Parents, relatives and other care givers must provide a “community of care” in grooming toddlers to get best results from the child in future years. Early experiences shape children’s future development. Hence relationships between parents and care givers are very sensitive and touchy in a toddler’s rearing. Warm collaborative parenting helps in providing an environment in which the child is raised according to his/her genetic makeup.

Family indeed is a child’s primary social group. Learning starts with the family at home. So, creating a safe open home environment is the first step a parent should ensure for the toddler’s positive growth. Consistency and structure to develop feelings of security and schedules in the family environs helps the child a lot in his/her development. In other words, one needs to lead by examples for developing clumsy toddlers into lively explorers of their world.

By age 2 your little one may have learnt 50 words and by age 5 may know 1000s and may even tell stories. Most children can walk upstairs one at a time at age 2, kick a ball or draw simple strokes with pencils. By 5 most can dress and undress themselves and write some lowercase and capital letters. They become stronger and start to look longer and leaner, thinks and reasons, learn their letters, count and colour and gradually learn how to manage their feelings. Thus physical, cognitive, emotional and social changes do happen besides sensory and motor development and learning process. By being told and by observation of everyday life in the family the child imbibes values and skills too during these early years. Respect, compassion, fairness and responsibility are values that the toddler picks up from his/her care giving community.

Kids often demand your individual undivided attention. Make eye contact and then speak directly what you wish to. Find something to praise which gives confidence and pride in the child. But it is better to keep your praise specific to a task well done by him/her. Look for characters, sing, tell a story or make funny noises to grab attention. Encourage children to share their thoughts. Don’t ask. Tell. Speak in simple phrases or say the same thing in two different ways. Be patient. Remember kids are most likely to cooperate if they don’t feel rushed.Go slow at their matching pace. Sometimes you may be parent of a savvy yet stubborn kid; a child in his/her “terrible twos”. You will need to learn methods of handling temper tantrums to bring the child to ease for real good results. Sternness and sympathy should go hand in hand here. Give the child a hug that brings in confidence and comfort in him/her. Family is the fulcrum upon which the toddlers’ shape their initial thoughts and understandings on life. Hence have always warm and healthy relationships, especially before the toddlers.

Foundations of a kid’s future lie on development of good EQ/IQ levels. Social and emotional skills including motivation, perseverance, impulse control, coping mechanisms, ability to delay gratifications and roots of empathy need to be laid firm in the home turf for the child to flourish. Side by side, verbal comprehension, memory, reasoning and processing speed skills also should be nourished with a methodical approach for the toddlers to pick up their bits. Nature and nurture thus will mould your clumsy toddler into lively explorer in future years.

Well, you require a peaceful atmosphere for any constructive activity. Provide it with care to your toddler to groom him to be a wonderful child.