Toddlers Make the Best Teachers

My views on the incredible, wonderful, amazing, adorable and at times, totally terrifying little creatures, called Toddlers, are my own, and throughout this article I am making sweeping statements.  Needless to say, since each Toddler is already a tiny package of uniqueness and individuality, there are always exceptions and unexpected outcomes when working with them. 

This article is written with all the love and respect in the world for Toddlers.

I have come to the conclusion that one has to be totally dedicated to humanity in order to be a teacher of Toddlers. They can be the most beautiful, innocent  things on the planet. They can also be the most daunting creations in constant motion. Either way, Toddlers are the future. We need to care for them, love them, protect them. Sometimes we need to save them from themselves! The Toddler setting is where we get to witness the beginnings of greatness – unique human beings unfolding and exploring their potential.

As adults, probably our most important ‘task’ in the world is to guide and love the little ones. It is entirely our responsibility to provide a safe, nurturing environment in which Toddlers can embark on the life-long journey that is Life.

In turn, Toddlers are often our best teachers. They mirror the environment. They show us boldly and without hesitation, what we are doing right, or where we are going wrong. Toddlers learn from observing. They follow the role-models we aim to be. We look at them and see ourselves.

Toddlers embody a selection of wonderful qualities. Fearlessness, curiosity, endurance and the ability to absorb knowledge openly and willingly are but a few of the wonders of being a Toddler. Toddlers are equipped with the valuable tool of non-judgement which allows them freedom from viewing others as obstacles to their success. In all areas of development, Toddlers stumble and fall. They get up. They continue. They persevere. They tackle challenges – sometimes head-on and bottoms up! That strong sense of determination needs to be nurtured and supported as we don’t want those precious gifts to weaken or even to disappear. Toddlers naturally trust their decisions.  Endless questioning and futile doubts have not yet made their unwelcome presence.

Toddlers never lose sight of the important things in life – to be loved, to be nourished and to have old cardboard boxes with which to get creative. Hot chocolate and an abundance of fresh play-dough are important too!

Toddlers are free of body issues. They enjoy living in their bodies, using them as a powerful tool to explore the world around them. They learn best through physical sensation – an ability us adults unfortunately often lose the more we rely on our ‘thinking heads’ for learning. Toddlers are mini-packages of joyful energy. They move for the love of movement. Observing the ease with which a Toddler performs the five stages of physical development – embryonic, creeping, crawling, standing and walking - one realises the limitations and fears with which we approach our own bodies and movement. 

Life is one great fascination after the next for these little human beings. They possess the gift of laughter. Rather than spending their energy regretting the past or worrying about the future, Toddlers use it to live in the Now. The Now is all that matters. For Now they need to be warm, safe, fed and loved. The important things in life! With their strong innate belief in themselves, Toddlers don’t pay much attention to boundaries and limitations, and see the world through enthusiastic eyes. A world which is theirs to discover. At 2 years old, a Toddler can be anything he or she wants to be …

Every great leader in the world was once a Toddler.

When we provide Toddlers with valuable life-skills, opportunities and support that they need, we open the doors of possibility for them to become the next leaders of the International Monetary Fund, Olympic athletes, concert pianists or who knows, even death metal band members. While observing my Toddlers, I often stop and ask, “Which one of you little darlings will be responsible for solving the next world crisis, or perhaps for creating the next world crisis?”

The Toddler Spirit lives within each and every child born to us. It is nurtured and developed through play, unconditional love and support. It grows within the encouragement we give, in order for them to extend their own learning capabilities. The Toddler Spirit dares to take risks, stands firm in its greatness and always, in its stubbornness!

Ingrid