A Child Academy has been serving Alachua county as one of the top Florida preschool providers for nearly 40 years. In this time we’ve built a reputation for ourselves as Gainesville #1 preschool and child care provider. We base our preschool Gainesville programs’ practices on decades of professional experience as well as ongoing research regarding the topics of social, cognitive, and emotional development. When you find yourself in need of child care Alachua FL service providers you can turn to ACA with confidence. Besides having a tremendous amount of experience as a company who’s worked with children of all personality types; we also have the advantage of having a passionate team of child care service specialists.
A Child’s Academy has had the opportunity to develop itself as Gainesville Florida go-to provider of child care tips and services. Since our company inception we’ve been on a mission to a create a preschool, VPK, and after school care facility that would offer families a vast amount of resources for helping throughout the journey of parenthood. In this article we wanted to take the time to cover the a question we’ve heard quite often:
Can Toddlers Follow Directions?
Child Care Alachua FL
As providers of professional child care Alachua FL programs we’ve seen and experienced quite a bit when it comes to personality types, behavioral patterns, special cases, and probably just about anything you can imagine encountering a sa parent. Our team at ACA has extensive experience caring for toddlers and has become quite familiar with the patterns toddlers have in following directions. As a parent of a young child I’m sure you can relate to the following scenario. You ask your toddler to please pick up a toy and place it in their toy chest. Instead the little tyke glances at your direction lets out a giggle and proceeds to throw the toy to the other side of the room. What just happened? At this point you may be feeling somewhat annoyed or frustrated; take a deep breath. As you cool down you may wonder to yourself if what you’re asking for is beyond the age of your child. You might wonder – Can a toddler really follow directions? The answer in short is yes, but not all the time.
There are Several Reasons as to why a toddler may not be following a set of directions at any given moment. Although most toddlers have been prepared since infancy to absorb language so they may better communicate. Toddlers yearn to gain more independence, understand us, and be understood. But if this is the case why is that so often it’s more difficult than you feel it should be to get them to listen? Like we said before it could be one of many factors, let’s break it down.
Child Care Alachua FL
They’re Testing Boundaries
If you’ve ever noticed how much a toddler enjoys observing the results of poking, toppling over items, dumping out containers, and other similar activities you can see that toddlers are determined to explore and discover. In a very similar fashion research has shown that toddlers also enjoy seeing their parents be reactive. This is easy to understand if you step back and see what your toddler is trying to do in both scenarios. To toddlers new experiences feel like an experiment that they’d like to see the results of; they’re simply trying to make sense of the world.
Child Care Alachua FL
You Don’t Have Their Full Attention
You have to keep in mind just how new toddlers are to being here. The world is an enormous place for a toddler; everything is exciting and unexpected. If your toddler often seems distracted it’s because they are. The exploration of cause and effect is one of the biggest driving forces for toddlers and making messes is a lot more fun than tidying them up. Don’t get worked up simply communicate what you’d like your toddler to do and if needed help them complete the task.
Child Care Alachua FL
They’re Saying “I’m My Own Person”
During their first year of infancy your child will reach the developmental stage in their life in which they’ll realize that they are separate from others; they are individuals. Take a step back and simply attempt to place yourself in this situation. Try to imagine just how emancipating and scary that must feel all at once.
Getting Your Toddler to Listen
Child Care Alachua FL
There are several things you can do when asking your toddler to do something in order to help them follow directions more readily. In our next article, we’ll be going a bit more in-depth regarding these child care tips. If you want your toddler to listen more often then you should:
- Create a channel of respectful communication
- Give simple directions
- Keep your expectations realistic for your little one’s abilities
If you have any questions our preschool Gainesville locations or child care Alachua FL programs don’t hesitate to contact us today. We look forward to working with your child and family.
