The time that children spend in the toddler room is one of great developmental change. When many children start out in this room, they will be in nappies, have limited language and be very reliant on adults. A year or so later, children are likely to be in a very different place. They may be starting to play co-operatively, talking using sentences and have quite a few self-care skills developing. Toddler rooms are thus dynamic places when it comes to development.
They are also places where staff need plenty of patience and bucketloads of energy, as two-year-olds are busy and determined people. So, how can we set up an environment that will cater for toddlers’ changing development, and what are the key points that adults need to bear in mind when working with them?
DEVELOPMENT DOES MATTER
Successful toddler rooms are structured around the developmental stages and needs of toddlers. By understanding the development of this age group and then tailoring further to meet individual needs, it becomes easier to develop activities and routines.
- Here are some broad ‘nuggets’ of development which can be useful when thinking about your day-to-day practice. Most two- to three-year-olds:
- need around 13 hours sleep, which is likely to include a nap
- have high levels of separation anxiety when not with familiar adults
- need to be physically in sight or close to a familiar adult
- have no understanding of the need to wait or share
- are physically active and restless, and have a limited sense of danger
- are determined and can easily become frustrated
- can use a spoon, drink from an open cup and may be using a fork from the age of two and a half years
- can listen if talk is directed to them, but may be easily distracted
- have speech that is unclear, although it becomes clearer towards three years of age
- may stammer as their sentence length increases.
STARTING OUT
A good starting point is to make sure that the transition into the toddler room is working well. Developmentally, this age, as we have seen, is likely to show separation anxiety, signs of which include crying, but also withdrawal.
Where children are already in the setting, it can be helpful to make sure in the weeks preceding the move that they get used to being near the staff who will work with them. As the time comes to make the move, the level of contact needs to be increased so that children have built at least one strong relationship.
Where two-year-olds are new to the setting, a similar process needs to take place, with the child’s intended key person gradually building a relationship with them. For many, this might mean a few visits to the setting with the parents gradually stepping back as the child becomes increasingly familiar and confident in a key person’s company.
Without careful transition processes in place, happy and settled children can become distraught toddlers. Secure toddlers, on the other hand, are more likely to develop strong self-regulation skills.
Tips for transition
To help ease transitions for toddlers:
- Think of the process as a ‘slide in, slide out’ model. The unfamiliar adult ‘slides in’ while the parent or existing key person gradually steps back.
- If the toddler is looking reticent, don’t rush them or ask lots of questions.
- Use a puppet or a repetitive activity, such as blowing bubbles, to help the toddler relax with their new key person.
- Before the transition takes place, check that the child has a sufficiently strong relationship with the new key person to cope.
In addition, the need for two-year-olds to be close to a familiar adult also means activities need to be set up so that children can be with or near their favourite adults. If this does not happen, toddlers will quickly lose interest.
TODDLER TIME AND ROUTINES
One of the most important things to recognise in a toddler room is that there is something called ‘Toddler Time’. It means that many toddlers are slow eaters, may take ages to find and put on their coat or shoes, and generally follow instructions in their own time. Rushing two-year-olds simply does not work, especially if they are tired.
This needs to be considered when organising routines within the session. Part of the reason why things take so long is because toddlers are trying to do things for themselves. It is, therefore, worth seeing things such as handwashing as an activity in itself.
Toddlers may need to turn the taps on and off or explore how the water runs down into the plughole. By seeing everyday routines such as dressing or tidying as activities in their own right that support the Prime areas of the EYFS, we can start to actually enjoy these moments with toddlers.
Tips for routines
- Consider whether routines are being seen as developmental opportunities.
- Allow sufficient time for routines such as meals and snacks.
- Encourage toddlers to be as independent as possible.
- Break down tasks into smaller steps so toddlers do not become overwhelmed.
- Use routines as a way of supporting individual children’s language development.
MAKE IT EASY
One of the reasons why toddlers become frustrated or give up during activities and routines is due to the physical environment. Storage boxes for tidying may be too heavy for them to lift, or pegs may be too high or close together to hang up a coat independently.
A good tip is to stand back and watch toddlers as they are engaged in everything from eating to painting or playing in a water tray. Think about what is making their lives harder. Observe carefully their posture and movements.
Elbows raised when playing in a sand tray or while eating means that the surface is too high for the child. Small adaptations are often the way forward. This might mean serving food in a bowl if toddlers are chasing peas and sweetcorn around a plate.
Tips for making it easy
- Look at whether the tools and equipment are the right size.
- Provide bibs and aprons that allow toddlers to slip them on easily.
- Consider whether a toddler is better off standing or squatting for some activities.
PLAY
The play of young two-year-olds is very special and quite different from those who are about to turn three. While older two-year-olds may be interested in making cakes in the home corner, the younger ones tend to shove anything and everything into the oven!
