How long should your toddler be able to focus?

At 21 months, most toddlers can focus on a specific, chosen activity for two to three minutes, on average. Some toddlers will be able to pay attention to an activity for a bit longer, while others may need more support to stay focused for even a minute. Keep in mind that other factors can affect your toddler’s ability to focus. If they’re hungry, tired, or distracted by background noise, their attention span may be shorter.

4 subtle signs of your toddler’s developing focus

As you’ve probably already noticed, a toddler can pack a lot into two to three minutes Watch for these examples of focused attention in your 21-month-old’s daily routine:

1. Helping to put away one or two toys
2. Briefly focusing on you as you talk to them, like during a car ride or while playing together
3. Looking at a book, either in your lap or independently, for a few minutes at a time
4. Investigating a plaything for a few minutes before taking a break or switching to another activity

What to expect as your toddler’s attention span develops

While it may seem like your toddler bounces from activity to activity right now, their attention span will grow over time. By age 4 or 5, your child may be able to focus on an activity for 10 to 15 minutes at a stretch. Giving them lots of opportunities for uninterrupted, distraction-free play now can help them develop this key skill.

Learn more about the research

Dauch, C., Imwalle, M., Ocasio, B., & Metz, A. E. (2018). The influence of the number of toys in the environment on toddlers’ play. Infant Behavior and Development, 50, 78-87.

Gaertner, B. M., Spinrad, T. L., & Eisenberg, N. (2008). Focused attention in toddlers: Measurement, stability, and relations to negative emotion and parenting. Infant and Child Development: An International Journal of Research and Practice, 17(4), 339-363.

Reynolds, G. D., & Romano, A. C. (2016). The development of attention systems and working memory in infancy. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 10, 15.

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Book Bundles for The Play Kits

Having the right books at the right time makes all the difference during your child’s early years. Enjoy even more stage-based books—featuring real stories and families—when you add our Book Bundles to your Play Kits Subscription.

Learn more

The Companion Play Kit

The Companion Play Kit is a celebration of the things your child can do, and some things they’re just starting to explore: coloring, matching, comparing, categorizing, stacking, sorting, and more.

Learn more

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Your toddler may be ready to use two-word phrases if they:

• Say 50 words or more—word approximations, like “wa-wa” for water, count, too
• Use different types of words, like nouns (“truck”), verbs (“go”), and adjectives (“big”).
• Combine words and gestures to add meaning—for example, they may say “bus” and extend their arms wide to show that it’s big.

What counts as a two-word phrase?

Whenever your toddler combines two words with distinct meanings—“more banana” or “done water”—they’re using a two-word phrase. They need to understand that the two words are different for it to count. By contrast, your toddler may interpret some phrases that they hear all the time—like “all done” or “I love you”—as one unit with a single meaning. Eventually, they’ll learn that these common phrases are made up of individual words and begin using those words in new combinations: “I love Dada” or “I love cheese.”

How to encourage two-word phrases

The simplest way to help your toddler start combining words is to model and repeat two-word phrases. 

Use high-impact phrases. Try saying, “Light on,” when you turn the light on and “Light off” when you turn it off. Two-word pairings like this can be powerful—“light” stays the same, but “on” and “off” make opposite things happen. 

Follow a longer sentence with a two-word phrase. “Do you want more to eat? More avocado?” Your toddler is more likely to notice and repeat the two-word phrase if you end your statement with it. 

Add a word to what your toddler says to you. If your toddler says, “Dog!” respond with, “Oh, a dog. Big dog!” 

Put your toddler’s gestures into words. Before toddlers put two spoken words together, they often pair a single word with a meaningful gesture. Help your toddler move from gesture-word pairs to two-word phrases by putting the gesture into the phrase for them. If your toddler points to a speeding car and says, “Fast!” respond with, “Fast car!” If they reach up their arms and say whatever name they call you—like “Mama” or “Baba”—you can say, “Baba up? Okay. Baba up!” as you lift them.

