Discussion: Age-Appropriate Toddler﻿ Scenario * Module 2 Page 24 (12/13)

Discussion: Age-Appropriate Toddler Scenario * Module 2 Page 24 (12/13)

6/4/2016

30 Comments

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Please read the scenario, then discuss the following questions:

Do you think this behavior or expectation is age-appropriate?
If so, how could you explain this to the parents/co-workers?
Is there anything you can do to prevent this situation from happening again?

Toddler Scenario
You have been working with toddlers at the Stay-and-Play Child Care Center for over a year and love their energy and curiosity! A new teacher assistant is subbing with you and tells two toddlers struggling over a toy phone to “share nicely” which just escalates the fighting. She finally removes the toy and tells them no one can have it if they don’t share. The toddlers are now both crying and whining for the phone and the rest of the class is starting to as well. The sub tells you that she is used to kindergartners and doesn’t know what to do with toddlers.

30 Comments

Faith

4/25/2018 06:32:45 pm

Do you think this behavior or expectation is age-appropriate?
If so, how could you explain this to the parents/co-workers?
Is there anything you can do to prevent this situation from happening again?
1. I do think this is age appropriate because although they know it's being taken away they don't really understand why. All they know is that they don't get the toy they want. I would tell parents/ the sub that the children need to be told and have it fully explained to them why you are taking the toy away and why they cannot play with it.
To prevent this I would have told the kids that one can play with it when the other is done and we just need to find something else to play with until it is their turn. At least in my experience kids understand that it is not their turn more then they do that they need to share or the toy will be gone.

Morgan Miller

4/26/2018 02:01:30 pm

I do think that this behavior is normal for children this age as their understanding of the concept of sharing hasn't quite developed yet and they may not know how to communicate what they want in a productive way. I would respond to this situation by explaining this to parents or co-workers and ensuring caregivers know the importance of modeling in situations like this. In order to prevent a situation like this happening again I would work on redirecting the children and using this situation as an opportunity for them to learn and grow in order to respond more positively next time.

Anna Dodson

4/27/2018 10:32:41 am

I would say that this is very common and expected behavior and that toddlers are learning how to share and communicate with each other. I would push the sub to have them ask each other if they are of talking age, otherwise I would find another toy for them to play with so that they can engage in parallel play with similar toys. You need to explain to them what is happening during the process though.

Melissa

4/29/2018 12:21:09 pm

It is extremely common of toddler-age children to have difficulty sharing, however, just instructing them to "share nicely" is not an effective way to handle that situation because they don't necessarily have the emotional capacity or maturity to share without being coached through it at this point in their brain development. I would help the sub out and show her how to help them through it, probably by having whoever attempted to take the toy from their friend ask the child that had it first if they may play with the toy when they're done, or provide a similar toy if there is one available. In my experience it helps to remind the children that we use nice words and provide an example, such as "I really like that toy you have; may I play with it when you're done?" I don't know that there is much to be done about preventing the situation from happening again other than working through the process of using words over and over again; eventually the children will get it, but it will take some time.

Samantha Baker

4/30/2018 01:27:40 pm

This behavior is very common with toddlers! A lot fo the children may be an only child so they may not know the concept of sharing, which then teaches the children that something they want will be taken away without knowing why. I think that having multiple options out and asking one child to help you get another toy is a great way to help distract them from that toy until the other is done with it.

Shaleese Enderton

5/1/2018 04:27:38 pm

1. This behavior is age appropriate.
2. Toddlers are very possessive and they don't like to give up their toy to anyone.
3. She could have tried to talk to them and told them the importance of taking turns. If that doesn't work you could try to redirect them to a different activity.

Rushna Guirgius

5/1/2018 08:06:19 pm

I would explain to the co teacher that as it is a very common behavior for a toddler it is much more productive to take this as a learning moment and teach the kids to share and take turns.

