Tiff's Tots Learning Center

Pressuring young children to write before their hands are developmentally ready places unnecessary emotional and physical stress on them.

At age 2, the hand is still mostly cartilage, with soft bones and delicate joints. Tasks like writing aren’t just hard—they’re uncomfortable.

At age 4, ossification has begun, but the small muscles and joints are still developing. Fine motor control is emerging, not mastered.

By 7, the hand is structurally ready for more intentional writing. Bones, joints, and muscle strength now support the dexterity we expect.

By 10, children have the refined motor control needed for complex and sustained writing.

These X-rays make something very clear: development cannot be rushed. When we push young children to write before their bodies are prepared, we see frustration, strained joints, and a hit to self-confidence. A toddler’s scribble holds just as much developmental value as a 6-year-old writing their name—they’re simply on different timelines. Earlier is not better. Research consistently shows that early academic pressure leads to lower long-term academic outcomes, not higher.

So why are toddlers and preschoolers being handed worksheets and expected to write? Why the rush?

This misalignment between expectation and biology is exactly what we’ll be breaking down inside our upcoming webinar, “Rethinking Early Learning: More Than Crafts & Worksheets,” to see what replaces those product-driven tasks and how to bring back the whole-body learning that builds the brain (Nov 26, 2025 12:00 PM EST).

FREE REPLAY FOR EVERYONE WHO SIGNS UP!

Join for FREE: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DfJ26HjERJSlS4BOhSgQ8w #/registration

Get CERTIFIED: https://www.weskoolhouse.com/store-webinars

Social skills are truly the most important lessons in preschool—learning how to be at school, get along with peers, and solve everyday conflicts. This week, one of my students was upset because another friend was yelling at them, so we reviewed problem-solving strategies like saying, “Please stop, I don’t like that,” or walking away to find another activity. I remind them to try at least two approaches before asking an adult for help, and it’s amazing to see how empowered they feel when they resolve things on their own. You can find these simple, child-friendly problem-solving skills on my website, https://preschoolvibes.com/classroom-behavior-management/problem-solving-toolkit-for-young-learners

WHY ? does a child constantly throw things across the room, dump stuff or drop food from a high chair?

It’s a tough one isn’t it and can be really frustrating as adults and parents.

We instinctively assume children are doing it on purpose or having us at it!

Repetitive actions or urges. It’s the way that they make sense of the world around them.

Those schematic learning styles!

Some children love to explore objects and their surroundings through movement!

Whether this is horizontally or vertically! Dropping food from a height, throwing objects across a room or running down a long thin corridor!

It’s all about the movement - either themselves or an object! It’s the movement that interests them. Exploring through their senses

It’s called a Trajectory Schema!

Many educators often ask us the question ‘ well how do we stop children dumping, dropping or throwing resources -at our setting?’ To be honest, we can’t! It’s their learning style and they are not doing it to annoy or frustrate us.

They are repeating behaviours because it interests and fascinates them. They are learning through early scientific exploration, speed, distance, trajection, how far will it travel, where will it land? How will it land? What noise will it make when it hits the floor? They are constantly LEARNING

As adults it’s important we learn to understand behaviours, instead trying to ‘manage’ them. To understand WHY children do what they do

To observe, acknowledge and facilitate. We need to understand brain development and the particular schematic styles of children.

This will enable us to support and facilitate play and learning.

Want to learn more? We have created staff meetings ( plug and play ) CPD team gatherings - ONE of these is all about URGES, those learning styles.

Want to transform how you perceive children’s actions? To understand behaviour instead of reacting and trying to manage it? Drop us a comment and we can help transform how you see things.

Type URGE & we will reply with a link, to purchase. It’s ONLY £20.40 ( keep forever and watch as a WHOLE setting ) 🌍 PDF work books included

This is important! 🧡
📷 Mrs. Cowman’s Classroom

To Raise Emotionally Intelligent Children, Stop Being Perfect and Start Being Real In order to raise emotionally intelligent children, we need to model emotional intelligence. One mother explains how she accomplished this with her own kids.

Love ❤️

CHORE CHART BY AGE - what do you think??

http://www.sportsmomsurvivalguide.com/kids-age-appropriate-chores/

Something to remember about children and ourselves.

So true! What are your thoughts?