This document provides information on typical toddler development between 18-36 months in the areas of social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development. It discusses normal development milestones as well as potential abnormalities. Suggested activities and strategies are outlined to support development in each area. The roles of teachers and adults in facilitating activities and modeling behaviors are also discussed. Finally, the document mentions considerations for cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental factors and provides additional resources.

1. Toddlers
18-36 Month Development
Social
Emotional
Physical
Cognitive
Language

2. What to Expect
Typical and abnormal development
Activities and strategies to support development
Teacher and adult roles in supporting development
Cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic and environmental factors

3. Social Development
Normal Development Abnormal Development
• Copies others • Doesn’t point to show someone
• Plays close to and sometimes with other something
children
• Shows interest in pretend play • Doesn’t make eye contact with
(example… playing with a doll) others
• Points to show others things
• Doesn’t play pretend
• Notices emotions of other people
• Usually does not like to share
• Doesn’t copy others actions
• Excited to see familiar people • Doesn’t show interest in playing
• Begins to make friends or favor people with others

4. Activities and Strategies Teacher and Adult Roles
to Support Social Development in Supporting Social Development
• Dramatic Play Area • Teachers help children explore how we are
alike and different and honor all families.
• Children learn about themselves and what
they like by trying new activities. • Encourage child to play pretend and be
creative.
• For example, children can try on new roles
and perspective of other people in their lives
• Give child props and dress-up clothes.
or in their community.
• Help your child resolve conflicts or problems
• Turn taking activities in a healthy way.
• Pushing cars back & forth, putting shapes • Provide guidance and initiate sharing and turn
into a shape sorter or blowing bubbles. taking.
• Eating/Pretend to eat • Be understanding that toddlers are less willing
to be complaint when they are tired or not
• Classroom Chores feeling well.
• Teaches team work • Model positive social and sharing behaviors in
• Encourage and model conversation to help your everyday interactions with children and
them accomplish their task parents.

5. Emotional Development
Normal Development Abnormal Development
• Has temper tantrums or shows • Shows little to no emotion (example…
defiant behavior happy, sad, excited or anger)
• Shows fear or is nervous around • Does not realize when unknown
strangers people are present
• Shows affection towards others • Fails to make eye contact or frequently
look at the primary caregiver
• Shows concern for others • Does not show any signs of affection
toward others (example… another
• Understands the idea of “mine” and child crying)
“no”
• Lacks emotion when a toys is taken by
• Begins to show signs of guilt or another child
remorse

6. Activities and Strategies Teacher and Adult Roles
to Support Emotional Development in Supporting Emotional Development
• Looking at pictures of emotions • Help your child understand and name
feelings.
• Read/look books about feelings and
emotions • Just being there and listening to them.
• Have pictures of different emotions and • Show interest, empathy and understanding
what they are around the classroom where of how they are feeling.
the children can see.
• Respond to child’s emotional and physical
• Have a quite place in your room where a needs.
child can go to if they are feeling
angry, sad, or upset and just need a • Express feelings and emotions in a safe
moment to calm down. and appropriate ways.
• Allow them to show their anger in a way
that is okay and what is not okay.

7. Physical Development
Normal Development Abnormal Development
• Walk and run • Doesn’t walk steadily
• Change speed and direction
• Climb onto a steady chair
• Throw and kick balls
• Dances to music
• Begin to climb stairs
• Able to balance with minimal
effort

8. Activities and Strategies Teacher and Adult Roles
to Support Physical Development in Supporting Physical Development
• Play ball/bean bags • Have activities that promote balance within your
classroom.
• Roll the ball, kick, throw, etc…
• Give child opportunities to run, throw, jump, climb, walk
• Dance/Freeze dance • Provide your child with push and pull toys.
• Learns to control body & movements • Encourage your children to be active inside and outside
daily.
• Climbing up & down stairs
• Give child opportunities to use
crayons, markers, paintbrushes.
• Set up obstacle course
• Give child opportunities to use toys with parts to take
• Riding toys with peddles apart and put together.
• Helps them learn to use to push their feet • Provide opportunities to use fingers to pick up small
items, and do finger plays.
• Painting with fingers/brushes • Dance and sing songs with actions, and play movement
games together.
• Playing with play dough
• Provide opportunities to move in variety of spaces such
as under, through, between; use furniture or playground
• Stringing beads onto a string equipment.

9. Cognitive Development
Normal Development Abnormal Development
• Uses common items appropriately • Doesn’t know how to use
(example… spoon, phone, toy hammer)
common items
• Line up and stack blocks
• Shows eye-hand coordination • Doesn’t frequently gain new
words
• Grasps items with pointer finger and
thumb
• Asks for help when needed
• Begins counting and Identifying shapes
• Begins solving problems (example…
blows on hot food)

10. Activities and Strategies Teacher and Adult Roles
to Support Cognitive Development in Supporting Cognitive Development
• Reading books
• Encourage vocabulary building and verbal • Allow them to try & figure out problems and
development. suggest possible solutions to them.
• Playing with blocks
• Provide different shapes, colors or sizes, of
• Learn balancing concepts blocks.
• Puzzles & shape sorters
• Help them sort from smallest to largest, or
• Allows them to problem-solve, increases longest to shortest, or by color.
memorization, understand the relationship between
objects as they match shapes and figure out how
things fit. • Describe what your child is doing during this
process.
• Sensory table
• Sense of touch to learn • Explore outdoors with your child, and look for
patterns, size, number and shapes in nature and
• Identify noise in the community.
• Give them choices to choose from
• Use numerical concepts in everyday routines.
• Sing/practice the ABC’s
• Counting everything/anything
• Point out shapes & colors

11. Language Development
Normal Development Abnormal Development
• Incorporate plurals on simple words • Doesn’t copy others words
• Recognizes things or pictures when
they are named • Does not speak in sentences
• Repeats words • Produces an unusual amount of
drool
• Can say first name and age
• Follows instructions • Speech is unclear
• Shows interest in reading and writing • Doesn’t understand simple
• Creates sounds while playing with toys instructions
(example… animal noises)
• Does not communicate feelings

12. Activities and Strategies Teacher and Adult Roles
to Support Language Development in Supporting Language Development
• Listening to music, doing things with • Encourage your child to use sounds and actions to
music, singing songs, playing with instruments communicate with you.
• Learning about rhymes • Talk together
• Pay attention when your child talks
• Going to the grocery store/library/field trip…
• Make stories & books part of your everyday routine
• Talking about food/outside/what you are doing
• Adapt schedules and activities to meet needs of a
• Learning how to use a book certain child
• Discovery print • Labels & objects with print and pictures
• Learning my name • Speak in complete sentences
• respond with the correct pronunciation when your child
mispronounces something.
• Use props, such as puppets or dolls, with the stories.
• Give your child the chance to communicate with other
children.

13. Cultural, Ethnic, Socioeconomic
and Environmental Factors
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here
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14. Resources
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention Learn the Signs Act Early
•http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/
• Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines
•http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/development/docs/guidelines.pdf
• Washington State Department of Early Learning Growth and Development
•http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/esit/docs/PrescreenChart_English.pdf
• National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families Behavior and Development
•http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/
•http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/areas-of-expertise/free-parent-brochures-and-guides/age-based-
handouts.html