As a parent, you might be puzzled and frustrated when your toddler starts throwing things. To help you navigate this stage, we’ll explore three main reasons behind this behavior and offer some helpful tips. By understanding the “why,” you can support your child’s growth while maintaining a peaceful household. So, let’s dig into these three reasons and learn how to make sense of your toddler’s actions.
Table of Contents
1. Exploring Cause and Effect
First and foremost, your toddler’s curiosity about the world around them could be driving their newfound hobby of throwing things. Kids with different needs, neurodivergent kids, and kids with thinking and learning differences all share a desire to explore and understand their surroundings. Here’s what this exploration looks like:
- Discovering cause and effect: When toddlers throw objects, they’re learning about gravity, force, and people’s reactions. It’s all part of their natural exploration.
- Experimenting: They may test different items to see which ones make the most noise or create the most interesting visual effects.
- Sensory exploration: Throwing can engage your child with various textures, materials, and sounds.
To guide your toddler’s curiosity in a safe direction, consider these tips:
- Safe objects: Provide toys designed for throwing, like soft balls or bean bags.
- Designated area: Set up a safe space for your child to experiment with throwing.
2. Seeking Attention and Connection
Another reason your toddler may be throwing things is to seek attention or connection. This behavior can be particularly noticeable if your child runs away when upset, as they might be attempting to communicate their feelings or needs. Here’s how you can foster a positive connection:
| Strategy | Description |
|---|---|
| Positive reinforcement | Praise your child when they engage in appropriate behaviors, and avoid giving too much attention to throwing incidents. |
| Proactive communication | Encourage your child to express their emotions and needs verbally, using simple phrases or gestures. |
| Quality time | Ensure that you’re spending quality time with your child each day, giving them the attention and connection they crave. |
Addressing your toddler’s emotional needs and promoting open communication can help reduce the frequency of throwing incidents while strengthening your bond.
3. Managing Overstimulation and Frustration
Finally, your toddler might be throwing things as a way to cope with overstimulation or frustration. This can be especially true for neurodivergent kids or kids with thinking and learning differences who might have unique sensory needs or challenges with emotional regulation. To help your child develop coping strategies, consider these ideas:
- Sensory breaks: Offer your child regular breaks in a calm, sensory-friendly space to help them manage overstimulation.
- Emotion coaching: Teach your child to identify and label their emotions, and provide them with tools for self-regulation, such as deep breathing or counting.
- Problem-solving: Encourage your child to approach frustrating situations with a problem-solving mindset, offering support and guidance as needed.
Empowering your child to handle overstimulation and frustration more effectively can reduce the likelihood of throwing behaviors and make for a more harmonious home environment.
Tired of Emotional Meltdowns?
Goally’s Mood Tuner app has activities for kids with BIG emotions. Teach kids how to tune their mood with Goally. See fewer meltdowns.
The Mood Tuner app encourages kids to look inwards and identify their feelings, helping them understand what’s going on inside. Once they’ve recognized their emotions, they can choose from a 20+ activities designed to help them self-regulate and find their balance.
In a nutshell, understanding the reasons behind your toddler throwing things is crucial for tackling this behavior effectively. By focusing on exploration, attention seeking, and emotion management, you can support your child’s development and maintain a peaceful household. Remember, each child is unique, so embrace patience and flexibility as you guide them through this phase of their journey.
This post was originally published on 05/08/2023. It was updated on 07/14/2023.
Goally
We help parents teach their kids life skills, like doing bedtime and morning independently. Backed by science, we incorporate evidence-based practices and expert-informed designs in all of our apps and content.
