6 Minute English / What can we learn from toddlers?

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I m Neil.

And I m Beth.

You may have one, or know someone who does and at one time you ve been one yourself. I m talking about toddlers.

A toddler is a young child usually between two and four years old who is learning to walk, or toddling . It s an important stage in a child s development as they learn to move and understand the world around them.

It s also known as the terrible twos . When toddlers can t do the things they want to they experience frustration which often leads to tantrums, a sudden and noisy outburst of anger. We ve probably all seen the tears and screams when a young child can t have what they want!

Yes, the famous temper tantrums! But being a toddler is also an exciting time as a child s personality starts to develop. So what can we adults learn from toddlers? That s what we ll be finding out in this programme, along with some useful new vocabulary.

But first I have a question for you, Beth. Being a toddler is certainly an important stage in a child s growth, but which of the following statements is true?

a) toddlers are attracted to shapes that resemble the human bodyb) toddlers are more active than at any other time in their lives, or,c) toddlers can grow up to three centimetres during sleep time

Hmm, I think toddlers can grow up to three centimetres while they sleep.