Chapter Seven: Toddlers (15 Months to 3 Years)
After completing Chapter Seven students will be able to:
- Discuss physical development and growth in toddlerhood
- Describe the importance of play
- Summarize Piaget’s theory of toddler development
- Describe how toddlers learn and remember
- Discuss specific safety concerns for toddlers
- Describe the nature of language and how it develops in toddlerhood
- Discuss emotional and personality development in toddlerhood
- Explain how social contexts influence the toddler’s social and emotional development
A child’s first birthday is a big celebration! Beyond the cake, this moment should also be savored as the calm before the storm. Once a child turns one, if they are not walking already, the child will soon be walking and then running! This is the year of independence as a child develops autonomy-a sense of self. Autonomy in early childhood means letting children know that they have control over themselves and the choices that they make. With the new independence that walking brings, there is also a tumultuous ambivalence that can be challenging for those in a child’s life. Temper tantrums emerge because of this ambivalence. Although exhausting for parents and caregivers, the life of a toddler also brings excitement and joy as they watch their rapid development and growth over the next couple of years. Welcome to toddlerhood!
Media Attributions
- One year old toddler © Photo by TiAchen Aier on Unsplash is licensed under a CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) license
