The Whole Person Parenting Podcast

Are We There Yet?: Supporting Your Toddler's God-Given Drive to Explore


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The toddler years are marked by curiosity, movement, and a relentless drive to explore—and Scripture gives us a surprisingly rich place to understand why. In this episode, Presley and Val discuss what it means to support exploration the way God supports us. By returning to the Garden of Eden, they consider how God created humans for curiosity, freedom, and discovery within relationship—and what that reveals about this season of parenting.

This episode invites parents to see exploration as sacred developmental work.  Exploring how, "In the beginning..." the Bible offers insight into how God enjoys humanity and allows for exploration and expression. In toddlerhood, young children learn about their world, develop across domains, and expand their connections with the same type of support. This conversation reframes toddlerhood not as a phase to manage, but as a formative season where children are learning that the world is good, relationships are trustworthy, and growth happens best when curiosity is met with support.

In a future episode, we’ll turn our attention to what it means when exploration begins to bump up against limits—how testing, boundaries, and guidance emerge developmentally, and how parents can respond with wisdom and care.

Additional Resources: 

CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html

BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/

Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/

CDC Milestone Tracker App: https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones-app/index.html

BabySparks - Developmental Tracker & Online Learning for Parents: https://babysparks.com/

Harvard's Center for the Developing Child: Three Core Concepts in Early Development: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/videos/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/


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The Whole Person Parenting PodcastBy Valerie