Make it meaningful. Your toddler is more likely to use two-word phrases that help them get their needs met. Here are some examples:

“More water”

“Done milk”

“Up, Dada”

“Mama help”

“Read book”

“Wash hands”

“Go outside”

“Open door”

“Shoes on”

Learn more about the research

Fine, J. M., & Lieven, E. V. (1993). Reanalysing rote-learned phrases: Individual differences in the transition to multi-word speech. Journal of Child Language, 20(3), 551-571.

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Your words may guide them through motor skills, and you may be surprised by what your toddler can already do on their own when given the chance. 

Specific verbal feedback can help your toddler tune into their body as they tackle a new physical challenge. For example, climbing a ladder at the park requires your toddler to break down a complex task into parts—how to place each foot and when to move each hand. With your verbal support and lots of practice, their brain and their body will learn the movement patterns so they can eventually do it automatically. 

How to talk your toddler through a physical challenge

At first, say nothing. If your toddler isn’t in danger, take a moment to observe. If they are working hard to tackle a new skill—like climbing into their carseat—stay quiet so they can focus. Make a mental note of what is working for them in case they need reminders next time.

Tell them what they did last time that worked. You could say something like, “Remember when you got in your car seat before? You put your knee here first,” or “Last time you climbed the ladder, you moved very slowly.”

Describe what they’re doing at the moment. Judgment-free statements help your toddler focus on their body as they move. “I see you holding the rail,” or “You are taking big steps.”

Offer “what if” suggestions. Your toddler might look to or reach for you when they get stuck. If reminders and in-the-moment descriptions aren’t enough, suggest the next thing they could try to succeed on their own: “What if you put your foot on this next rung?” as you point to it.

Describe what they did, whether or not they were successful. “You slowed down when you got to the curb and stepped down safely,” or “You came down the ladder really fast and your foot slipped.” 

Offer another chance to practice. Encourage them to try again, offering some ideas and observations. “Hmmmm, your foot slipped on the ladder that time. Do you want to try again and move more slowly?” or “You bumped your head on the table. Do you want to try again and look up before you stand?”

Learn more about the research

Adolph, K. E., Cole, W. G., Komati, M., Garciaguirre, J. S., Badaly, D., Lingeman, J. M., … & Sotsky, R. B. (2012). How do you learn to walk? Thousands of steps and dozens of falls per day. Psychological science, 23(11), 1387-1394.

Dinkel, D., & Snyder, K. (2020).  Exploring gender differences in infant motor development related to parent’s promotion of play. Infant Behavior and Development, 59, 101440.

Duncan, M., Cunningham, A., & Eyre, E. (2019). A combined movement and story-telling intervention enhances motor competence and language ability in pre-schoolers to a greater extent than movement or story-telling alone. European Physical Education Review, 25(1), 221-235.

The post An expert strategy for helping your toddler climb, balance, and more appeared first on Lovevery.

Generally, children stop banging their heads before it becomes too painful. But that doesn’t make it any easier to watch.

Why do toddlers bang their heads?

Your toddler experiences all the same feelings as you, but they don’t yet have the skills to regulate those feelings. This is because their prefrontal cortex—the part of their brain responsible for managing emotions—just isn’t well developed yet.

Your toddler also doesn’t have the vocabulary to express their strong feelings, so pent-up emotion can come out in a physical behavior, like head banging. Banging their head when they’re frustrated, angry, or disappointed can also be your child’s way of trying to bring themselves back to a calmer state.

How to handle toddler head banging

Seeing your toddler bang their head can be really upsetting. It’s natural to want to try and stop it immediately, but try to take a moment to calm yourself first. A dramatic response, like yelling or hurrying to scoop them up, may only add to their distress.

Ensure your child is safe

The majority of toddler head-banging episodes don’t result in serious injury. Just in case, look around the area to ensure there’s nothing sharp or dangerous that might injure your child. Consider slipping a small blanket or pillow under their head.

