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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Developmental Stages and Milestones

Toddler

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

/ˈtɒdlə/nounCore term

In child development & early education, toddler means: A young child who has recently learned to walk, roughly between one and three years old.

In Turkish: yürümeye yeni başlayan çocuk, 1-3 yaş çocuğu

How it is used

An everyday word used by parents and professionals alike. Nurseries often have a toddler room, and books talk about the toddler years. The verb toddle means to walk with short, unsteady steps.

Example sentences

  1. Toddlers often say 'no' as they discover they can make their own choices.

  2. She moved up to the toddler room when she started walking.

Common collocations

  • toddler room
  • the toddler years
  • toddler group
  • busy toddler
  • infantA baby, usually a child in the first year of life; some services use the word for children up to about 18 months or two years.
  • preschoolerA child who is old enough for preschool but has not yet started school, usually aged about three to five.
  • tantrumA sudden outburst of crying, shouting, kicking or throwing oneself on the floor, common in toddlers who cannot yet express or control strong feelings.
  • parallel playPlay in which children play next to each other, often with similar toys, but mostly do not play together or join in each other's games.

More terms: Developmental Stages and Milestones

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