Toddlerhood

What’s going on at 2 and 3?Developmental Tasks• Elaboration of locomotion - http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhq86U6VUvA followed by http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pceio4hOmFQ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JXrbTlqsGw&feature=related

• Language development• Fantasy play• Self control

What is “play?”

Play, according to Jean Piaget (1951): “actions that are an end in themselves and do not form part of any series of actionsimposed by someone else or from outside.”

Go and play…

1. How did you feel while playing?2. Did your feelings change over the

course of the time?3. What did you notice about your

thinking?4. Was your imagination engaged?  5. What occurred socially?

The Importance of Play

1. It allows for development in:• Cognitive domain• Physical domain• Social domain

2. Some structure, more unstructured is appropriate

3. Parallel, rather than interactive, play is more frequent.

4. Fantasy play is prominent

Self control - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v

=mD0bMHK7ym0&feature=related 1. Self control refers to the child’s ability to

control her impulses and attain his goals.2. Emotion regulation helps facilitate these

abilities.3. Infants began to develop emotion regulation

skills through caregiving interactions.• Comforting physical contact• Soothing sounds• Elimination of stimulus causing discomfort

Helpful Parenting Guidelines

• Culturally consistent parenting• Warm and responsive• Consistent, age appropriate limits• Inductive

Some unhelpful influences on emotion regulation (The Role of the Family

Context in the Development of Emotion Regulation. Social Development; May2007, Vol. 16 Issue 2, p361-388, 28p)

PARENTAL RESPONSES• Punitive response to emotion is correlated

with escape and revenge seeking • Minimization of emotions leads to

avoidance as a coping strategy• Dismissive or negative response is

correlated with increased anger in the parent/child interaction

• Problem-focused responses help kids develop ER strategies

Facilitating toddler self control1. Teaching empathy/Increasing sensitivity to others

• Perspective taking• Role modeling

2. Discipline should be:• Clearly linked to unwanted behavior• Short duration• Rational• Consistent

3. Use of language• Talk about the emotions• Modify them through distraction or explanation• Give suggestions on how to manage them• Model ways of responding to emotions• Reinforce prosocial behavior

Problem solving

• Read the “Lilly” scenario• Do a go-round with each person contributing

an observation of the scenario• Discuss adult responses that would promote

emotion regulation• Link adult responses to strategies from

lecture• Plan an activity you could have parents do to

develop skills to promote emotion regulation

Emotion-coachingJohn Gottman on Speaker’s Forum

http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=15530

1. Emotion coaching• What is it?• Benefits in adult relationships?• Benefits for child development?

2. Questions provoked?3. Criticisms provoked?

Parenting Styles & Characteristics-What are some thoughts/beliefs you have about effective parenting?1. Baumrind’s formulation of

parenting styles-Demandingness & Responsiveness

• Authoritative• Authoritarian• Permissive, democratic-indulgent• Permissive, rejecting-neglecting

2. PARTheory: Parental Acceptance-Rejection Theory-Roehner

• An intercultural approach-400 studies in 60 nations• Acceptance and rejection are defined in culture-

specific ways.• Perceived rejection is emphasized• Four behavioral patterns

• Warmth/affection• Rejection

• Cold/unaffectionate• Hostility/aggression• Indifference/neglect• Undifferentiated rejection

• Acceptance is linked with:• Higher self-esteem• Psychological independence• Trust• Positive world view

In groups, design a toy or an activity

• Consider the “developmental milestones,” paying attention to the changes over the two years of toddlerhood.

• You may focus on one domain or several.• Incorporate 3-5 milestones.• Be prepared to explain how the

toy/activity will promote development of a toddler.