Watch for signs of a tantrum

Head banging can’t always be prevented before it starts, but you may be able to pick up on cues that your child is getting very upset. For example, they may raise their voice, rock back-and-forth, or tense their body. If your child is prone to head banging, this is a good moment to calmly intervene.

Support them with empathy

Your toddler learns how to manage their strong emotions by watching you and their other caregivers. Model a calm and empathetic response to teach your toddler emotion regulation skills. Giving them the vocabulary to express their emotions is one strategy that can make a big difference. Validate their feelings to help them learn how to put their emotions into words: “You’re so mad about leaving the park. It’s hard to leave when you’re having fun.” 

When to worry about toddler head banging

Once a toddler develops other ways of coping with their strong emotions, head banging usually subsides. If your toddler’s head banging persists, causes injury, or prevents them from sleeping, reach out to their pediatrician for advice. 

Learn more about the research

Berkson, G. & Tupa, M. (2000) Early development of stereotyped and self-injurious behaviors. Journal of early intervention, 23(1), 1-19. 

Spinrad, T. L., Stifter, C. A., Donelan-McCall, N., & Turner, L. (2004). Mothers’ regulation strategies in response to toddlers’ affect: Links to later emotion self-regulation. Social Development, 13(1), 40-55.

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By 1 1/2, your toddler can probably tell the difference between yellow and blue. But it may be another year or two before they use color words correctly every time. 

Color can be an especially tricky concept for a toddler because it’s both abstract and nuanced. For example, a fork functions the same way whether it’s green or orange. Colors also come in many different shades—navy and turquoise are both “blue” but don’t look the same. 

A timeline of color understanding

12 to 18 months: start to notice that objects come in different colors. One-year-olds may show a preference for certain colors. For instance, your toddler may specifically choose a green ball from a basket full of colored balls.

18 to 24 months: begin to learn color words. When asked “What color is it?” your child may respond with a color term, though it may not be the correct one. For example, they may hold a yellow ball that and say “blue.” Even though your toddler probably can’t label a color correctly, their intuitive understanding of colors is developing. Try giving your child a green Felt Star and then offering them one green and one yellow Mosaic Button. Ask: “Which button goes with your star?” to see if they can match green with green.

24 to 36 months: correctly identify a few colors. Children can show that they know the correct names for a few colors when asked. Your toddler may point to the right cup if asked, “Where is the red cup?” This shows they can understand color words (receptive language) before they can accurately come up with them on their own (productive language).

After 36 months: come to understand that color is a distinct quality. Children learn to separate the attribute of color from the object itself. Objects can have different colors, even if their function is the same. This is when children can name colors with more accuracy.  

5 fun ways to help your toddler learn colors

As you do these activities, try saying the color name after the object name. Research shows this can be an effective way to help young children learn color words. For example, you can say, “The ball is purple” instead of “This is a purple ball.” 

1. Create a color box

Take a small box or bin and fill it with objects that are all the same color, like yellow—for example, a lemon, a cup, a ball, and some playthings: the star and basket from the Transfer Tweezers & Felt Stars, the piece from the Chunky Wooden Puzzle, and a peg from the Wooden Peg Stand. Place the bin on the floor so your toddler can explore on their own at first. After a few minutes, talk to them about the objects and their colors: “This star is yellow. Will the star fit in the yellow cup?” 

2. Taste a color

At snack time, provide a plate of foods that are all the same color: green kiwi, green edamame, green snap pea crisps, green cucumber. If your toddler enjoys their green snacks, try working your way through the rainbow with a different color snack each day.  

3. Compare colors at the store

As you go about your daily routine, name objects and their colors. This is especially fun at a grocery store, where lots of different colors are on display: “This apple is red and that pepper is also red. Two foods that are red!” 

4. Read a colorful book

Pick a book with realistic photos, like “Colorful Foods” (from The Babbler Play Kit Book Bundle). Point to the objects and name the colors as you read together: “That boy is eating a strawberry. The strawberry is red. The boy’s shirt is also red.” 