Stephanie Hopkins link

5/2/2018 09:39:42 am

I do believe that this behavior is age appropriate. I think that you could explain to parents/the teacher that the children are still quite young and may not yet understand the concept of sharing. They are also very emotional at this age (hence the whining/crying). I would redirect the children with different engagement activities (coloring/craft/outside play) or introduce new toys that they could play with together.

Terra Beckman

5/2/2018 02:52:17 pm

I think that she shouldn't have taken the phone away that she should have warned them first that if they didn't share that she would have taken it away. I would prevent it by asking what she is experienced in and told her how toddlers do things and act.

Kelsey Manucci

5/3/2018 01:00:47 pm

It is not age an appropriate expectation because the children are two years old you not only have to say what they may or may not do you have to tell them what it means and give them options. I would telll my coworker well toddlers are a little trickier you have to break everything down for them and positively redirect them to another option they can have at this point stating they have to wait a turn with that you but they can certainly play with something else until that friend is done with it.

jazmine

5/3/2018 07:55:05 pm

yes, I think the behavior is age appropriate. I would of explain to the parents that the kids are still trying to learn what the word share means. and sometimes is very hard for some kids to share. to prevent something like this from happening again I would of have the other kid wait for his turn and mean while offer him to play with a different toy.

Madison

5/5/2018 01:19:25 pm

It is completely age appropriate. I would say that it is normal for kids to not know how to do something like share until they are repeatedly taught how. I would talk to the sub and explain to her a better way to do things, like teaching them to share.

Kira S link

5/5/2018 03:27:20 pm

Do you think this behavior or expectation is age-appropriate?
Yes this behavior is age appropriate
If so, how could you explain this to the parents/co-workers?
I would explain that its natural for children to want a toy that another child has, even if theyre at an age where they understand sharing, sharing isnt always easy
Is there anything you can do to prevent this situation from happening again?
to prevent this kind of situation from happening again I would tell my co-worker that instead of taking the toy away from both children, to give the toy to the child who had is first and to redirect the child to another toy to spark their interest and realize they dont need the other child's toy to be happy. If theyre fighting over a toy car, try to find another toy car the child might want to play with

maritza

5/7/2018 11:09:20 pm

it is age appropriate. sometimes they don't know what sharing is, but it can be taught and shown slowly.

Anna Potente

5/8/2018 10:57:58 pm

Yes it is age appropriate. I will explain to co-teacher/parent that at this age usually they don't understand the concept of sharing yet. We could try to ask them to "take turns". If they still did not i will try to introduce different kind of activities in which they could play together and share.

Stephanie Doe

5/9/2018 01:33:17 pm

1: Yes, i think his is age appropriate.
2: You can explain to co workers/ friends by explaining to them that sharing is not a typical toddler concept.
3: You could get one or the other kid into a different activity to stop the toy being taken away.

James Drake

5/13/2018 04:42:22 pm

That behavior is normal, but instead of taking away the toy I would redirect one or both of the kids to new activity. Toddlers do not fully understand sharing especially if they are a single child at home.

Isabel Alvarez

5/13/2018 08:57:27 pm

I don't think the solution the sub solved this with is age appropriate. I would talk to her one-on-one and tell her that although she is used to working with kindergarteners, toddlers are very different in their level of knowledge. They don't know the concept of sharing with their friends is.

Emily Sarber

5/14/2018 03:18:47 pm

I would have removed the toy as well. Toddlers are at an age where they don't know what sharing it, and it's hard for them to understand.

Kovi Altamirano

5/14/2018 11:56:37 pm

Do you think this behavior or expectation is age-appropriate?

Yes, I definitely thing the behavior is age-appropriate. Toddlers are just learning how to share with their peers at this age, and act impulsively when they are attempting to access something in their sights.

If so, how could you explain this to the parents/co-workers?

I would let parents/co-workers know that the children had a little disagreement over a toy phone, but it's nothing to be concerned about- and it is well within normal for their age. I would ensure them that the children were helped to calm down shortly after the incident.

