Toddler Emotional Development 

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Warm, accepting, close relationships provide the foundation for healthy emotional development for toddlers.

Toddlers (1 to 2 1/2 years old)

Your sensitive and responsive interactions with a child are more important than any toy. Toddlers need opportunities to explore, be responsible, and make significant choices. This promotes mastery over their environment and confidence in their abilities.

You should encourage toddlers to do things for themselves, such as feeding and dressing. Plan activities that allow for independence, yet be careful not to frustrate them with an activity that is still too difficult. Their verbal skills are not developed enough to respond with words, so they may resort to biting. Toddlers often respond to situations without being aware of their emotional state. You should help toddlers sort out their feelings by giving words to them when they are scared, angry, or excited. Helping toddlers identify their emotions and use language is an important part of your job. For example, some toddlers may bite their playmates when angry or frustrated.

To meet the emotional needs of toddlers, make sure you:

• Allow them to feed and dress themselves and encourage the development of self-help skills when they are ready
• Encourage and support their developmental achievements such as walking, talking, and climbing
• Listen and expand toddlers’ emerging language. 

​An example of expanded language is:

• Child says, “Truck!”
• You say, “Yes, it is a big, blue truck that makes a lot of noise.”

Course Navigation Menu

1. Course Agenda
2. Social & Emotional Development
3. What is Social-Emotional?
4. Individual Differences​
5. Love is Not Enough
6. Supporting Social-Emotional (1/5)
7. Milestones in Infants
8. Infant Emotional Development
9. Infants and Toddlers

10. Milestones in Toddlers
11. Toddler Emotional Development
12. Toddler Social Development
13. Toddler Social/Emotional (2/5)
14. Milestones in Preschoolers
15. Preschool Emotional Development
16. Preschool Social Development
17. Development of Emotions
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18. Identify Emotions (3/5)
19. More About Emotions
20. Learning to Regulate 
21. Self-Regulation
22. Self-Regulation Skills (4/5)
23. End of Course Quiz (5/5)
24. Course Evaluation Form​
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