The toddler years are where the child’s personality comes to life. Toddler’s ages range from twelve months to thirty-six months. To start off, I took a look at the four major development stages; physical/motor skills, social/emotional, cognitive, and language/literacy. Each stage has a variety of skills that will be learned or developed. PHYSIOGRAPHIC SKILLS Physical/motor skills are a big part in this development stage. The most obvious physical change for toddlers is their looks. The face starts to become closer and tighter, decreases the baby face look (Young Child, 214).
Another physical change everyone will begin to notice is teeth growing in. On the child’s first birthday, they can have anywhere from three to eight teeth depending on how fast they are growing (Young Child 214). By age three the toddler should have all of their baby teeth grown in. During this time, hand-eye coordination and muscle control skills advance. The toddlers should be able to balance themselves, use their thumb, and have control over their hand grip. CONSTITUTIONAL Social/emotional is the next stage. A toddler can now develop fears, but they learn this kind of behavior.
The example in our text was very clear. If the toddler notices his/her mother is afraid of lightning, they could also develop that fear (Young Child, 264). Someone may also notice the child thumb sucking. This is a self-comforting behavior which develops during this time in their life. Another self-comforting behavior could be teddy bears or blankets. The toddler should also be able to notice individual differences between themselves and others. This could include things such as gender, race, hair color, eye color etc. Expressing how the child feels is important during this stage.
This comes from “positive, instructive, and supportive interactions with adults” (Young Child 271). COGNITIVE Looking into the cognitive perspective was short, simple, and sweet. I chose a skill from each age range in the toddler years. From one to two the toddler begins to recognize themselves. They can point themselves out to others in pictures. From two to three, completion of simple puzzles and pretend play develop. Toddlers love playing with fake household toys and dolls. From three to four, the child can comprehend the concept of opposites such as Hot, and cold or open, and close (Relate. Mom).
LANGUAGE/LITERACY Lastly we have language/literacy. First and foremost, the toddler’s vocabulary expansion is advancing quickly. They can associate words together with sounds. The toddler can now put together simple sentences. Although not all of the words are there, the important meaning of the message is put together. During this age the toddler can now understand the purpose of a book. There are pictures, words, and they also enjoy handling the book such as turning pages. A sense of receptive and expressive language is also developed as a toddler. The child can now communicate ace and forth with adults and other children (Young Child 291).
PIGLETS THEORY Piglet’s theory is broken up into four different stages. Stage one is the beginning stage Tort a age. I Nils stage Is called ten concentrators stage. Seniority Is defined as “learning that occurs through senses and activity’ (Young Child, Pickett 190). This means that the toddler learns and grows by doing things. “Pigged believed that all mental processes are rooted in and are a continuation of the earliest reflexes and motor activities” (Young Child, Pickett 190). When a toddler starts achieving their tutor skills, the toddler becomes more aware of their interactions with objects and people.
This makes an impact on the toddler because when the toddlers motor activities increase, their mental process on activities begins to increase as well. This will help them not only have control over their muscles (flexing, gripping, releasing) but also when playing. They will have an easier time pushing, pulling, rolling, opening and closing, and handling objects. Piglet’s stage is essential because it “focuses attention the sequential aspects of growth and development in the cognitive domain” (Young Child, Pickett 194). ERIKSON THEORY Erosion’s theory is a bit more broken down by age than Piglet’s. Erosion’s is broke down into eight stages.
It is said that you must complete one stage before being able to start the next. The Toddlers fall into the autonomy vs.. Shame and doubt. The challenge in this stage for toddlers is being independent. If the toddler is not independent, they go through shame and doubt in themselves. No child should feel shame or doubt in their self at such a young age. That is Just asking for issues going into adulthood. The impact this stage could have on a child is extremely severe when t comes to their social life. A toddler must be able to feel independent, even if it is just allowing them to wash their hands by themselves.
They need to feel secure in their decision making. It gives the toddler a sense of control in what they are doing and they develop a sense of trust. In the text book I read “lack of autonomy leads to a sense of shame or doubt. Shame or doubt brings it with a range of negative feelings and inappropriate behaviors, including feelings of guilt or penitence, self- consciousness, negative self-regard, reluctance to try new things, increased assistance to adult guidance, and, for some children, overconfidence on adults” (Young Child, Pickett).
If a child doesn’t conquer the challenge of this sage, it could affect them in multiple different ways as they grow up. IMPACT OF PLAY There is a huge impact and significance of play during this age. This is the core of social interaction. Playing and interacting now will help determine their base of forming relationships. By playing and interacting, the child will come across the trust vs.. Mistrust factor. Once they can trust the other toddler or adult, they open up to hem and build a growing relationship.
I also believe that this will give the toddler a sense of independence. They are choosing who to interact with by picking one toddler over another. This feeling of independence will also come from doing things with someone other than a parent. The toddlers will learn to share and they will be able to step outside of their comfort zone. EFFECT ON WORK There are a couple different ways this is going to affect how I work. For starters, I always want to make sure that I put my students in a safe and learning environment.
I cannot expect them to grow in they are placed in a classroom that defeats that. I will not allow any barriers to come in the student’s way. I will always treat my students the same way I would teach my own child at home to learn. This would go along with how I teach and apply my learning, the tools provided and most importantly the patience. I will ensure Tanat can canny Is getting ten Millennial attention Tanat teen need. If I see a toddler struggling in the social interaction area, I will do what’s in my power to have some kind of interaction with the child.
This way once the toddler is comfortable, I can invite a third party to play with us (another toddler) and gradually I can leave them alone to play together. I would do whatever I could for each child. Lastly, I would make sure that my classroom is physically accessible for a toddler life style. I would safe proof the entire room, soft corners on tables, rubber mates for physical activity and so on. Also, as mentioned earlier, I would make sure my classroom was fit for a toddler’s independence. Providing things that allow them to choose, and doing things on their own.
