Toddler - Growth and Development

It's so amazing to watching our children grow and develop, especially during the toddler years when they are changing so quickly. The articles below will help you understand more about this process and will help guide you during this time.

Our rating system for these Growth and Development articles is:

• - Best, in depth and most helpful overall
• - Very Good, but more specific in focus
• - Good reference material

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	Child Health Guide - Put Prevention into Practice This is an outstanding 30 page guide from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that has information on preventative care and on good health habits. Use it as a permanent record to help you keep track of your child's health and care through the years. This guide contains many great growth charts, immunization tables and other quick-reference information that can help your child get a healthy start on life.
	Pragmatic Language Tips There are several ways parents and teachers can help children use language appropriately in social situations and this social language use is known as pragmatics. In this article from the American Speech-Language- Hearing Association (ASHA) you'll find suggestions that will help foster appropriate pragmatic language skills with children who might otherwise be at a disadvantage during social interactions.
	Brain development research-What it means for young children New insights into brain development affirm what many parents and caregivers have known for years, 1)good prenatal care, 2)warm and loving attachments between young children and adults, and 3)positive stimulation from the time of birth, really do make a difference in children's development for a lifetime. This article is taken from Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Development by the Families and Work Institiute.
	Questions and Answers about Stuttering This article from the American-Speech-Language Hearing Association, answers the main questions that parents will ask if their child stutters.
	Creativity for Emotional Intelligence: Ideas and Activities One key component of emotional intelligence is creativity. What is creativity and how do parents foster it in their children? In this article you'll find activities that you can do with your children to foster a creative spirit. You'll also find some thought provoking questions that your children will enjoy puzzling over.
	Spoken Language Problems It is important to identify children whose language is not developing normally so that more specific stimulation and actual intervention can begin as early as possible. In young children there are many known milestones that can be observed by parents and preschool teachers. In this article from the Learning Disabilities Association of America, these spoken language problems are discussed and a great list of language milestones and activities to encourage language development is included.
	Biters: Why They Do It and What to Do About It Although biting isn't "abnormal" in the sense that one out of ten toddlers and two-year-olds does it, it is a disturbing and potentially harmful behavior that parents and educators must discourage from the very first episode.
	Questions and Answers about Articulation Problems Written by the American-Speech-Language Hearing Association, this is a thorough set of questions and answers about articulation problems. These problems may result from physical handicaps, such as cerebral palsy, cleft palate or hearing loss, or may be related to other problems in the mouth, such as dental problems. However, most articulation problems occur in the absence of any obvious physical disability. The cause of these so-called functional articulation problems may be faulty learning of speech sounds.
	Early Childhood Growth Chart An Early Childhood Growth Chart for families and caregivers which gives age-appropriate activities to promote language development for young children.
	Early Identification of Speech-Language Delays and Disorders Early identification includes the evaluation and treatment provided to families and their children under 3 years old who have, or are at risk for having, a disability, or delay in speech, language or hearing. This article from the American-Speech-Language Hearing Association provides specific information about early identification and outlines specific questions parents should ask about this process.
	Questions and Answers about Child Language This is a good overview of general topics about language development and potential language problems, and it has been provided by the American-Speech-Language Hearing Association.
	Q & A about the Nutritional Content of Processed Baby Food This article contains a number of questions about the nutritional content of processed baby food. Answers to such questions as "Why is water added to baby food?" and "Why is texture important?" are found in this Q&A from the International Food Information Council Foundation.
	Child's Play Who are your children’s heroes? What are their favorite play themes? Favorite toys? Are they similar to your own childhood heroes, play themes, or toys? After a study of children's play from different eras, the results are talked about in this article.
	Speech Development in the Infant and Toddler As children grow from infancy to toddlerhood, early childhood, and so on, parents are often keenly aware of what their child "should" be doing at any given age. One of the milestones that frequently causes parents great anxiety is the development of speech. This article outlines important aspects of speech development.
	Helping Children Eat Right Susan L. Johnson, Ph.D., is a post-doctoral fellow with the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. For the last 10 years, she has designed and conducted research on the relationship of nutrition and behavior, with a focus on the regulation of energy intake in preschool-age children. Here, Johnson focuses on the issues of parental influence on children's eating habits and the development of childhood obesity.
	Violence and Young Children's Development In the context of this digest, the term VIOLENCE is used to refer to child abuse or other domestic conflict, gang aggression, and community crime, including assault. One of the most pernicious consequences of violence is its effect on the development of children. This digest examines the developmental consequences for children who are the victims of, or witnesses to, family and community violence.
