First Friday Q & A for September…Where did summer go?
(You can also find the video here.)
Frustrated, Biting Toddler (0:10)
Resources on Biting:
Responding to Your Child’s Bite {Center for the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning – Vanderbilt}
Why Do Toddlers Bite {Zero to Three}
All About Biting {Exchange}
Verbal Skills:
Verbalizing Emotions {NJC}
Learning Language Resource Guide {Modern Parents Messy Kids}
Other:
Time Outs are for Coaching {NJC}
Fear of Dogs (5:05)
First Steps to Mighty Hearts: The Origins of Courage {NAEYC}
Dealing Positively with Emotions (7:56)
Social Skills Book List {CSEFEL – Vanderbilt}
Keep sending your questions to questions@notjustcute.com!
I’m glad you mentioned that the fear of dogs might be ok. I would say that a fear, at least a respect, of dogs is very healthy for young kids. It is reasonable because a dog could literally rip apart a young child. A dog to a toddler is like a lion or great white shark to an adult — no adult would be remiss for being nervous around these creatures. Doubly important is that you say the parents are afraid of and dislike dogs. I daresay that the parents will be unsuccessful in instilling courage in the child if they themselves exhibit fear in the presence of a dog. My young kids have no problem around our dogs, but I’m happy and impressed to see that they are prudently wary around other dogs.
So true that parents’ emotions and reactions have a powerful influence on a child’s attitude as well. I LOVED toads as a child and would catch and play with them a lot with my siblings. It wasn’t until I was almost an adult that I learned that my mom HATES toads – even more than snakes. But she was careful not to pass that on to us by saying something negative or by keeping us from playing with them. (Though she certainly didn’t stick around when we played with them…..)
we have a calm-down spot, too. We snuggle in it when we need it. I also recommend (HIGHLY) using baby signs. aslpro.com is a great resource. teaching my son to sign “help” and “milk” and “no thank you” has proven invaluable.
Good luck!
Great tip, Emily! We used a bit of baby signs in our home, and while our boys never used them extensively, I really think just exposing them to that as a language experience helped strengthen their verbal skills as toddlers. I agree, that would be a wonderful resource to look into!
Amanda, my daughter too had emotional issues with her inability to communicate. A friend of mine who is a kindergarten teacher recommended this book and now I am recommending it to you!
The Happiest Toddler on the Block:
http://www.amazon.com/Happiest-Toddler-Block-Cooperative-Four-Year-Old/dp/0553384422
Check it out at your library. It really helped our family out while our daughter found “her words.” Wishing you the best of luck. Remember there are other moms out there who understand…