I Fall Down, but I Get Up Again!

Okay, not exactly the song lyrics, but they do apply to the 18-24 month old set in a very real way and for good reason. These little bitties have just figured out walking and are well on their way to running and fast! But parents and teachers of toddlers are already aware of that, what is of particular interest at this stage is the odd ball behavior of falling on purpose.

Part of this developmental stage is continued input into the vestibular system. This is the part of the body made up of the tiny bones of the middle ear that are responsible for balance and help our brains understand our place in space. When a toddler topples on purpose they are adding to the input of their vestibular system and they learn how their body works in space. (Willis & Mitchell, 2014)

This feeds into that other silly behavior of spinning and spinning until they fall, get back up and do it over and over and over. Vestibular input is incredibly vital at this stage of development, as it helps to prepare them for other all sorts of incredible gross and fine motor development later on, as well as that all important mid-line cross that leads to handwriting in a few years. So the more spinning, rocking, falling, jumping, running, and swinging the better.

What about that oh so fun, yet super frustrating repetition of all the things? Read my favorite book, 100 times! Play the one sound on the toy 90,000 times! Wear only the red shirt! Eat only orange foods! Toddlers are in a language shift, they have just spent the last 18 months acquiring language and are now beginning to really use it. Most children have a speaking vocabulary of 60 words, however they have a responsive vocabulary between 200 and 500 words. They want as much opportunity to hear language that is familiar to them, in order to work out how to get those words they understand (responsive language), out of their brains, and into the two and three word sentences they have begun to form (Piper, 2012).

So when you are reading "I would not eat them here or there, I would not eat them anywhere," for what feels like the 35th time in two days, take heart dear teacher, you are building their vocabulary in a real and meaningful way.  Oh, and protip, have three or four of everything in your classroom, I know the the industry standard is "two of a favorite toy", but that really doesn't fly with this crew. My motto with toddlers is a pair and a spare!

Happy Teaching,

~Sarah




Sources:
Piper, T. (2012). Making meaning, making sense: Children’s early language learning. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

Willis, J., & Mitchell, G. (2014). The Neuroscience of Learning: Principles and Applications for Educators. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.