What key developmental tasks should a toddler demonstrate?
The major developmental tasks a toddler (ages 1 to 3 years) demonstrates include the beginning use of language to communicate, toilet training, imitation, autonomy, and self-control. The toddler is in the sensorimotor and preoperational stages of Piaget’s (1952) theory. During these stages, toddlers use language and images to think and communicate with the world around them. The toddler is in the anal stage of Freud’s (1946) psychoanalytical theory. The primary task during this stage is focused on control of elimination and toilet training. The toddler is in Erikson’s (1974) stage of autonomy versus shame and doubt. During this stage, the toddler learns autonomy, imitation, and how to exhibit self-control and will power. The toddler is in the preconventional level, morality stage of Kohlberg’s (1981) theory of moral judgment. During this stage, the toddler learns how to avoid punishment by not breaking the rules.
