Infant and Toddler Behaviors That Can Challenge Adults
Find out why young children exhibit behaviors that may challenge us. Learn about strategies to try when you are feeling challenged by a child’s behavior.
Effective, nurturing, and responsive teaching practices and interactions are key for all learning in early childhood settings. They foster trust and emotional security; are communication and language rich; and promote critical thinking and problem-solving. They also support social, emotional, behavioral, and language development; provide supportive feedback for learning; and motivate continued effort. Teaching practices and interactions are responsive to and build on each child’s pattern of development and learning. They can be measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) and other adult-child interaction tools. These observations may then be used to support professional development. Teaching practices also include how schedules and routines are carried out, how settings are managed, and how children’s challenging behaviors are addressed.
Find out why young children exhibit behaviors that may challenge us. Learn about strategies to try when you are feeling challenged by a child’s behavior.
Learn the developmental reasons why young children behave in ways that are challenging to adults. Discover strategies for addressing these behaviors and how to support infants and toddlers when they exhibit them.
STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics. Explore research on the STEAM-related abilities of young children. Find out how to support infants and toddlers as they build STEAMskills.
Helping young children learn to manage their emotions and behavior requires training and support. Learn how to help staff understand and address children's behaviors and create supportive learning environments.
Early math skills are essential to children’s school readiness and later learning. Discover ways to support infant and toddler early math skills during everyday routines and learning experiences.
Watch this three-part video series to learn about ways staff can improve instructional support and effective teaching practices. Find helpful resources to support this work.
Explore the importance of understanding that all behavior is a form of communication and has meaning. Discover ways to interpret children's behaviors and support their social and emotional development.
View this webinar for Head Start grantees undergoing monitoring visits during the 2019–2020 year. Discover resources grantees can use to help them focus on improving instructional supports for children.
Find resources to help education staff implement effective teaching practices, including interactions that facilitate concept development.
Explore free mobile tools for home visitors from the Office of Head Start, including ELOF@HOME and Text4HomeVisitors. Discover effective practices and get text messages focusing on home-based topics and resources.