TODDLERS MAY

• Looks to adults for help and responds to offers of help from familiar adults (takes hand to walk to car).
• Follow directions with support (“Let’s go brush our teeth.”).
• Initiate interactions with adults (brings favorite book to the adult).
• Communicate thoughts and feelings, likes and dislikes (“I want more.”, “No”).
• Seek independence (helps with dressing self).
• Follow basic safety guidelines (walks with adult when near street).

YOU CAN

• Show empathy and understanding to children (matches facial expression to their expression, stays close, helps problem solve).
• Listen carefully and with interest to what children say and expand on the message (“Your dad is home now! What do you like doing together?”).
• Help children manage feelings (“You seem sad, you wanted your aunt to stay longer. What can you do to feel better? YOU CAN look at books or play with your friends. What’s best for you?”).
• Provide opportunities for children to interact with familiar and unfamiliar, trustworthy adults (“Wave to the firefighters”, “Say hello to my friend.”).
• Demonstrate to children how to meet and greet a new adult (wave or say hello).

TODDLERS MAY

• Be happy to see other children (“Denali is here!”).
• Play side-by-side with children, shares toys (parallel and associative play).
• Share and takes turns, with assistance.
• Indicate preferences and intentions by answering yes/no questions (“Are you finished with that? Are you still using it?”).
• Have preferred playmates.
• Recognize similarities and differences between self and others (“Nyamal doesn’t like ham, but I do.”).
• Be aware of feelings of others (moves towards upset child and offers a toy).
• Be aware of other children’s belongings and space (puts another child’s toy in their cubby during clean up).
• Imitate roles and relationships through play (“I’m the mom and you’re the brother.”).
• Use words and gestures to communicate (“Play with me”, “Stop”).

YOU CAN

• Spend time with children playing and interacting, following the child’s lead when possible.
• Provide guidance and shows how to play with children (plays side by side offering to trade toys).
• Provide toys that can be played with by two or more children at the same time (doll house, open ended materials such as play dough or Duplos).
• Support children if he/she plays with or discusses imaginary friends or plays opposite gender roles (a boy wears girls’ clothes and plays with his “pretend” friend).
• Provide photos, dolls, tools and clothes that represent diversity in cultures and abilities.
• Read stories about diverse friends who are playing together.
• Schedule play dates with same-age children.
• Teache rules, values, or limits. (“We are helpful, we are kind, we keep it safe.” Share examples, reinforce by noticing and taking photos of children, reteach by reviewing photos).
• Provide children with ample time to play with other children and toys until finished.
• Role-play with puppets or dolls, demonstrates problem solving scenarios.
• State feelings and intentions when interacting with children and others (“I don’t like it when she yells. I’m going to take some deep breaths and calm down.”).
• Teach children to avoid aggressive behaviors (biting, hitting, yelling, name calling. Calm with slow breathing, acknowledge feelings, empathize with what was wanted, offer two positive choices).
• Demonstrate and explains taking turns (“When you gave Gala a turn on the swing, she smiled because she didn’t have to wait anymore.”).
• Finds out how other adults in children’s lives problem solve and share these strategies.

TODDLERS MAY

• Show understanding that playing with objects will get adult’s attention, which includes both desirable and forbidden objects.
• Learn consequences of behavior, but may not understand why the behavior justifies the consequence (put away toy toddler is using to hit the wall, but doesn’t understand why).
• Recognize that behaving with challenging ways will cause corrective action or unhappiness from adults.

YOU CAN

• Read books with child that show consequences of behavior by characters.
• Play games with child that demonstrate how behavior and actions cause effects (Simon Says).
• Talk with child about how his/her behavior might make others feel.
• Talk to child and shows him/her about behaviors (waiting your turn in store checkout line).
• Provide time for child to figure out a solution to a problem and praise him/her when problem is solved.

TODDLERS MAY

• Follow family routines (meal time behavior).
• Show increasing excitement about being in the company of loved ones or trusted adults.
• Begin to share and take turns, with assistance.
• Participate in group games (chase, pretend play).

YOU CAN

• Provide opportunities for child to play with multiple children.
• Offer group activities such as singing and movement games.
• Encourage child to participate in group activities and household chores.

