The greatest blessing in the world for parents is having a healthy, loving child. From the beginning of a child's life in the womb until the end of it, they are constantly growing and learning.
The parameters for this development change according to the circumstances, but it persists.
You have to move accordingly to teach and develop inevitable skills in your toddler but it requires you to be familiar to what are the basic skills your toddler needs for healthy development.
In this article, we'll let you go through all the basic developmental skills your toddler must acquire and you must help them in the process of acquiring. So, let's dive without any further ado!
In This Article
Why Toddler Development is Necessary?
A child's actual development commences when they are two to three years old. This age is referred to as a toddler.
At this age, your toddler begins to master a variety of developmental abilities that will assist and nourish them throughout their lives. Your child will naturally be picking everything up at this age, which is the best part.
You are not required to have them sit and teach everything. They pick up these development skills from their surroundings and daily activities. Nevertheless, as a parent, you constantly worry about your child's well-being and want them to succeed.
The good news is that you can guide your child in learning and developing the critical development skills and abilities that will enable them to succeed and become decent human beings.
To accomplish this, you must first comprehend what is going on in your toddler's mind and what changes are taking place.
Basic Development Skills for Toddlers
Below we are going to reveal the most important basic skills that you can't miss out on for your toddler's best development. On we go!
Communication Skills for Toddlers
As soon as your child speaks their first word you try your hardest to make them learn different words and teach them how to communicate.
Toddlers: 2 Years Old
From the age of 2, your toddler should start speaking two words together. At this age, your child can speak, recognize people, and call them like mama, baba, or any other name in their adorable way. They can also speak 2 or 3 words together to try to convey their message.
Toddlers: 3 Years Old
Once your child turns 3 years old, they are capable of forming short but complete sentences. They will become easier to understand and will be picking up new words. They can easily recognize pictures and can name them like an apple or a ball. To enhance your child’s speaking or communication skills, you can read them stories, talk to them frequently in a clear tone, or let them watch cartoons that will help them learn new vocabulary and their uses in the right situation. Books and cartoons are the best way to help your toddler learn to speak.
Motor Skills for Toddlers
There are two types of motor skills:
Fine
Gross
Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills use small muscles to function. It includes activities like:
Holding any small object
Pressing
Writing
Opening something.
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills utilize bigger muscles. It includes activities like:
Jumping
Running
Crawling
Climbing
Your toddler should be able to hold small objects like a toy or pick up their food and try to eat. They can clap their hands, crawl around, or starts to walk.
All these activities start occurring at different levels. Your child may start crawling from 8 or 9 months. They may begin to stand up and walk on their from the age of 1 year old. Other activities like holding a pencil, eating by themselves, or dressing up may begin from the age of 2 years old and will keep on enhancing after that.
To refine motor skills in your toddler, there are various toys or activities available.
For instance, play dough, painting or scribbling, playing with legos, or size/shape sorting games, etc.
Social Skills for Toddlers
Making friends, getting along with other kids, or communicating confidently with others are
the skills that every toddler must have. These are also called social skills.
To boost social skills in your child you must let them engage with other kids or give them exposure to the outdoors.
Not allowing your toddler to mingle with others or keep them trapped in the house all the time will hurt their social skills. They might feel uncomfortable around people and will have zero social skills. This will certainly have a bad effect once they grow up.
How to Deal with Introvert Toddlers?
It is worth noting that some children are introverted by nature. They dislike being in crowded areas or around a lot of people. Well, there is no need for concern here. You should never push your child to behave a certain way or do something with which they are not comfortable.
While they are in their comfort zone, you can still assist them in developing self-confidence and social skills. You can organize gatherings at your house with their closest pals. Encourage them to have a limited circle of pals with whom they can play frequently.
Instill in them the values of respect, empathy, and the ability to comprehend and appreciate others. Social skills will assist your toddler in learning to cooperate in groups and be kind to everyone.
Creative Skills for Toddlers
Creativity is intelligence having fun. Your toddler’s creativity is linked to their mind’s sharpness and their distinctive thinking capabilities.
Every child has some sort of creative skills in them. Every child doesn't need to be good at painting or crafting. It is your duty as a parent to foster the growth of your toddler's mind and encourage them to express their creativity. You can help them by allowing them to explore and participate in various activities.
For instance, encourage children to make something different using play dough or blocks,
dance to rhymes, draw or color, play pretend or perform a skit, or engage in a game of riddles. All of these activities will inspire your toddler to utilize their creative side while also having some fun.
Cognitive Skills for Toddlers
Cognitive skills mean the ability to read, write, learn, and understand things around you. Developing cognitive skills in your toddler is pretty crucial as this will be the base for their successful future.
Not every child needs to have the same level of intellect. Some are more intelligent than others and some have creative skills more than learning skills. Although every child is unique and grasps and learns things at their own pace as a parent you can promote the healthy development of your toddler’s intellect through numerous activities.
As toddlers are naturally curious you can teach them a lot of stuff by using that curiosity. A wonderful strategy to boost your toddler's cognitive skills is to read them books, let them solve puzzles, and play educational music, giving them educational toys, rhymes, or cartoons.
Alternatively, you may ask them questions about certain topics, and give them time to reflect or seek their opinions on various issues.
FAQs
1. Why you shouldn't abstain toddlers from experimenting?
The toddler age is a learning age. Your child learns confidence by experimenting with different things even oddly doing them. But when you abstain him/her from doing something, it results in confidence loss which leads them to think they are not capable of doing something.
2. Are parents responsible for toddlers' basic development?
Yes, parents are responsible for toddlers' development. Parents teach their toddlers basic learning, social, creative, cleaning, and communication skills.
Takeaway from Sheasmother
Toddler development skills are the most basic and necessary abilities that every child must possess. Or even if they don’t you can still help them develop these skills through different playful activities. It is worth mentioning that every child is different and learns each thing at their own pace. So you shouldn’t get all worked up and worried if your child starts speaking late or cannot form sentences soon. As a parent, you should understand your child’s needs and growing process and never compare it with others.
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