Just to add a little ‘spice’ into the mixture, most toddlers are interested in each other’s play and may want to copy it. In the case of some resources such as wheeled toys, it can lead to a ‘trike fight’ or a battle of the pushchairs.
Tips for planning play
Here are some things to consider when planning play, although this is not an exhaustive list:
- Spend as much time as possible outdoors where there is more space and opportunity for children to move. This caters for the high activity needs of this age group.
- Make sure there are plenty of duplicates of favourite toys such as trikes and pushchairs.
- Provide plenty of open-ended resources, especially ones made from natural materials such as saucepans, spoons and cardboard tubes.
- Look out for containers including bags, suitcases and baskets as this age group likes to move things from place to place.
- To avoid sand or water being scooped onto the ground, put out another empty tray or container to put alongside it.
- Create some small enclosed spaces such as tents, large cardboard boxes or fabric dens.
- Expect that resources will be moved and muddled up – for example, jigsaw pieces and a few farm animals will be popped into the toy microwave.
- Create opportunities for toddlers to get their feet off the floor in and outdoors; for example, logs, staging blocks or low beams.
Planning activities
As well as opportunities for play, some adult-led activity is also needed. Some of this activity needs to help children be part of a group. This might include meal and snack times, but also other activities based on what toddlers like doing. Interestingly, some of the simplest activities work best. They include catching bubbles, posting toy cars down tubes, dancing to some music and singing rhymes.
In addition, we need to think about activities that will support individual toddlers’ language. While most language will occur as toddlers are playing alongside adults and during routines, the sharing of books on a one-to-one basis needs to be seen as a ‘priority’ activity.
- Make sure you have a wide range of age-appropriate books.
- Allow plenty of time for this activity.
- Give toddlers plenty of time to respond to the story.
- Share books with parents.
TODDLER CHALLENGES
There are a couple of challenges that often come up in the toddler room.
Toilet training
It can be useful to clarify expectations with parents about who is responsible for starting off toilet training and what the approach should be. As children’s bodies mature at different speeds, it is worth taking a ‘stage’ rather than an age approach to toilet training. This means identifying with parents the signs that a child might be ready.
Perhaps the most important of these is bladder maturation. This is the ability of the bladder to hold urine for at least an hour at a time and then release it completely. Children also need to know that they have or are passing a bowel movement. While some parents are keen to start the process, if the child’s body is not ready, all the star charts or reminders in the world will not make a difference.
For more information about toilet training, visit ERIC, the children’s bowel and bladder charity, at www.eric.org.uk.
Biting and shoving
It is not uncommon for some toddlers to bite or shove other children. This may be exploratory or borne of frustration. Unfortunately, few bites or shoves are one-offs. This means that we need to be highly proactive to prevent a further incident.
- Most further bites and shoves occur within a few hours of the first.
- Most bites and shoves occur indoors, so get the child outdoors.
- Keep the child busy until the end of the session, but do not refer to the incident.
- Make sure that the child is not left, even for a moment, by themselves.
- Be vigilant for at least three days following the bite or shove.
OBSERVATION AND ASSESSMENT
Finally, as this is a period of significant development, it is essential that we clock children’s progress. This does not require lots of written observations, but it does mean that you are able to identify whether any children will need additional support.
There are many sources of developmental information. Look out for developmental charts on NHS websites and ICAN’s ages and stages of language development (https://ican.org.uk/i-cans-talking-point/parents/ages-and-stages). In the near future, revised guidance for the EYFS will also be published.
REFLECTION POINTS
There are three key terms that Ofsted considers when looking at the quality of education. They are Intention, Implementation and Impact. Here are some questions that may help you to reflect on your toddler room practice.
Intent
- What are your aims for children in the toddler room?
- What is your approach to helping children settle into the toddler room?
- What strategies do you use to support language development?
- How do you support children’s self-care skills?
- What is your rationale for the resources and activities on offer?
- How do you ensure that resources and activities are varied?
- What is your approach to routines?
- How often do you use the outdoor area?
- What are your strategies to help children develop social skills?
Implementation
- Are adults aware of typical development in the Prime areas for this age group?
- Are adults interacting with toddlers in a way that supports language?
- Do adults play alongside children to support their learning and language?
- Are activities suitable for the age and stage of the toddlers?
- Are routines used to support children’s language and learning?
- Are toddlers engaged in their play?
- Is behaviour managed in developmentally appropriate ways?
Impact
- Are toddlers happy and can they find their key person quickly?
- How quickly do toddlers calm down after having a tantrum or being upset?
- Are they busy and enjoying the resources and activities on offer?
- Do they show that they recognise rhymes, songs and books?
- Are they developing some self-care skills?
- How well is information shared between parents and key persons?
- Are children referred promptly to other professionals when required?
