Teaching a toddler during their “terrible two’s and three’s” is a feat in itself! They are young, adventurous and know what they want and don’t want. If that isn’t enough, some begin learning the delicate art of emotional manipulation all in the spirit of trying to get what they want. Tantrums, talking back and passive aggressiveness are some of the many ways toddlers test their parents and elders.
Being a parent myself, I noticed that my daughter started throwing more and more tantrums around two to three years old. “Aww yes,” I thought, “It begins.” One theory I had as to why she displayed such erratic behaviour was due to her being unable to express her wishes to me clearly and concisely. Looking back on all the times she threw a tantrum, most of the time it was due to a block in her ability to communicate.
Have you ever ordered food from a restaurant, let’s say rojak, and when your food came out they brought you nasi lemak instead? You clearly explain to the server that you would like rojak and not nasi lemak, so they take the dish to the back and when they come back out they have added more sambal onto your plate. How would you feel?
I imagine this is what many toddlers go through – they really want something, and in their mind, they are stating it clearly, but we don’t always understand as adults. This can be a very frustrating time for children! Add that on top of their discovering their personal preferences and trying different methods in order to get what they want, and you’ve got a recipe for the terrible two’s and three’s.
One Solution for the Terrible Two’s and Three’s
One solution would be to teach your child to communicate early on in their development; this sets you AND your child up for success in the long run.
As babies, children learned to communicate through crying, cooing and mimicking noises they heard from people around them. If it was something serious they needed, such as food or a new nappie, they would cry in order to get our attention. As they turn into toddlers, and their needs become a bit more complex, they communicate the only way they know how: by crying! They have learned that in order to get something they really want, they just have to cry, we will somehow understand what they want and POOF! What they want unfolds before them.
By the time they are toddlers, we don’t want them to cry every time they want something. We want them to tell us what they want. Let’s be honest, it can be quite embarrassing to be in a grocery store when your two-year-old suddenly throws herself on the ground when you refuse to get her the cereal she wants!
Some solutions for dealing with your toddler during this trying phase are as follows:
- Teach them to communicate early, and
- Stand your ground!
Teaching children to communicate early not only helps them get their desires across to you during their toddler years, but you can understand them more clearly! Start young – if your child cries because of a dirty nappie, start training yourself to catch them before they cry. Come up with a way they can communicate to you later on whether or not they have a dirty nappie either by repeating it over and over to them, or sign language.
I have a girlfriend who taught her daughter sign language and it was amazing seeing her communicate with mom and dad at a mere 2 years old!
As for standing your ground, I mean to not give in to your child’s whims simply because they are crying. It is normal for children to cry in order to get what they want, but unfortunately, this isn’t how you get what you want out of life. Don’t believe me? Have you ever tried throwing a tantrum in your boss’ office when they denied you that raise you were seeking? It probably wouldn’t work AND you may lose your job! Don’t teach your child that crying and throwing tantrums is how they get what they want out of life – stand your ground and don’t give in.
If a parent trains their child in such a way that they are given anything they want whenever they cry, I feel that this action actually sets the child up for failure later on in life. They may be more inclined to have high expectations and may also have major emotional whiplash when things don’t always go their way.
About Little Human Scholars School and Full Day Daycare Centre in PJ
Little Human Scholars is an all-in-one childcare solution. It is a preschool, playschool, kindergarten, nursery and full day daycare centre (with extended hours) located in the heart of PJ.
In fact, the location is one of the things which makes Little Human Scholars so sought after – it is conveniently nestled near Jalan Gasing, University hospital, PJ Old town, PJ New town, Jaya One, Jaya33, and the PJ IT Mall.
The best part is LHS has premiere services many other schools in PJ don’t offer such as full-day daycare with extended hours, CCTV access for parents, and a nifty little phone app called Toddlytic which provides parents with automatic updates on their child’s development, behaviour and health checks.
With full-time guards always present at each of their locations, access to CCTV (which is in every room except the office, bathroom and kitchen areas), and very strict pick-up and drop-off rules, Little Human Scholars treats every child who walks into its hallways as one of their own children!
This place has it all: location, safety, health, IGSCE curriculum and play-based learning. What more could you ask for? Did I mention they also have transportation services and offer meal plans for students? It doesn’t get any better than that.
If you are interested in a tour of one of our centres (that’s right, there’s more than one), all you need to do is fill out the form here or call +6017-7303-025 and an LHS administrative staff will get back with you shortly!
Cheers,
Jana Moreno