Understanding Toddler Development: Insights from the Sheffield Early Years Study

How do toddlers develop memory, attention, and language, and how do parents shape that developmental journey? In this eight-minute video, the research team behind the ESRC-funded Sheffield Early Years Study shares key insights from tracking 208 families across three study sessions, following children from age two to four.

Our team explains how core cognitive skills including language, memory, and attention grow during the toddler years, and how early working memory at age two uniquely predicts foundational maths skills by age four. Crucially, the study takes a holistic look at parenting, suggesting that there is no single 'right' way to parent. Parents might be particularly warm, some might use rich language, some might promote independence, and some parents adopt a mix of these approaches.

We also explore parent wellbeing, introducing a new scale to capture parent stressful life events. While financial strain and life transitions create real pressures, strong social support networks and community resources can help mitigate these challenges, ensuring children's developmental growth remains resilient. Lastly, we share exciting news about a new play-based maths activity programme piloted with families in Sheffield and Belfast to foster learning through simple everyday interactions.

Whether you are a parent, practitioner, policy maker, or researcher, discover evidence-based findings that celebrate every child's unique journey and highlight the vital importance of ensuring we find ways to support parents, as well as children.