TODDLERS MAY

• Separate from primary caregiver in familiar settings outside home.
• Ask questions or acts in other uncertain ways in unfamiliar settings and environments.
• Explore and play in a range of familiar settings.
• Show comfort in a variety of places with familiar adults (home, community events, store, playground).

YOU CAN

• Accept that child may be uncomfortable when routines change. Provide comfort when needed.
• Introduce child to a variety of settings, including diverse cultural settings.
• Talk with child about how one setting is different from another setting (school and store).

TODDLERS MAY

• Notice other children who are happy or sad.
• Demonstrate awareness of feelings during pretend play (comfort a crying baby doll).
• Name emotions experienced by self and others.
• Express how another child might feel (“She is crying and must be sad.”).
• Express interest and excitement about animals and other living things.

YOU CAN

• Explain responses to loss, injury or pain.
• Encourage child to develop understanding of the feelings, ideas and actions of others.
• Help child to understand that everyone has feelings.
• Provide ways to identify emotions with mirrors, pictures, posters, books.

TODDLERS MAY

• Begin to play in presence of other children.
• Ask simple questions about other children.

YOU CAN

• Provide opportunities for child to interact with children with diverse abilities, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Provide child with a variety of pretend play materials reflecting cultures of families in community.
• Introduce child to diversity through books, songs and people.
• Talk to child in home language, which will help build a strong cultural identity.
• Show appreciation and interest in diverse people and cultures.

TODDLERS MAY

• Test limits and strive for independence.
• Recognize and call attention to self when looking in the mirror or at photographs.
• Identify self and uses own name when asked (“I am a boy.” “My name is Rueben.”).
• Show awareness of being seen by others (exaggerate or repeat behavior when notices someone is watching).
• Occupy self appropriately for brief periods of time (10 to 15 minutes).
• Identify objects as belonging to him or her.
• Point to and names some of own body parts.
• Show preference for familiar adults and peers.
• Make choices when given two to three options to choose (what clothes to wear).
• Show preference for favorite books, toys, and activities.
• Indicate preferences and intentions by answering yes/no questions (“Are you done with that?” “Are you still using it?” “Can José use it now?”).

YOU CAN

• Give child appropriate and varied choices (“do you want grapes or orange slices?”).
• Give child limits.
• Provide opportunities for child to talk about self and others, being aware of cultural and language characteristics.
• Sometimes allow child to play without your interaction.
• Provide opportunities for child to express him/herself through the arts (drawing, painting, drama).
• Expect child to protest as he/she expresses individuality.
• Teach preferred behaviors instead of punishment.
• Tell family stories and reads books from child’s home culture.
• Show happiness for child’s abilities and preferences (“You really like to draw with those crayons, don’t you?” “You are walking carefully over tree roots.”).
• Describe activities and introduce vocabulary to accompany child’s actions during play, using language from child’s home and school if different.
• Delight with child over accomplishments and explorations.
• Explain family traditions, rituals, language, and activities.
• Invite others to share their culture and traditions with child.

TODDLERS MAY

• Want to take care of self.
• Recognize own accomplishments.
• Show completed projects (drawing, pile of blocks) to caregiver.
• Act as though she/he is capable of doing new tasks and activities (copies use of adult tools, tries to sweep the floor with an adult-sized broom).
• Seek help after trying something new or challenging.

YOU CAN

• Encourage child to engage in new tasks they can accomplish successfully.
• Provide safe environment for active exploration.
• Celebrate with child over accomplishments and explorations.
• Monitor child as he/she pushes self to try new abilities (keeps going higher on ladder when asked to stop).

TODDLERS MAY

• Test limits and strive for independence.
• Anticipate and follow simple routines, with reminders and assistance (wash hands and help set table at snack time, help to pick up and put away blocks at clean-up time).
• Anticipate and follow simple rules, with reminders (expect to be buckled up when he/she gets in car seat).
• Accept transitions and changes in routines with adult support.
• Anticipate consequences for not following rules.

YOU CAN

• Establish consistent routines while being flexible to meet child’s needs.
• Give praises when a child behaves well.
• Set simple rules and responds consistently to child’s behavior.
• Offer child two real choices (“Do you want to wear a red or blue sweater?”).
• Maintain consistency when establishing
• limits (bedtime, sweets, etc.).
• Recognize that a child protesting limits are a normal part of development.
• Make changes between structured activities fun and low stress (sing the clean-up song).

