These are five developmental still to work on at home with your toddler that can help with school readiness success. These skills are ones we all have and we either excel at them, are average, or can use some improvement. As your toddler grows they are picking up on these skills by the games they play, the activities they do, the toys they have, and by just watching those around them.
As a parent it is our job to make sure we do what we can to help them grow these skills to give them the best start to life. None of us are the perfect parent but we sure can do what we can to give them the experiences that will help them grow.
Before we get into the five areas I want to say that if your child is struggling in any one of these areas that does not make you a bad parent or any of the other things you may be thinking about when you find out your child struggles with something. Some things your child may simply not have been exposed to or exposed to enough for them to pick it up and grow.
The point is, if your still here reading this then your making the effort and I am proud of you for wanting the most for your child. We can help your child grow and build on these skills with activities that they will enjoy everyday.
If you find an activity that your child likes, take note of it using the free pintable described below, and do it over and over. Kids learn through repetition and will have fun playing as they grow on these vital developmental skills.
Age-appropriate, is a key to developing these skills. If you give a one or two-year-old little half inch cubes to stack there is little chance that they will be able to. However if you were to give your two-year-old two inch blocks, they will be able to get it done without getting frustrated and giving up on trying. You know your child best and use what they are able to, not always what they are suppose to be using. Let them work up to those if they need to. If your four or five-year-old needs to start with the two inch blocks there is nothing wrong with that just keep working with your child.
Each of the skills listed below play a part in your child development that you want to be aware of. Even when you feel your child has a skill figured out don’t stop working on it and help them grow with more challenging activities that are age appropriate. They are not listed in any particular order due to each of the skills are learned at each individual child’s own pace and needs.
There are countless ways to build these skills. This post gives you three ways for each skill and we expand on each of them throughout the website.
Let’s get into these skills
1. Communication
Communication is a vital part of being able to be part of a family or community. While some people may have some ways that may alter how they communicate they still need to have some way of communication with those in their life. Whether we use speech, sign language, or written form for communication, we all need it.
There are ways that you can work with your child on communication from the day they are born. Have you ever talked to an animal or said something to the TV knowing they aren’t going to talk back? You can talk to your child everyday about what you are doing or going to do and why you are doing it. Tell them about what is going on. If something funny happens on the show they are watching ask if they say it, describe what happened, and both have a laugh about it, because you we all get invested in their shows once in a while even when we despise them at time.
Reading to your child is one of the best ways to build on their vocabulary skills. Letting them hear the words and by reading it over and over again will expose them to words that may not be used in daily conversations. They can’t sit and listen? Read to them while they are playing, put on an audiobook in the car, or find story time on YouTube (This is an idea we are working on creating).
Listening is a skill that we as parents need to grow on ourselves. When they are getting upset about something take a moment to stop and listen to what they need. Most children do not get upset out of the blue without a reason behind it and you have to listen to them to figure out what is upsetting them and talking to them to figure out how to solve the problem together.
- Talk to them
- Read to them
- Listen to them
2. Independence and Social Skills
I put these two together because they work together. Learning independence grows their confidence and it is that confidence that is going to help them reach out to others. When we are pressed for time and we need to get them ready and out the door I know you don’t have time to let them get themselves ready, and we’ve all been there. Take those times when you are early or getting them ready for bed and let them do things for themselves.
Let them try washing their own hair, putting on their pajamas, or brushing their own teeth. I always recommend letting them brush their teeth themselves in the morning and you brush them at night. This way when they are brushing them in the morning you have already cleaned them good the night before and less for you to worry about if they missed a spot.
Let them make their own choices sometimes. They can choose what they want to wear on the days that you know you are going to be home and have nowhere to go. If you don’t mind letting them wear something silly out of the house what is the harm in them choosing their own outfit.
Those times that you allow them to make those decisions and complete tasks on their own are showing them you trust them and in turn will trust you back. As they gain that confidence they will be able to walk up to those other kids while playing at the park or daycare and have a conversation and play together. Kids are very curious and we have to allow them the chance to discover what is out there and how they fit into the world around them.
- Let them try it themselves
- Let them have a choice
- Allow them opportunities to socialize
3. Problem Solving
Problem solving is a critical skill that we all use on a daily basis. We are faced with decisions that we have to make everyday and some are easy to make while others take more thought and time to make those choices. As a toddler they need to learn that the decisions that they make always have consequences. Problem solving is a process and takes thought before action.
Problem solving is about them identifying that something needs to be done and figuring out what needs to be done. When we present a problem to our toddler they have to slow down and take a minute to think about and analyze what is going on.
A few pages into a new book where there is a problem to solve stop and talk to your toddler about it. Point to a picture in the book and tell them “oh, no look,” after they look at the picture for a few seconds ask them a question about what they are or should be doing. This results in your child having to think about what they are looking at.
Cut up a magazine or photo graph into 2-8 pieces and let them put them together. Start with just two pieces and lay them out together. Pull them apart and put them back together. Do this a few times while they watch and see if they can put them together. When they get to where they can take one you have turned upside down and turn it on their own and put it together cut it again into four pieces and repeat the steps.
- Identify animals in a book
- Simple 2-8 piece puzzles
- Let them copy what you do
4. Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills is one of the developmental skills that a toddler will love getting up and working on. The gross motor skills are the ability to be able to use and manipulate the large muscles the way you want to. As your infant begins to gain control of the movements they make with their arms and legs you can see that they are building on those large muscles.
Learning to walk is a big step for an infant as they move into the toddler stage. They go from walking to running to jumping as they gain control of their body. Doing tasks and activities that use their core muscles will help build on those gross motor skills.
- Bending and picking up objects
- Kicking, throwing, and catching a ball
- Jumping with both feet together
5. Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills are those that use the small muscles in the hand combined with hand eye coordination. We watch as our infants begin to grip toys and being able to control what they hold and what they put in their mouths. The small muscles in our hands begin developing as a baby when we hold on to things. These muscles grow as we get older and we are able to do more with our hands.
Your toddler and preschooler has not fully developed all the bones in their hands yet. Fine motor skills is used to write as they enter school. It is okay to let them scribble and write on paper but that should not be the main activity used to develop those small muscles. Playing is one of the best ways for your child to build their fine motor skills as they grip and manipulate various toys and items they come in contact with.
- Manipulating tweezers
- Squeezing
- Stacking
As a parent or guardian we always want to do what is best for our kids. We want them to succeed and we want to see them happy. When you give your child the tools they need to be successful you can insure that they will grow and learn to the best of their abilities with you by their side cheering them on. From the day you bring your little one home you are making an difference in your child life.
