How To Improve a Toddler’s Social Skills and Emotional Regulation
Are you worried your toddler isn’t ready for a sensory class? It’s not unusual for parents to feel their child hasn’t developed the social skills needed to participate in a group setting. They avoid fun and enriching activities for fear that they’ll be judged for perceived ‘bad behaviour.’
But nothing could be further from the truth! Parents keen to improve a toddler’s social skills are not only welcome at our sensory classes but enthusiastically encouraged to attend.
At Making Rainbows, we know that the areas of your toddler’s brain responsible for impulse control, empathy, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking are still developing, and all those tricky behaviours that parents find frustrating are completely normal and developmentally appropriate.
Our sensory classes are designed for toddlers at varying stages of development, so meltdowns, wandering off, clinging, and short attention spans are not uncommon. There is no expectation that your child will sit still, follow instructions, or share perfectly. In fact, these are the very skills our classes are designed to help your child develop.
So, if you have been wondering how to improve your toddler’s social skills but have been cautious about joining a class, don’t be! Our classes are safe, judgment-free zones where little people can practise important skills like sharing, turn-taking, and being gentle in a fun and enjoyable way.
How Sensory Classes Help to Improve Toddlers’ Social Skills
Believe it or not, our sensory classes aren’t just about fun and music! Regularly attending our classes can support your toddler’s development and promote positive social skills. Through hands-on play and musical activities, toddlers learn to interact with others, express themselves, and become more aware of the world around them.
Turn Taking
Toddlers lack impulse control, so it’s not surprising that social skills such as turn-taking don’t come naturally. Whether they are passing a ball around a circle, waiting to use a musical instrument, or taking turns on the parachute, they’re practising patience and self-control.
Sharing
Sharing is a skill that toddlers get better at with time, modelling, and lots of repetition. Sensory class activities provide lots of opportunities to practise sharing instruments, sensory tools, and toys with their peers.
Listening and Following Instructions
Sensory classes also strengthen a toddler’s ability to listen and follow simple instructions. During songs and activities, the educator will give the class prompts such as “clap your hands,” or “shake your shaker.” These short, repetitive instructions help toddlers to tune into others, develop focus, and learn that participation means following shared rules.
Cooperative Play
During the toddler stage, parallel play (playing alongside others rather than with them) is common. Sensory classes can gently encourage more cooperative play over time. For example, children playing separately with scoops in a sensory bin may begin to imitate each other or share tools.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
Communication is a key skill that toddlers need help to develop. Many social conflicts stem from frustration, and it’s not uncommon for toddlers to hit out or grab when they can’t express what they want clearly. Sensory classes encourage toddlers to start using verbal and non-verbal communication to express themselves. They might point at a bubble wand and say “more,” learning that their words have power. Copying dance moves, facial expressions, and gestures are all examples of your child building an early understanding of non-verbal social cues.
Empathy and Emotional Awareness
Toddlers are naturally egocentric, seeing the world from their own point of view. However, with gentle guidance from adults, they can start to notice how others are feeling. For instance, if one child becomes upset, another might watch, approach and offer a toy in an attempt to make their peer feel better, which is a sign of developing empathy.
Confidence
Every class has a mix of personalities. Some toddlers are loud and confident, whilst others are quiet and shy. Over time, sensory classes can help even very clingy children build confidence in group settings. The key is to let your child take it at their own pace and reassure them with love and support. Even if all they do at first is sit in your lap and watch, your toddler is still being exposed to new experiences, taking it all in and learning. You may be surprised when, after a few sessions, they start clapping along to songs, smiling at others, or venturing further from you.
Problem Solving and Negotiating Skills
Group environments, like sensory classes, expose toddlers to social challenges. For instance, when two toddlers want the same toy or are unsure who goes next, with support from the parent or facilitator, they learn that problems can be solved calmly and fairly.
Build Toddler Social Skills with Sensory Classes
Improve your toddler’s social skills and have fun while doing it! Making Rainbows sensory classes meet your child exactly where they are and gently guide them as they grow.