TODDLERS MAY

• Show developing ability to cope with stress and or strong emotions such as getting familiar toy or blanket, or seeking caregiver support.
• Name some emotions (happy, excited, sad, mad, tired, angry, scared).
• Begin to control impulses (say “no” when reaching for forbidden object; restrains self from stepping on a book on the floor).

YOU CAN

• Recognize and name child’s feelings and behaviors (“you seem happy today”).
• Help child explore safe ways to manage and express feelings and impulses (self-regulation, redirecting to appropriate activity when necessary).
• Gently assist child who is having difficulty regulating impulses (offer choices, teach negotiation skills: when two children are fighting over a toy, help them to problem-solve).
• Notice and voice support of child’s efforts to calm self and make connections with caregivers.
• Read books, tell stories, sing songs, plays games, and use multisensory materials with child that focus on emotions and controlling emotions.
• Show how to take turns by saying “I can wait,” when two or more children want to do the same activity.

TODDLERS MAY

• Recognize and express emotions towards familiar people, pets, or possessions with appropriate facial expressions, words, gestures, signs, or other means.
• Name emotions (happy, excited, sad, mad, tired, scared).
• Learn about own feelings and that it is ok to feel silly, sad, angry, and all other emotions.

YOU CAN

• Listen carefully and with interest to what child says, expanding on the message.
• Use words and pictures to teach child to associate feelings with their proper names, using language from child’s home and school if different.
• Support and comfort child if he/she develops fears.
• Talk with child about positive and negative feelings.
• Understand child may need assistance in discussing and expressing feelings.
• Recognize that some children may not express emotions verbally (invite child to draw pictures, use signs or gestures, or go for a walk to express emotions).
• Consider the values of families and cultural groups regarding emotional expression (do not force or deny child’s emotional expression).

TODDLERS MAY

• Recognize family members by voice. Know own first and last names.
• Recognize role within own home (“Daddy cooks supper and mommy washes the dishes.”).
• Pretend to nurture a doll by feeding and talking to it.
• Give names to toys and dolls that reflect family and circle of friends.
• Identify boys and girls.
• Recognize that family members’ hunting will provide for family.
• Comply with simple two-part requests that involve waiting (“Eat your breakfast and then we’ll play with the blocks.”).

YOU CAN

• Provide opportunities for family members to talk with child about family history and culture.
• Provide props and dress-up clothes for child to play different family roles (both male and female).
• Read books to child that show people in a variety of roles.
• Display photos of child and his/her family at child’s eye level.
• Encourage child to participate in subsistence activities (picking berries, setting up camp).

TODDLERS MAY

• Identify the possessions of other children.
• Show interest in peers by including them in play, referring to them by name.
• Recognize that different people have different roles and jobs in the community. Show interest in community workers (garbage collector, Village Public Safety Officer, mail carrier, health aid).
• Participate in family routines.

YOU CAN

• Engage child in using clothing and props for dramatic play that represents different roles in society.
• Take field trips in the community to increase awareness of roles people play (library for story hour, fire department, nursery where children can pot plants).
• Encourage child to participate in classroom duties and household chores.
• Display pictures and read aloud books that portray a variety of workers and community helpers.

TODDLERS MAY

• Try out roles and relationships through dramatic and pretend play.
• Begin to recognize that there may be different rules in different places (school rules may be different from those at home).
• Help adult with simple chores.
• Follow adult directions when given simple guidance.
• Comply with simple two-part requests that involve waiting (“Eat your breakfast and then we’ll play with the blocks.”).

YOU CAN

• Discuss how each person, including adults, can share in classroom responsibilities.
• Give child options rather than commands. Have child help make rules for dramatic play.

TODDLERS MAY

• Demonstrate an understanding of simple rules, and prompts, such as “stop,” but often does not follow direction.
• “Chats” with family members, although only half of the words they use may be recognizable.
• Identify known people in photographs.
• Shadow adults in their work by imitating such activities as sweeping or picking up toys, and attempting to help.
• Identify basic similarities and differences between themselves and others.

YOU CAN

• Provide food, music, art materials, books, photos, and dramatic play props that reflect child’s own family and culture.
• Display images reflective of child’s own cultural heritage and physical appearance.
• Provide accurate and compassionate answers to help child develop a sense of appreciation for the differences of others.