Teaching Toddlers About Decision-Making

The toddler years are very important in a child's development. This is when he or she is starting to learn about their world and how to control it. During this time, you often see children of this age screaming "no" over and over again because that is the first "control" word they learn. Fortunately, there are a few ways parents can help their toddlers learn how to make decisions and change certain things in their physical environment.

Teaching toddlers about decision-making: Set your limits first

During this key developmental phase, parents can do several things to help teach their toddlers about decision-making. Of course, a 3 year-old is not yet ready to make any major life-affecting decisions. The parent must still make sure that the toddler goes to bed at a reasonable hour, gets a bath, eats healthy, brushes his or her teeth, and dresses appropriately. Before you can allow your toddler to explore various decision-making options, you need to establish firm boundaries on these important daily activities.

Teaching toddlers about decision-making: Give controlled options

While you cannot give your toddler the option of choosing not to do any of the mandatory chores, you can offer plenty of options within those constraints. For example, bedtime may be set by the parents, but the toddler has the privilege of making his or her own decision on which book will be read before bedtime. Getting dressed is another good time to give your toddler the chance to learn about decision-making in a controlled manner. Give the toddler several different options that are all appropriate for the weather. Choosing which color shirt to wear or which pair of pants can give your toddler more confidence in his decision-making ability.

Teaching toddlers about decision-making: Offer only reasonable choices

Part of the decision-making process is learning which parts of the environment the toddler does not have control over. This is the area that trips up many parents. If you offer your toddler choices that are not really available, you may confuse the child and cause him to lose confidence in his ability to control the immediate environment. The point of the teaching process is to show your child that there is a connection between his decisions and the consequences. If you allow him to choose his own clothing and he decides to wear shorts in the wintertime, you will probably overrule his decision because it is too cold outside. This makes the toddler feel like the decision-making process is arbitrary because you will make the choice for him in the end anyway.