Is there anything you can do to prevent this situation from happening again?

In terms of prevention, I might say no. The reason being is because this behavior is pretty normal for that age. However, if it does happen again, I would handle it by making sure that there were no other needs not being met that is making the children upset.
Then I would talk to the children about sharing, and attempt to get them to find a new toy to play with so that everyone can regain their happiness.

Areeba Azeem

5/15/2018 04:24:48 pm

Distract the Childrens with a group activity and it will help them learn how to share

Kendra

5/16/2018 01:24:38 pm

I think the behavior is age appropriate because as a toddler they haven't really caught on to the "sharing" part of sharing. To them the toy that they have is theirs and they are the only one who can play with it. I would then tell the co worker or parent that it is normal for them to fight over toys as they are still trying to learn how to share. Little fights happen it is okay as long as they are settled quickly. As far as preventing it from happening, there is no way to stop it really because at this age they have a hard time understanding that sharing toys is good.You can't talk to them about it and tell them they are not to keep the toy to themselves and that they have to share because they won't understand like an older child would. The best way to prevent it is to try and keep similar toys around and keep them interested in those when fighting happens.

LEA THOMAS

5/16/2018 06:12:57 pm

this is age appropriate because toddlers don't understand sharing yet
i would tell the coworker that they don't understand yet,and to give them each a toy they can play with.
There is no way to stop it from happening again as they are toddlers and haven't learned the concept to share yet.

Allyce Andrew

5/17/2018 09:27:06 am

1. Do you think this behavior or expectation is age-appropriate?
Yes! Toddlers are developing their "taking turns" skills in their prefrontal cortex. This is good practice.
2. If so, how could you explain this to the parents/co-workers?
Same way!
3. Is there anything you can do to prevent this situation from happening again?
Keep a close eye on the classroom. Who was using the toy first or did they grab it at the same time? Remind kids of the classroom rules where they have to ask before they begin to play with another child and let the first child finish their turn.

Bill

5/17/2018 06:34:54 pm

Sharing is not really an age appropriate skill for a toddler. Forcing a child to share or removing the toy will only cause harm as it did in this case. Explain to the one child that he can have a turn after the other child is done playing with the toy and provide a different toy to the 2nd child.

Anna Clyde

5/17/2018 08:25:47 pm

The behavior is very normal for toddlers, they are very self centered and think everything is theirs. As a teacher we should respond by helping the child who is coming over to cause the problems by redirecting them to something different, we could also help them talk out the conversation, "can I have this when you are done" "sure". As a teacher we can keep teaching the kids to use their words.

Loretta K Maeder

5/19/2018 04:36:38 pm

I do not think this behavior is appropriate as at this age the children have not yet formed the concept of sharing their for the sub should have explained to the child it was not his/her turn and redirected the child "waiting his/her turn" to a different toy.

Sierra

5/20/2018 06:31:31 pm

I think telling the children to share nicely isn't age appropriate because at that age they don't know what sharing means. I would offer one of the children another toy to calm them down. I would try to watch the kids in the future and see who had the toy first if there is another disagreement.

Terri Hollis

5/21/2018 01:42:06 am

Most toddlers can be selfish, believing that this toy is theres. I would of given them another choice to play with. I eventually would of show the toddlers the importance of sharing and being kind to each other. I would of explain to the parents that we are working on sharing and to work with their children on sharing.

Taylor A Wyatt

5/21/2018 02:43:10 pm

I think the expectation of the children to share is normal and good, although toddlers don't exactly respond to commands as base as "share nicely." I would simply let her know this and take the toy from her and explain to my class as a whole "We don't fight. We take turns. Jesse can have the toy now, THEN Carson can have it, THEN Sammy." In my experience with toddlers in my class really explaining things and physically showing them how things work really calms them down and helps them get a grasp of what you're telling them and what you want from them. You may still have a couple tears from one child, but they understand and they learn better when you take the extra time on them.

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