We are interested in finding out how key skills develop and grow during the toddler years. So many exciting changes happen during this time and we want to develop a better understanding of how core skills, including memory, attention and language develop, and the amazing work parents do when parenting their toddler. We want to track the development of these skills between the ages of 2.5 and 4 years of age - a time of rapid change and growth in these skills.

We will run 3 sessions with you and your child that take part once every 6 months. This helps us look at development over time. The first session will take place when your child is 2.5-3 years, then when they are 3-3.5 years then at 3.5-4 years of age. 

The sessions are designed to be fun and engaging for your child. We use child friendly games that we have used many times before and that children find fun. The sessions are recorded on a video camera. Children will receive a present and stickers at every session, and you will receive a £10 voucher every session as a thank you for your time. 

In each session, we will start by explaining what we will do over a cup of tea and in our child friendly space with toys for your child to play with (if you come to the lab). To warm up, we will ask you and your child to play with some toys for five minutes. Then we will ask you to fill out some questionnaires and we will play a few child friendly games with your child in the same room. For example, one game involves matching coloured shapes on a touchscreen computer to find animals. 

We understand that children can be shy or have off days. Our team have a wealth of experience working with young children and are happy to follow your child's pace and lead. We have toys in our reception area and can take as long as needed to get to know you and your child before we start the games.

While we cannot give individual feedback on your child's performance as we are not clinicians, and we never look at individual responses (we average over 100s of children and parents) we are very happy to send you a summary of the overall results at the end of the project.

We are running the first phase of the study from June to November 2023. It can be at a day and time that suits you and your family. 

The study can take place in your home or you can come to our child development centre based on Solly Street, Sheffield. We provide car parking, a parent room for baby changing/feeding and children's toys to play with when you arrive. We are happy to go with your preference on whether your home or our child development centre is best for you and your child.