As parents, you would want to be there for your child's every significant feat in life. Witnessing your child's firsts is one of the best aspects of becoming a parent; you wouldn't want to miss it for the world. The early years of a child's life, especially the toddler years, are a significant factor in how they develop later.
However, as crucial as it is, infancy and toddlerhood can also happen in a blink of an eye since these are the periods of rapid growth and development, which helps set the stage for your child's executive function and school readiness, among other things. So, if you want to support your toddler's development, here are a few things you can do independently.
Make Childproof Upgrades
Toddlers are curious little humans, partly because they are sensory learners impressed with how their senses retrieve information. When a particular thing catches their attention, they'll most likely walk toward them and will always have the urge to touch this thing. So, the best thing you can do in this situation is to ensure your place is childproofed, inside and outside.
To start childproofing, you must assess what areas or items need work. To give you an idea, here are a few things you can consider:
Install cabinet and drawer locks your children can reach so they wouldn't be able to access what's inside.
- Buy car seats so that they can have a comfortable car ride. There are several options that you can look at in Maxi-Cosi seats to carefully check out what’s best for your toddler.
- Keep away cords and tuck away your drapes. Keep everything that dangles away.
- Lock your windows and doors at all times.
- Secure tables, cabinets, or any vast items they can push down.
- Lastly, cover your outlets.
Spend Time With Your Kid
Nothing beats the time you spend with your child. The quality time you spend with them will make them feel loved and that you care for them. It is essential to understand that this is important to decrease their chances of participating in risky behaviours in their later years. Letting them understand at a young age that you're always with them and you support them can also help them become mentally and emotionally strong.
What's the best way to spend time together rather than do fun activities? So, to make your quality time as fun and efficient as possible, here are fun activities you can play together.
- Scavenger Hunt. This type of play allows toddlers to be active. As mentioned, they are curious beings. So, letting them explore and be little investigators can encourage their curious natures. You can prepare this game beforehand and hide a few "loots."
- Make Organisation a Fun Activity. You can help develop your child's helpful nature by promoting organisation in your home. As kids, they love to offer a helping hand and try not to disregard this spirit as much as possible. So, you can start by letting them organise their belongings, such as toys and socks, or let them recognize their clothes.
- Read to Your Toddler. Around this age, their imagination will start to become more "imaginative." Reading them picture books will allow them to be creative, and you can also try to teach them to read without forcing them.
Create Boundaries and Teach Them About Respect
As mentioned, the early years of a child are crucial in the later years of development. So, toddlerhood would be a good time to nurture good qualities they can carry on even as adults. Although they might not understand the essence of boundaries completely, you can let them understand that they can tell you if they start to feel uncomfortable.
As kids, they communicate best by crying or throwing tantrums. However, sometimes they only feel curious about a particular thing, and if some things don't go well for them, they might cry a little, but it's something they can do.
In other words, your toddler also needs freedom to try things out, and letting them understand boundaries will help support their communication skills, making them understand their own emotions. It's also the same for respect.
Communicate With Them
In connection with what was just discussed above, it's important to learn to effectively communicate with them. The Pennsylvania State University mentioned that the words toddlers hear could be a good predictor of their vocabulary and language skills.
At the same time, it's important to remember that toddlers are children, so interact with them with warmth. Since children learn through interactions with adults, setting the stage for social-emotional and cognitive skills development is best. Try to be responsive to their needs and be attentive when they communicate.
So, when you try to talk with them or when they try to communicate, look them in the eyes and maintain eye contact. Ensure that they can see your mouth when you speak.
Encourage Socialisation
Aside from the time spent with you, toddlers also need to meet other people, especially kids their age, to socialise. Socialisation allows them to build social skills, which helps develop their confidence and self-esteem. Aside from that, it also promotes resilience and creates connections. You can do this by visiting your local park and letting your kids play at the playground or dropping them at your local kindergarten.
Final Thoughts
As parents, you're your kids' primary support system. So, it would help if you tried to provide help and support as much as possible. Since toddlerhood is also a crucial point of their life, ensure to cherish the years while letting them be the little kids that they are. The things mentioned above are only a few of the hundreds of things you can do, but you can follow these things to get started.
