Search Articles

11 articles found

Safety

Why 'Stranger Danger' Doesn't Work With Toddlers — and What Does

"What do we say to strangers?" "Don't talk to them!" Almost every parent has had that conversation with a four-year-old. It feels like teaching them s...

10 min read

Safety

First Steps: The Six Months When a Toddler's Falls Get Bigger

There's a stretch of about six months in every toddler's life when the household injury rate genuinely spikes. It's the bit between "can stand if held...

8 min read

Safety

Fast Cartoons and Toddler Attention: What the Evidence Actually Says

The "my child is wired after watching that show" feeling has more research behind it than most parents realise. The evidence is not on the absolute le...

6 min read

Play

Pretend Play: Why It Matters and How to Support It at Home

The 2-year-old solemnly offering a teaspoon to a stuffed rabbit, or the 4-year-old narrating that the cushions on the sofa are now lava and you have t...

6 min read

Play

Play for Children Aged 18–24 Months: Exploration and Active Play

Eighteen to twenty-four months is a period of rich development and, often, rich difficulty. The toddler in this phase is grappling with desires that e...

4 min read

Play

Play Ideas for Children Aged 12–18 Months: Movement and Discovery

The 12–18-month-old has just become a walker, and the world looks different. Cupboards open. Kitchen drawers turn out to contain whisks and Tupperware...

7 min read

Play

Messy Play: Benefits, Preparation, and Ideas for Young Children

Toddlers reach for the muddy puddle for the same reason they put everything in their mouths in the first year — their brains are running a rapid, hand...

6 min read

Development

Independence Skills in Toddlers: Supporting Self-Care Without Pressure

There is a stretch between 18 months and 3 years when "I do it" becomes the most-used phrase in your house. The shoe goes on the wrong foot. The yogur...

6 min read

Daycare

Which Self-Care Skills Develop in Daycare?

Most parents notice it in the first month: their child is suddenly putting on their own shoes, eating with a spoon without a fight, or asking to use t...

6 min read

Play

Block Play by Developmental Stage: What Children Learn from Building

A good set of wooden blocks may be the most educationally valuable toy a young child can own. That isn't marketing or parental nostalgia — it's what t...

4 min read

Development

Learning to Dress Themselves: When Toddlers Develop Self-Dressing Skills

A 3-year-old wrestling a jumper onto themselves — head poking out of an arm hole, eventually emerging triumphant with the label at the front and the b...

6 min read