5. Go on a color hunt

Take your toddler on an outdoor color scavenger hunt. As you explore nature, work together to find different colored objects. You can take the lead in discovering all the green objects at the park and pointing them out to your child.

Learn more about the research

Kowalski, K., & Zimiles, H. (2006). The relation between children’s conceptual functioning with color and color term acquisition. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 94(4), 301-321.

O’Hanlon, C.G., and Roberson, D. (2006) Learning in context: Linguistic and attentional constraints on children’s color term learning. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 94(4): 275-300.

Ramscar, M., Yarlett, D., Dye, M., Denny, K., & Thorpe, K. (2010). The effects of feature label order and their implications for symbolic learning. Cognitive Science, 34(6), 909-957.

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The Companion Play Kit

The Companion Play Kit is a celebration of the things your child can do, and some things they’re just starting to explore: coloring, matching, comparing, categorizing, stacking, sorting, and more.

Learn more

Book Bundles for The Play Kits

Having the right books at the right time makes all the difference during your child’s early years. Enjoy even more stage-based books—featuring real stories and families—when you add our Book Bundles to your Play Kits Subscription.

Learn more

The post When will your toddler learn their colors? appeared first on Lovevery.

• Better balance and coordination. Different surfaces, like gravel, grass, or an angled ramp, provide new challenges.
• Satisfied curiosity. Your toddler gets a broader and deeper view of the world, from the tiniest ant on the sidewalk to the pointy top of a tall building, when they’re free to explore.
• Heightened confidence. When your toddler successfully tackles a new challenge, like climbing the stairs to the library doors, they gain the confidence to persist on future obstacles, too.

Your toddler doesn’t yet have the impulse control needed to stop themselves from running into a busy street. Their safety comes first, so be sure that you can give them your full attention and react quickly.

3 simple strategies to take a break from the stroller

Walk the last block

Let your toddler out of the stroller for the last block—even half a block—of a longer expedition. Five minutes may not seem like much, but it’s long enough for your toddler to examine a fire hydrant or climb over some tree roots. They may not want to go back in the stroller once they’re out, so a “last-block walk” could work better than starting stroller-free.

Let fences (or walls) do some of the work

Keep your active toddler in sight by visiting a fenced-in park or other area, like a school playground or sports field. And indoor spaces like your local children’s museum, aquarium, conservatory, or toddler-friendly library can be an adventure in any weather. Many of these places have children-centered areas with a single entrance for safety.

Wander the neighborhood

Rather than a 20-minute walk in the stroller, try heading out the door for 20 minutes on foot. Because you’re close to home, you can leave the diaper bag and extras behind and see where your toddler takes you. They may surprise you at how fast they run or how slowly they explore. Don’t be surprised if you spend all 20 minutes in the driveway

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Many children experience a large increase in spoken vocabulary between 18 and 24 months. Your child has been working hard to understand language since they were born. During their first year, they learned how to distinguish sounds and combine those sounds. Their words came slowly at first. At some point, all the pieces fall into place, and they start to say as many as 10 new words each week. 

3 reasons for a big increase in spoken words

The language explosion is still a bit of a mystery to researchers, but recent studies suggest that this exciting developmental phase happens when:

1. Your toddler learns words in parallel

Initially, your child learns just one word at a time. Once they’ve collected enough of these individual words to form a solid foundation in their brain, they start picking up multiple words at the same time.

2. They hear the right ratio of “easy” and “hard” words

Your child’s brain is actually doing some complex statistical work to figure out which word sounds they hear most often. They learn “easy” words—dog, cat, ball—first because they hear them a lot. Research shows that once they know about 50 simple words, “difficult” words—like rainbow or peacock—become easier to pick up.  

3. They start “fast mapping”

Imagine there’s an apple, a cup, and a banana in front of your toddler. Even if your toddler doesn’t know the word for “banana,” they may be able to point to it if they already know the words “apple” and “cup.” This process of elimination helps your child pick up new words quickly. Language experts call it “fast mapping.” 

Can you encourage the ‘language explosion’?

