Toddlers

  

At Synergy Learning Academy, our toddler program provides young children with thoughtfully designed indoor and outdoor learning environments. They experience guided and independent opportunities that foster physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development.

Through active, hands-on participation, toddlers acquire impressions of the world around them. Early impressions cultivate conceptual foundations that gradually build awareness.

We offer a  nurturing environment with gentle guidance that allows young children to grow and learn at their own pace.  Within safe boundaries, young children are invited to interact freely as they are introduced to early concepts of care of self, care of others and care of their environment.

Developmental Milestones

Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called developmental milestones. Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (like crawling, walking, or jumping).

During the second year, toddlers are moving around more, and are aware of themselves and their surroundings. Their desire to explore new objects and people also is increasing. During this stage, toddlers will show greater independence; begin to show defiant behavior; recognize themselves in pictures or a mirror; and imitate the behavior of others, especially adults and older children. Toddlers also should be able to recognize the names of familiar people and objects, form simple phrases and sentences, and follow simple instructions and directions.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a toddler is a child between the ages of 1 and 3The word toddler comes from “to toddle,” which means to walk unsteadily, like a child of this age. 

Toddlers are experiencing a lot of cognitive, emotional, and social development during this time. At 2-3 years, toddlers are developing new skills in many areas, including language, thinking, and movement. Some developmental milestones at 2 years include: 

 
  • Sorting shapes and colors
  • Finding things hidden under multiple layers
  • Completing sentences in familiar books
  • Playing simple make-believe games
  • Building towers with four or more blocks
  • Following two-step instructions
  • May start to develop a dominant hand
Some activities that can help with toddler development include: 
  • Talking and listening
  • Reading
  • Playing outdoors
  • Playing with others
  • Cooking together