Are you curious about why toddlers do what they do?
Ever get frustrated with how toddler behave in your care?
Do you wonder what you can do to get them to gleefully follow your directions?
We've been there! And we compiled a toolbox to help.
Join us to:
Evidence-based professional development that brings practical strategies & joyful learning to early childhood educators
Helpful trainings, toddler tidbits and free resources that really work with these special humans.
Bring toddler professional development, practical tools, and inspiring keynotes for your team.
Useful toddler tools, ongoing support and inspiration to bring joy to your toddler environment.
Why toddler work is so difficult
Toddlers are building the foundation for a lifetime of learning.
Their brains are growing rapidly. Approximately 80% of lifelong brain development happens in the first three years, and every interaction helps shape the developing brain.
What happens in these early years matters. Tremendously.
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Caring for and educating toddlers comes with unique challenges.
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Toddlers need connection. A lot of it. They may whine, pull on your leg, or scream to get your attention because they are still learning how to communicate their needs and regulate their emotions.
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Toddlers are driven to explore. Their brains are developing at a rapid pace as they test, investigate, and try everything over and over again. This is wonderful—until they are exploring something that is off-limits or dangerous. Toddlers need vigilant, present adults to keep them safe while giving them the freedom to discover.
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Toddlers need interesting things to do. Their brains are wired to seek novelty and interesting experiences. Creating environments and experiences that spark curiosity and invite exploration takes intention, creativity, and energy.
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Toddlers are learning the rules. And even when they know something is off-limits, their powerful impulse to explore can win out. That means adults have to stay engaged, attentive, and ready to redirect—again and again. Put eight toddlers in a room, and you can understand why even the most dedicated adult can end the day exhausted!
Taking care of toddlers takes an extra-special person. It takes patience, persistence, positive and joyful engagement, and skillful redirection to create a calm, supportive environment where toddlers can thrive.
The good news? When we understand toddlers and meet them where they are, we can turn challenging moments into opportunities to connect, learn, and grow—for them and for us.
It's tough to be a toddler educator.
Bring helpful Toddler Tidbits to your inbox!
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Helpful free resources
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Strategies you can apply immediately
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Supportive information for your journey
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Exciting and informative in-person, self-paced and webinar trainings to fit your schedule and needs.
The results?
More joy and less stress in your critical role shaping young minds!
Meet Raelene
Raelene Ostberg knows toddlers. Really knows toddlers.
With more than 20 years in early childhood classrooms—including 15 years caring for infants and toddlers—and more than 25 years partnering with families, Raelene has spent a lot of time figuring out why toddlers do what they do—and what adults can do about it.
Raelene is a national keynote speaker and founder of Thriving Together, bringing research, real-world experience, humor, and practical strategies to thousands of early childhood professionals each year.
Raelene created Inspiring Terrific Toddlers to help adults understand what is happening in the rapidly developing toddler brain and respond with strategies that actually work in the wonderfully messy world of toddler care. Because when a toddler is screaming because you cut the banana in half, knowing why matters—and knowing what to do next matters even more!
Raelene holds a master’s degree in Family Education and a bachelor’s degree in Theater from the University of Minnesota, with advanced training in stress and resiliency through the Mayo Clinic.
Raelene's mission is simple: Help adults understand toddlers, feel more confident, experience rewarding success—and find more joy in the work.
Real-World Strategies
Toddlers are driven to explore and test their environment. They have a lot to learn! And, gratefully, when they gain the skills, many of the frustrating behaviors will diminish. What you do will make a difference!
At Inspiring Toddlers, we support early childhood educators with joyful, evidence-based professional development. Through engaging trainings, practical tools, and reflective learning experiences, childcare providers gain strategies they can use immediately — while also reconnecting with the joy that brought them to this work in the first place.