Research suggests that the vocabulary explosion can be encouraged but not rushed. Like most skills, language learning happens in stages. As long as your child is exposed to lots of words every day, their vocabulary will eventually take off.

If your toddler hasn’t experienced a language explosion yet, keep doing all the things you typically do to bring language into their daily life—for example, label objects they show interest in, narrate what’s going on around them, and read lots of books. If you’re concerned about your child’s language development, talk with their pediatrician. 

Learn more about the research

Kuhl, P. K. (2004). Early language acquisition: Cracking the speech code. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5(11), 831-843.

McMurray, B. (2007) Defusing the childhood vocabulary explosion. Science, 317(5838), 631.

In this post

Book Bundles for The Play Kits

Having the right books at the right time makes all the difference during your child’s early years. Enjoy even more stage-based books—featuring real stories and families—when you add our Book Bundles to your Play Kits Subscription.

Learn more

The post The science behind your child’s ‘language explosion’ appeared first on Lovevery.

At 1 ½, your toddler may be ready for puzzles with a variety of shapes, like geometric or animal. They may start by matching shapes oriented in the same direction. When you present the pieces of the Geo Shapes Puzzle, lay out just the largest pieces and align them with their spots in the base. That way, your child can more easily make the visual comparison between the puzzle piece and its place on the board. 

Once your toddler can complete the puzzle with the largest pieces oriented for them, switch it up and rotate the square and triangle pieces so they’re at a different angle. Selecting the right piece will require an extra step of mental rotation. When they’re ready, add in the next layer of challenge by including the nesting pieces of the puzzle.

What puzzle skills will your toddler be ready for next?

Closer to age 2, your toddler may be ready for simple, oversized jigsaw puzzles. The Chunky Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle allows them to practice fitting more complex shapes together. Once your toddler can complete it, they’ll be ready to move on to floor puzzles, which engage the whole body in fun, new ways. 

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The Realist Play Kit

The Realist Play Kit is full of playthings and activities for your one-and-a-half-year-old. Match animals, practice pouring, and more—you and your child can explore together.

Learn more

The Companion Play Kit

The Companion Play Kit is a celebration of the things your child can do, and some things they’re just starting to explore: coloring, matching, comparing, categorizing, stacking, sorting, and more.

Learn more

The post What’s the best type of puzzle for 1.5-year-olds? appeared first on Lovevery.

So if you want to introduce a little screen time now, how do you know what to look for? Use these research-backed tips to select the best quality content for your toddler.

1. Find the educational “sweet spot”

Choose content that introduces fresh concepts your toddler is ready for now. An older child may be able to sound out words, but your young toddler likely isn’t. Look for programs that feature ideas and skills your toddler is already trying to figure out, like managing emotions, taking turns, and understanding cause and effect. For example, “Daniel Tiger” explores relationships and emotions, while “Blues Clues & You” models problem solving. 

2. Look for content that features real people

Your toddler is still developing the cognitive skills to understand what they see on the screen. Programs that show real people doing realistic things help them connect the images and story to their own life: “Daniel Tiger is at the grocery store. I go to the grocery store, too.” Animation adds an extra layer of symbolism that your toddler can’t process quite yet.

3. Choose interactive content

Research has found that children learn more from digital media when they believe they have a relationship with the main character. Your child is more likely to feel that connection with a character who occasionally talks directly to the audience. Look for shows with a simple storyline and only a few moments of this kind of character-audience connection—too much may feel overwhelming. Even if your toddler doesn’t respond to any questions or prompts, these interactive moments can help them stay engaged. 

4. Seek out slower-paced shows with fewer cuts

Each shift in perspective or change in scene is considered a “cut.” Older children can likely follow a more complex storyline with many quick cuts, but research shows that toddlers have trouble keeping track. Loud, fast-moving shows can be especially confusing. For example, they may notice a character was scared without understanding why. A slower pace allows your toddler time to process—with your help—each scene as it unfolds. 

