Toddler Growth and Development

Kindergarten Prep: Name WritingThe step following mark-making is letter writing, creating symbols that are recognizable to you and to your child. Young children often make the most progress writing the letters in their name before writing any ot...

Kindergarten Prep: Use Your Walking Feet There is every real possibility that your child's kindergarten classroom will have a set of rules posted on the wall. In every community there must be rules, which provide some sense of order and boundar...

Editor’s Note: The clay recipes in this article were published with permission by Trish Kuffner, author of The Toddler's Busy Book. Working with homemade clay is more than just a fun thing to do, whether you're an adult or a child. Studies hav...

Kindergarten Prep: Separation AnxietyUp to this point in her life, your child has pretty much been exclusively in your company. That is to say, except for visits to relatives, she's always been around you and she knows you're there to take care ...

Kindergarten Prep: Clean-Up Time In the kindergarten classroom, your child will be expected to do her share of taking care of the classroom environment. This can include anything from picking up blocks after play to throwing away trash after sn...

Kindergarten Prep: Writing ToolsIn learning to write, your child first needs time to explore a variety of writing tools. Over time you will introduce how to hold writing tools properly and your child will begin to perfect her skills in using tho...

Are you preparing your child to be independent? Teaching your child life skills is not only important for self-care and sufficiency — but it also allows him to feel empowered, works on socialization and reasoning, and helps develop healthy self...

Did you know that reading to your baby can boost his brain power? The American Academy of Pediatrics announced a new policy in June 2014 advising that parents regularly read aloud to kids from infancy through at least age 5 because it stimulates ...

See ya, diapers! If your child is ready to foray into the world of big kid underwear, it's helpful to have a few potty training secrets up your sleeve. Try some of these parent-suggested tips to help make your experience as easy as possible. Fro...

Start watching TV, choose their own clothes, have a cell phone, wear makeup, and stay home alone? Knowing when your child is ready for these responsibilities really comes down to knowing your child, but seeing how other parents weigh in can give ...

Print this developmental milestone chart, and check off each milestone as your child grows into her first year of life. It's important to remember that babies develop at different rates, and this printable represents general guidelines. ...

"But Mo-omm!" Sound familiar? Children whine at all ages, whether you have a toddler who wants a new toy or a teen who wants to stay out an hour past curfew. Having a whiny child on your hands is sure to fray your nerves, so nip this bad habit in...

Stretching Your Child's Brain Power During the preschool period, one of the ways parents can support the development of their child's thinking is to point out the features of objects that a child might not spontaneously attend to. And althou...

Pick a word from each hand and match it to a glove, to form words that always seem to go together. ...

Three-year-olds aren't able use words at all times when they are angry, frustrated, or frightened. ...

Take our quiz to find out if you have the right expectations for your three- or four-year-old. ...

Heart Prints Activity for an individual child Age group: 18-40 months Duration of activity: 15 minutes Materials: Red and pink tempera paint Pie tins Kitchen sponges Scissors Clothespins White construction paper or bond paper This activity will ...

Harvest Bowling Activity for an individual child or a group Age group: 30-40 months Duration of activity: 20 minutes Materials: 5 small dried gourds Masking tape 1 or 2 small round pumpkins Help develop your child's motor skills while exposing h...