WALKING INTO LIFE
(an article on the learning development of toddlers)

This statement is something I occasionally hear from my brother who has five children, eldest of them is 7, and from my sister who also has five children, of whom the eldest is also 7. These nieces and nephews of mine are indeed a bundle of joy for all of us. Being an aunt seems to be a favoured position: I get to pick them up from their house, play with them, enjoy tricks with them, and when they start whining for milk or demanding for something I cannot give, or they simply have to be tidied up, I can easily return them and avoid the task of being more than an aunt. Being in this position gives me a different perspective of toddlers. For an aunt, toddlers are simply cute and adorable. But for parents, they are not only adorable and cute; they are one crucial responsibility to carry as well.

So, are toddlers “Terrible Twos” or are they “Terrific Twos”?

When children learn to walk, they are called toddlers. Although the term is usually applied to one and two-year-old children, “toddler” is not a specific age, but a stage in the growth of a child which is unique to each one. Children have their own time-table. Some can walk, eat on their own, dress on their own earlier than others in the same age. Each child’s developmental pace differs, but one thing is common among toddlers: they all start to learn to be independent. That’s why 2 to 3-year-olds want to do things for and by themselves. In the classroom, the teacher delegates work to each student, who immediately feels he is capable of responsibility and can get something done. It’s funny and amazing how they grab the first opportunity to be given a responsibility in school.

Here are some guiding ideas about toddlers ... for parents, aunts, grandparents, and all the others surrounded by toddlers:

✓ Toddlers learn the most using their five senses: seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting. ✓ Toddlers treasure their toys so much that they won’t share them easily. Sharing is a learned skill, that is why it is important to introduce your toddler to a social setting. ✓ Toddlers want everything right now. They can barely wait. That’s why it is important to gradually train them in the virtue of patience. ✓ Expand your toddler’s vocabulary by constantly introducing new words. This can be reinforced by making known to the toddler the meanings of these new words. “Zip it” with a zipping action on the lips would mean “ssh!” ✓ Toddlers tend to generalize objects until around age four. Don’t be surprised if your child calls all meats ‘chicken’ or all vehicle ‘cars’. It takes time for toddlers to learn about categories. They think all pink stuff are for girls only and all blue stuff are for the boys only. ✓ Children become their parents, so do what you can now to help them become great parents later. ✓ Traditions are important. They have to be passed on from one generation to the next, and children do look forward to them. A simple classic tradition is how birthdays are celebrated. A party doesn’t always have to be there. But you surely cannot miss out on the birthday cake and chocolate ice cream!

For you parents, here are some activities which you can do with your toddlers ... to keep them away from the TV, to enhance their different senses, and to build the bond, the friendship and the love between them and you.

Wish List

this is easy. You will just need paper and pen.

When your child wants something at a store, take out the paper and write it down together. This just shows your child that you are listening and what he thinks and wants matter to you as well. This would also eliminate crying or tantrums.

This list can be used as a proof of reward for good or loving behaviour. Cross out each wish that is granted so your child can look back and appreciate your loving deed.

SING AND MOVE

Sing a few familiar songs together with your child. As you sing, march, clap your hands or stomp your feet in the beat of the music. Take turns reciting or singing your favourite nursery rhymes aloud. Agree on a certain nursery rhyme which both of you can sing together. Add some hand and body actions as you say the words. “Seven Days of the Week”, popularized by Barney and his friends, is a big hit with the kids. There is a set pattern for this but it is better to tap into the bodily-kinesthetic creativity of the children by asking their suggestions on how they think the actions should be. It is amazing how they can come up with such groovy dance steps that you wouldn’t have thought yourself!

I LOVE YOU Tell your child four things that you love about him / her. Write them on a sheet of paper and give it to your child to keep.

Likewise, let your child say or write four things he or she loves about you. Assure him/her that you will keep the paper among your belongings.

A TEXTURE FUN Children greatly learn when they use their sense of touch. For your materials, gather different textured objects, such as cotton balls, scraps of velvet fabric or felt paper, aluminium foil, sandpaper, “katcha”, dried leaves, and other such textured objects. Lay the textured objects on the ground, all visible to your child. (This activity is also fun done with more than one child.) Talk about the different ways things feel. Now, help them group together like-texture objects. Use describing words by saying, “This one feels soft. This one feels bumpy. ... Can you find another one that is soft? Can you find another one that is bumpy?” The, give them time to explore. Instruct and help them to put together in one place all the soft things, in another all the bumpy things, and do likewise for the other objects. This will enhance their skill to sort and categorize things. To make it more fun, after making the groups, let them mix them all up and go through the sorting process again. To go further on the activity (which can be done on another day), let them get hold of one of the objects they categorized, go around the house or the garden, and look for another object with the same texture. When they find something which they think have the same texture, let them ask the other children if they feel the same texture. This part of the activity will help enhance their comparative thinking.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!

It is a fact that toddlers love to tear things down or pull things off. You can’t run away from this reality at this stage of your child. For it not to get into your nerves, turn this behaviour into something constructive for you and for your child.

Print out on a sheet of paper several butterflies (or planes, or cars, or any object of interest). Put a number on the portion of each picture before you cut them up. Now stick them on the wall high enough for your child to reach only when he jumps. They can be stuck in different heights so his reaching level also differs. Stick them in the order of the numbers from left to right. (This would be a good preparation for reading skill.) Then, let your child start jumping high and forcefully tear down the piece of butterfly (or whatever picture). Let him put what he tears down in a basket or a small bag. Make sure he pulls off the pictures in the right numbering order. You will probably have to guide him in looking for the next in sequence. Celebrate each item torn down in the right order with “hoorays” and clapping of hands.

Do this activity again on another day in another wall of the house. A variation of the activity is to stick the pictures in different pieces of furniture where they will have to work on the right sequencing.

READING TIME

Here are several tips to help promote love for reading at home.

✓ Choose a quiet time for reading, like before “siesta”, or bedtime, or after dinner. ✓ Choose a cozy place for reading, like a bean bag, or pillows piled on the floor, or on a rocking chair. ✓ Let the child choose the book he wants you to read aloud. ✓ Hold the book so that he can see the pictures. Better yet, let him also turn the pages. ✓ Don’t just read the story. Talk about it with your child. Point out the pictures, letters, shapes. ✓ Show interest in reading. It will be transmitted to your child. If they don’t see the interest, or if they see the boredom, they will also lose the interest. ✓ Make him also “read” a story and tell you about it. Make him tell you a story. ✓ Read to your child everyday.

All these activities would be more fun and more meaningful only if you are there playing with them. It is your presence that they need.

The list above is just to help you hone the development of your toddlers, who indeed are a big bundle of joy, which definitely makes them the “Terrific Twos”.