5. Ensure that the sound matches the animations or actions

Good toddler content pairs the sound effects with whatever is happening on the screen: If your toddler hears a dog bark, they should be able to see a dog barking at the same time. Sounds that have nothing to do with what’s visible pull your toddler’s focus, so they can’t follow the main idea from beginning to end.

Learn more about the research

Council on Communications and Media, Hill, D., Ameenuddin, N., Reid Chassiakos, Y. L., Cross, C., Hutchinson, J., Levine, A., … & Swanson, W. S. (2016). Media and young minds. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20162591.

Flynn, R. M., Wong, K. M., Neuman, S. B., & Kaefer, T. (2019). Children’s attention to screen-based pedagogical supports: an eye-tracking study with low-income preschool children in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 13(2), 180-200.

Kirkorian, H. L., Anderson, D. R., & Keen, R. (2012). Age differences in online processing of video: An eye movement study. Child Development, 83(2), 497-507.

Lauricella, A. R., Gola, A. A. H., & Calvert, S. L. (2011). Toddlers’ learning from socially meaningful video characters. Media Psychology, 14(2), 216-232.

Nussenbaum, K., & Amso, D. (2016). An attentional Goldilocks effect: An optimal amount of social interactivity promotes word learning from video. Journal of Cognition and Development, 17(1), 30-40.

Troseth, G. L., Flores, I., & Stuckelman, Z. D. (2019). When representation becomes reality: Interactive digital media and symbolic development. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, 56, 65-108.

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Rescue the critters

Spread the critters from the Quilted Critter Pockets on a large surface, like a coffee table or couch. Walk to the other side of the room with the Critter Pocket. Ask your toddler, “Can you go get the butterfly and bring it home?” Continue until your toddler returns all 12 critters to their pouches, one by one. Along with cognitive skills, like searching and matching, this activity builds balance and agility when your toddler stops, squats, and reaches. 

 Conquer an obstacle course

A simple obstacle course in your living room or down a hallway can meet your child’s need for whole-body movement. Limit the course to just two or three of these obstacles to keep it toddler-friendly: 

1. Make an 8-inch wide “balance beam” on the floor with two strips of painter’s tape.
2. Put a few rolled-up towels or pool noodles on the ground to step over. 
3. Place a yardstick across two kitchen chairs to duck under.
4. Use painter’s tape to make a few staggered “X” marks on the floor for your toddler to jump on.
5. Set up the Organic Cotton Play Tunnel for your toddler to crawl through.
6. End the course with a soft ball for them to kick or a basket with a few soft toys for them to throw.

Climb cushion mountain

Stack couch cushions or pile up some pillows for your toddler to climb up and down. The uneven surface will require them to make small unconscious adjustments to maintain their balance and manage their muscle force. 

Mimic animal moves

Encourage your toddler to stomp like a dinosaur, creep like a spider, or flap like a bird. These movements all coordinate the right and left sides of their body, building critical communication pathways between their brain hemispheres. You can also show them how to hop like a bunny, waddle like a duck, or prance like a pony. Even if your toddler’s bunny hops look more like bunny squats, their efforts will strengthen their body and brain.

Move to the music

Your toddler is learning how to adjust their speed to external demands, like slowing down when a dog walks into their path or reaching for a ball as it rolls by. A dance party can help them practice those on-a-dime adjustments. Put on the Lovevery “Time to Dance” or “Silly Songs” playlist and show your toddler how to move faster and slower to match the tempo.

Learn more about the research

Adolph, K. E., & Hoch, J. E. (2019). Motor development: Embodied, embedded, enculturated, and enabling. Annual review of psychology, 70, 141-164.

In this post

The Realist Play Kit

The Realist Play Kit is full of playthings and activities for your one-and-a-half-year-old. Match animals, practice pouring, and more—you and your child can explore together.

Learn more

The Organic Cotton Play Tunnel

The Lovevery Play Tunnel is perfect for hide and seek, peek a boo, crawling, and more. The tunnel can collapse, making it easy to pack and move. Learn more about the Lovevery Play Tunnel.

Learn more

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