	The Nature of Children's Play In play, children expand their understanding of themselves and others, their knowledge of the physical world, and their ability to communicate with peers and adults. This digest discusses children's play and its relationship to developmental growth from infancy to middle childhood. The digest also suggests ways in which educators and other adults can support children's play.
	Infant Day Care: The Critical Issues Parents often agonize over the decision about care for their infants. This article discusses the development of attachment (between mother and child), the effects of early separations, parent characteristics and family circumstances that may contribute to insecurity, and the potential benefits of secure attachment to a caregiver. It also discusses infant care quality and the debate on infant attachment.
	Understanding Behavior: A Key to Discipline Teachers, parents, and caregivers all struggle with some behaviors and actions of the children in our care. Wouldn't it be nice to have a magic formula--a specific bit of advice or strategy to work in all situations? Of course there is no magic formula, but it helps to remember that children's behaviors do not occur in a vacuum. Instead, they are driven by five basic issues or possibilities that help explain a child's actions.
	Early Ways To Predict Poor Readers The article describes how children who have trouble reading often have underlying speech and language problems. Being able to predict which children will have trouble reading would allow speech-language pathologists and others to begin to work with them before they fail.
	Toilet Learning For Toddlers Toileting (or using the potty) is one of the most basic physical needs of young children. It is also one of the most difficult topics of communication among parents, child care providers, and health care professionals when asked to determine the "right" age a child should be able to successfully and consistently use the toilet.
	Toys Aimed At Young Girls Can Damage Self-Esteem Are parents buying toys that are detrimental to their daughters' self esteem? An expert at the Renfrew Center says "yes." In a survey conducted by The Renfrew Center, clinicians found that 90 percent of the toys and dolls surveyed for girls ages two to 10 years emphasize beauty, shopping, and dating.
	When Children Imitate Superheroes Keep in mind that this type of play gives children the chance to face their fears and show off physical feats. When supervised by adults, 'superhero play' can help children improve their language skills and teach them to work together to solve problems; not to mention how it encourages creativity. When children begin pretending they are superheroes, adults can help them make the most of it. Here are some tips.
	"I can do it myself": Encouraging Independence In Young Children From an early age, a child's search for independence is fueled by the desire to make things happen and to feel competent. A young child's opinion about her capabilities is, to a large extent, based on her parent's response to her. As an adult, your role in fostering independence is to provide love and support, encourage exploration and curiosity, teach skills, and allow the child to make appropriate choices.
	Maya Angelou National Institute for the Improvement of Child and Family Education The implications of the recently established Maya Angelou National Institute for the Improvement of Child and Family Education are that the institute positions the university to become a major force on child development issues and a partner in developing stronger family support systems. By creating an effective child development model -- one that supports the value of education, self-esteem, and family support -- children may be better armed to resist the negative influences that can rob them of their potential which may lead to teen pregnancy, suicide, or alcohol and drug abuse among others. Current research shows that certain behaviors in children that occur from birth through kindergarten may affect a child's life-long achievement.
	How Can We Strengthen Children's Self-Esteem? Most parents want their young children to have a healthy sense of self-esteem. Experts generally agree that parents and other adults who are important to children play a major role in laying a solid foundation for a child's development. The points in this article may be helpful in strengthening and supporting a healthy sense of self-esteem in your child.
	Pull the Plug on TV and Video Game Violence Week Parents who are concerned about the effects of violence on TV and in video games on children, need to read this article. In it you'll find suggestions from the American Academy of Pediatrics that will help you limit the effects of these forms of violence on your children.
	Look Beyond the Obvious for Telltale Signs of Child Abuse The eyes may be the window to the soul, but the face offers the most telling glimpse behind the closed doors of child abuse. In a comprehensive study of 371 children who were suspected of being abused, injuries to the head and face accounted for 28% of 892 soft-tissue injuries.
	What Should Young Children Be Learning? Recent research on intellectual and social development and learning is rich in implications for curriculum and teaching strategies for early childhood education. The data on children's learning suggests that preschool and kindergarten experiences require an intellectually oriented approach in which children interact in small groups as they work together on projects which help them make sense of their own experience.
	Creativity in Young Children This digest explores factors that affect creativity in children and techniques for fostering this quality.
	An Important Bond: Your Child and Caregiver Have you ever seen a child cling to a caregiver when his parents arrive to pick him up at a child care center? How about a child who greets her parents happily then returns to her activity, in no rush to go home? While such close attachments to caregivers and child care settings may make some parents initially uneasy, these bonds are an important part of children's development and learning. Working together, parents and caregivers can ensure that children see their educational settings as safe places where adults other than their parents support and care for them.
	Why, How, and When Should My Child Learn a Second Language? Most experts agree that the earlier a child is introduced to a second language, the greater the chances are that the child will become truly proficient in the language. In addition, children may derive other benefits from early language instruction, including improved overall school performance and superior problem-solving skills. Knowing a second language ultimately provides a competitive advantage in the work force by opening up additional job opportunities.