You have a new child starting in your room, their excited, their parents are happy and the family seems to be settling in well with the centre environment. The first day has come for the child to start, parents say goodbye and then the child starts - screaming, crying, pulling, begging their parent not to leave.  

Toddlers want to do more on their own and do not like it when you begin to establish limits on their behaviour. Tantrums can become frequent when a toddler can't get what they want. This is a natural part of their social and emotional development. Toddlers are also curious about other people and will tend to stare at anyone who attracts their attention.

Toddlers use language in more sophisticated ways during this phase of their life. This occurs as a toddler has a better grasp of the rules of the language, through increased vocabulary and learning new skills. They are becoming increasingly familiar with the concept of conversation and through play and social interactions it strengthens and improves their verbal skills.

Toddler advance and gains new skills in Gross Motor Development milestones achieved throughout earlier years. Co-ordination and challenges that could not be performed before such as hopping, skipping and balancing are now easier to attempt. Toddlers are more agile and athletic during this stage than before.

As your toddler progresses during this stage, Fine Motor Development becomes increasingly important. Not because this helps your toddler become more independent, it's because it is linked to problem solving and cognitive development & learning.

Toddlers have a greater understanding of the world around them by this stage. Their cognitive development (also known as intellectual development and thinking skills) continues to increase during this period. The ability to learn new skills, understanding of concepts, begins to make sense of current events, solve problems and use of memory steadily improves. Toddlers will begin to interpret the meanings of their experiences and they also have a vivid imagination.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder of the neurodevelopmental type in which there are significant problems of attention and/or hyperactivity and acting impulsively that are not appropriate for a person's age. These symptoms must begin by age six to twelve and be present for more than six months for a diagnosis to be made. In school-aged children the lack of focus may result in poor school performance. This article gives you info on ADHD in Children.

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behaviour. These signs all begin before a child is three years old.

As a parent, your behavioural expectations of your child can be higher than what is actually developmentally appropriate for your child's age.

It is fairly common for your child to behave inappropriately as they begin to grow and gain independence. It is necessary to discipline your child in order for them to learn to accept a set of rules, behave in an acceptable manner, respect limits of freedom (rather than having their own way) and obey you (the parents). Discipline is an action directed towards improving the individual child.