Toddlers and Self-Regulation

When your toddler learns the basics of “self-regulation,” your toddler is learning how to pay attention to something important (ignoring distractions), and follow rules and directions to make the right choices. Help your toddler learn self-regulation with easy activities. 

For example, use a spoon to drum on a pot or a box. You and your toddler can step, jump or tiptoe to the beat until you say “freeze” or “stop.” When you start drumming again, you both step, march, tiptoe or hop. Then say stop, and repeat. With this activity, your toddler can play drummer, too. “In a nutshell, self-regulation is the ability to stop, think and then act,” reports PBSKids.org.  Your toddler can become more kindergarten-ready by mastering self-regulation at home.