Tantrum – The Frustration of a Toddler
Sarah is a happy, but stubborn little toddler. She knows what she wants and does not want and regularly has mini baby tantrums. From a very young age she started to assert her authority on the family with baby tantrums. Sarah has found that language is not a barrier. She has been able to communicate very well with only limited speech. Simple communication is done through language and gestures.
She communicates non verbally very well already. Screwing up her face when she does not like something, giving a huge grin when you give her what she wants. Screaming and yelling, laying on the floor when she does not get want she wants. This behaviour is consistent with the transition to toddler and marks a new stage of grown and skill development.
Sarah has tantrums a lot earlier than her sister Charlotte who is now 6. Sarah is the queen of tantrums whilst her sister hardly had any.
I know many parents who love the toddler stage, but are also frustrated with the toddler problems associated with it. Tantrums, yelling, head banging and lying on the floor! The stage of development is frustrating, but also a time of wonder for the toddler.
Funnily enough, I am not too worried about this stage because I have learnt the secret to dealing with toddlers temper tantrums. I am now confident to handle the challenges of being a parent of a toddler knowing I am assisting her development.
There is help out there to learn the skills which can assist you manage the toddler tantrums. There is a wonderful audio program, which can guide you through this stage, step by step. You will learn to understand communication and the positive ways to deal with situations. You can even use these skills with older children.
You toddlers behaviour is influenced by the choice of words and what you say. It was only when I took steps to understand sentence structure, that I learnt the psychological power of words. Amazingly, the way you talk to your toddler, your sentence structure, can actually have a huge impact on behavior.
At this stage of development, dont just remain frustrated with your toddler. There is assistance out there and it is always a positive step to increase your parenting skills and the resources you have to turn to.
Child development – drawing and coloring with toddlers
To the casual observer a child who is drawing or coloring in, is just scribbling. The marks seem to be haphazard, almost meaningless. But there is much more happening in your young child’s mind as s/he engages in the physical act of drawing and coloring.
In fact, examining children’s drawing may give us important insights into how drawing fits into the overall physical, emotional and cognitive development of the young child. From toddlerhood through to primary school, children choose to draw and color, but the process actually starts much earlier – during toddlerhood.
At around the age of 18 months, toddlers become interested in scribbling. It seems to provide sensory enjoyment, but the child is also interested in the marks that are made. The act of scribbling can serve several useful purposes for the young child. Small muscle coordination and control improve with practice, cognitive abilities are exercised, opportunities for social interaction arise, and the physical movements provide emotional release.
Because a toddler’s small muscle control is not fully developed, he or she may approach the coloring sheet by grasping the marker with his or her fist and may have difficulty placing the marks exactly where he or she wants them. Movements are typically large, involving the entire arm with very little finger or wrist control. This is because the pattern of physical development proceeds from the center of the trunk outward.
With practice, the toddler will naturally improve his or her control, full control, however, will not be achieved until much later. A few toddlers rest the forearm on the drawing surface to give them additional control. A rhythmic, repetitive, scrubbing motion is common among two-year-olds, providing sensory enjoyment and making drawing a very physical act.
By providing children with the materials and opportunities to scribble we can promote physical skills. Just as babbling is a natural way to gain language, scribbling is the precursor to muscle control and coordination.
Intellectually toddlers are concerned with both the process and results of their art. They do not intend to represent objects at first. Instead, they are concerned with color and line. However, they may actually look at the scribbles they have made and, in surprise, recognize a shape and name it. While they may not have intended to draw a dog or tree, the scribbles suggest the shapes. Children interpret, rather than intend. This is called fortuitous realism and becomes common as a child approaches three years of age.
As a parent you can encourage your child to draw and color by offering him or her opportunities to do so. Provide them with blank sheets of paper to let their creativity run wild or supply a coloring book or coloring sheets – many of which are available free of charge online. Little boys may enjoy coloring images of cars and trucks or of favorite characters such as Pokemon and at sites like Pokemon Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Pokemon printables
Little girls on the other hand tend to prefer images of fairies and princesses and these too are plentiful online.
Remember that toddlers need constant supervision while coloring due to the choking hazard that crayons pose.
Categories: Babies Tags: child development, children and art, coloring, drawing, fine motor skills, toddler, toddlers
Parents Need New Skills to Deal With Toddler Tantrums
Imagine being able to manage your toddlers tantrums easily. The end of toddler tantrums, bribery, screaming and crying. It may seem very unbelievable is you have ever spent much time with a toddler. But it really doesn’t have to be. It is amazing that when it comes to parenting, or using techniques to get the right toddler behavior, we often think it should be in built or come naturally. But more often it is not something pre programmed into parents.
Parenting skills are just like any other skill set, we can learn the skills necessary. Like any skill set, you can improve the skills and your knowledge base with instruction, practice and repetition. These skills can be modified and varied and used through out your child’s development. We can adapt our parenting skills to suit the ages and needs of our children. When it comes right down to it, who wants to put their hand up and say, “No, I am not really good in the parenting department with my toddler.This is not a view often shared.
Parenting skills are not necessarily inbuilt in people and fortunately can be learnt. Believe it or not the commonly called terrible twos, is actually quite normal behavior. Although part of healthy normal behavior, its management can make a world of difference. After learning new skills and applying the techniques you can guide your toddler through this stage of development. The best part is these skills are a foundation for you to add other skills as your child grows.
As you do with other areas of your life, invest in your parenting skill development and in turn assist your child. Remember the baby tantrums are not a burden but a celebration of flourishing independence, mental development and most importantly an opportunity for parents to learn and develop new skills which they can keep and improve on through life.
Categories: Babies Tags: baby tantrums, toddler, toddler behavior, toddler behaviour, toddler biting, toddler development, toddler hiting, toddler tantrum, toddler tantrums, toddlers
