Kindness

Anyone who has ever spent an afternoon with a cranky toddler bent on swiping his sister’s final crayons might be intrigued by Henry James’ statement that “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.” It’s true that toddlers are only beginners at kindness. But they’re learning.

Empathy comes first:

• Newborns will cry when they hear other babies crying, even when they have no idea who is crying or why.
• Months later, babies will make a sad face when you look sad.
• In the second half of their first year, babies realize that feelings are related to events. When a dog barks or a stranger approaches, your baby will look at your face to discern your feelings.

Helping others comes next:

• When another person is distressed, a toddler considers only what would make her feel better. If you seem sad, she might bring you her teddy bear to hold. The toddler on BABYBUG’s cover bandages a stuffed animal’s paw and hugs it, just as his mom or dad might do for him.

• Over time, toddlers develop a larger understanding of others’ needs. Kim realizes that cleaning up a spill helps Mommy and makes her happy.

Toddlers are still rookies when it comes to thoughtfulness, but the basics are there. It’s your willingness to show comfort, kindness, and sympathy that gives your child a lifelong bank of experiences to draw on in helping others.

Play Together

Lively Mother Goose rhymes like “Humpty Dumpty” and “Miss Muffet” make fine action games to act out with your on-the-go toddler. These traditional verses have the added benefit of helping children become aware of rhyme, rhythm, and the sounds of words and their separate parts.

• Everyday objects are fascinating when wrapped up. Like the daddy in “What’s This?” loosely wrap your toddler’s toys in various fabrics. Your child will enjoy exploring a range of textures as she unwraps them and delights in playing with what’s inside. 
• “My Pail” shows a favorite pastime of very young children: dumping and filling. If your baby likes to dump out every container within reach, take heart. Dumping out is the first step towards learning to tidy up. Emptying a bin of toys precedes learning to put them back in.
• On an autumn day, let your toddler fill a basket of leaves, dump it out, and fill it up again.
• Line peg-style wooded clothespins around the edge of a cake pan.
  Show your baby how to pull them off and drop them in the pan.

Read Together

Showing your child connections between books and the real world can help him become even more involved with what’s on the pages. Make a game of searching your home for some of the items pictured in BABYBUG. Kim has a sippy cup. Can your child show you his or hers? Try pointing out a real ball or shoe as shown in “What’s This?”