A growing sense of independence is a hallmark of the toddler years. Now that your child walks on their own, they're ready to take off and explore. While this new sense of self-authority can provoke anxiety in parents, this is a positive step in your child's development — one that you need to foster.

Understanding how independence fits into your toddler's development is a step towards helping them to become a confident child with a healthy sense of self-esteem. Look at what you need to know about toddlers, independence, and child development.

Understand Developmental Milestones

As your child reaches the one-year mark, and transitions into a toddler, they're physically more capable than they were as a newborn or infant. Gone are the days when your child needed you to do everything for them. Your toddler still needs you, but they're also expanding the range of activities that they can do by and for themselves.

Your toddler's development pushes them towards independence. By age two, many toddlers can speak in short sentences and follow very simple instructions, as well as run, climb onto furniture, and walk up/down stairs.

With these developmental milestones comes the ability to move and explore on their own. You may notice that your toddler's willingness to act independently increases along with their physical, cognitive (intellectual), and emotional development.

Provide Opportunities

Even though your toddler's sense of independence develops on its own, you can help to boost this skill. By providing plenty of opportunities for your child to act independently, you help them to feel comfortable and confident with their growing abilities.

What can you do to foster independence? Start by taking a step back. This does not mean that you stop supervising your toddler. But this does mean that you can give your child a reasonable amount of space, allowing them to explore and do things for themselves.

You have no need to create elaborate independence activities or schedule independence lesson time. Use everyday activities to build this skill, incorporating opportunities to act independently into the things your toddler would normally do.

This may mean letting them choose their own outfit in the morning, asking them to carry their own backpack to preschool, or giving them choices during snack or meal times.

Incorporate the Childcare Into Your Plan



Helping your toddler to become an independent child can, and should, include every aspect of their life. While allowing your child to act independently may take longer than simply doing everything for them, the extra time provides a valuable opportunity for growth and development.

This means you may need to add extra time onto your pre-preschool daily routine. Leaving extra time to let your child try to dress themselves, brush their own hair, choose a breakfast meal, find their shows, or carry their school bag to the car will pay off for your toddler's overall independence development.

The more they practice these skills right now, the more likely they'll be to feel confident in their own abilities as they move into the preschool and school-age years.

Keep in mind, your toddler's childcare or preschool teacher is part of the developmental equation. The adult supervisors at child care want to help your toddler to grow, develop, and succeed. As a partner in your child's education and development, they need to know your independence-building plan.

If you expect your child to self-feed, wash their hands themselves, or put on their own jacket, talk to the teacher and explain you'd like your child to continue these activities at school.

Are you searching for a new early childhood program that will help your toddler to grow and develop? Contact Small World Early Learning & Development Center for more information.