual attention. They also need a bit more challenges in their environment, plenty of opportunities to talk and interesting experiences to talk about. They need specific help in communicating their feelings and needs to the other children with whom they want to play. They need encouragement and reassurance when things do not go their way.

Language & Literacy

• use one or two words to label objects, expressing needs and wants
• build an understanding of words through social interactions and reading books
• imitate reading behaviors like turning pages and developing language through speech
• explore writing through paper and ample writing tools

Social & Emotional Development

• increasing interest in interacting with familiar adults and other children
• manage emotions independently or with the help of an adult; emotional regulation is a big focus!
• notice when other children are upset and develop empathetic responses

Physical Development

• master walking and learn to run by exploring their natural world, indoors and out.
• play games that develop throwing, kicking and coordination skills
• show an increasing ability to control their hands
• start to communicate at mealtime using simple words and actions; trying new foods

Cognitive Development

• show interest in counting and start to identify one, two, or three objects
• learn words like up and down and differences in size and volume
• sort and classify objects; identify cause and effect