Find toddler curriculum resources for your state
Select your state to see your state’s official early learning standards for toddlers, developmental milestones by age, and how a structured toddler curriculum supports your program’s documentation and quality rating requirements.
What is toddler curriculum?
Toddler curriculum is a structured, intentional framework for supporting learning and development in children 18 months to 3 years — one of the most dynamic and challenging developmental periods in early childhood. The toddler years are marked by the language explosion, emerging independence, the beginning of peer relationships, and rapid shifts between delight and frustration that characterize this stage.
Quality toddler curriculum channels this energy productively. It gives educators the tools to support social-emotional development and language growth in short, developmentally appropriate activity windows — recognizing that toddlers learn through movement, play, repetition, and relationships, not through sitting still and listening.
Many states require licensed toddler programs to use a curriculum aligned to state early learning standards as a condition of licensure or QRIS participation. A documented, standards-aligned toddler curriculum also demonstrates program quality to families and protects programs during licensing visits and quality rating reviews.
What state early learning standards say about toddler development
Every U.S. state maintains official early learning standards covering the toddler age range. Many states combine infants and toddlers in a single birth-to-3 framework, while others have separate toddler standards. All frameworks emphasize the primacy of language development and social-emotional skills during this period, and all recognize the critical role of responsive relationships and play-based learning for toddlers.
Key developmental domains in state toddler standards
Social-Emotional
Parallel play, early peer relationships, emotion labeling and co-regulation, identity, emerging independence, and early empathy
Language & Literacy
Vocabulary explosion, two-word phrases, early sentence structure, book handling, listening comprehension, and back-and-forth conversation
Cognitive Development
Sorting, matching, cause-and-effect, object permanence, symbolic play, early problem-solving, and attention building
Physical Development
Gross motor refinement (running, climbing, throwing), fine motor development (stacking, drawing), and emerging self-care skills
Creative Arts
Sensory art exploration, music and movement, early dramatic play, and creative expression across multiple media
Approaches to Learning
Persistence, curiosity, initiative, and the foundations of attention and flexible thinking that support later academic success
Many state frameworks treat children 18 to 24 months as “young toddlers” within a birth-to-3 framework, creating overlap between infant and toddler standards. This reflects the reality that development at this age is highly variable. Select your state above to see how your state’s framework addresses this transition period and what it means for program documentation.
Toddler developmental milestones: 18 months to 3 years
| Age range | Language and social-emotional | Physical and cognitive |
|---|---|---|
| 18–24 months Young toddler | 10–50 words; points to request and share; parallel play beginning; strong caregiver preference; emotional outbursts common; imitates caregivers in play | Walks confidently; begins running; stacks 3–6 blocks; scribbles with crayon; uses spoon with some spilling; solves simple problems through trial and error |
| 24–30 months Toddler | Two-word phrases to short sentences; asks “what” and “where” questions; begins noticing other children’s feelings; plays alongside peers; strong sense of ownership (“mine”) | Runs steadily; kicks and throws a ball; uses stairs with support; assembles simple puzzles; matches shapes and colors; brief pretend play sequences |
| 30–36 months Older toddler | 200 to 1,000-word vocabulary; 3-word sentences common; begins asking “why”; brief cooperative play with peers; expressing a range of named emotions; early conflict negotiation with adult support | Jumps, hops; dresses with help; uses fork and spoon; draws circles and crosses; matches and sorts by multiple attributes; extended pretend play sequences |
Common questions about toddler curriculum and state standards
What does toddler curriculum look like in a licensed childcare program?
Toddler curriculum in a licensed childcare program typically involves structured play-based activities in 5 to 10 minute windows, organized around themes or developmental skills. It includes teacher-facilitated activities (songs, stories, simple art), independent exploration with intentionally selected materials, outdoor play, and transitions between activities that are themselves treated as learning opportunities. State early learning standards guide what skills and concepts are emphasized at each developmental level.
How do state toddler standards differ from infant standards?
Most states treat infants and toddlers together in a birth-to-3 framework, recognizing the developmental continuum across this age range. Where separate toddler standards exist, they typically place greater emphasis on language development, peer relationships, and early independence compared to infant standards, which focus more heavily on caregiver attachment, sensory exploration, and basic motor milestones. Select your state above to see how your state’s framework addresses the infant-to-toddler transition.
Why is social-emotional development so prominent in toddler standards?
Research consistently shows that social-emotional development is the highest-leverage investment in the toddler years. Toddlers are building the foundational self-regulation, empathy, and relationship skills that predict school readiness, academic achievement, and long-term wellbeing. State standards frameworks reflect this research by treating social-emotional development as a primary domain — not a secondary concern — in toddler programming.
How does toddler curriculum support QRIS requirements?
Most state Quality Rating and Improvement Systems include toddler curriculum quality as a component of their rating rubric. Programs that can demonstrate use of a structured, research-based, standards-aligned curriculum — with documented activities, developmental observations, and family engagement — typically score higher in the Curriculum and Learning Environment domain. Select your state above to see state-specific QRIS context.