Module 01
The Toddler Brain, Briefly
A plain-language map of what is changing between ages 1 and 3: impulse control, attention, memory, emotion, and why toddlers often need more support than their behavior seems to suggest.
Coming soon Self-paced · Ages 1–3
Toddler years: language, autonomy, and big feelings.
The flagship Growing Minds Science class. A self-paced, research-based look at what's actually happening underneath toddler behavior — and a few calmer ways to respond to meltdowns, "no," and the explosion of new words.
Join the waitlist and get the milestone tracker. We'll send a short note when this class opens.
Who this class is for
If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place.
- You have a toddler somewhere between 12 and 36 months and the "easy baby" days feel like a different planet.
- Tantrums, transitions, and "no" are taking up most of your day, and you want a calmer way to read what's happening.
- You want to support language development without flashcards, screens, or lesson plans at home.
- You're tired of parenting content that's either rigid scripts or vague slogans.
- You want research-based ideas you can fit into a normal weekday — not a graduate seminar.
What you'll learn
By the end of the class, you'll have a clearer picture of what your toddler is doing — and why.
- A working mental model of toddler brain development you can use day-to-day.
- Language for transitions, limits, and "no" that doesn't rely on memorized scripts.
- How to support language and autonomy through ordinary conversation and ordinary moments.
- A way to read meltdowns as nervous-system events instead of behavioral failures.
- Practical patterns for repair — including what the research says about adult self-repair after a hard moment.
Module breakdown
Six short lessons for the moments that make toddlerhood feel hard.
Each module gives you a clear developmental idea, a few practical ways to use it, and language you can carry into ordinary family life.
Module 02
Language — The Everyday Version
How toddler language grows through back-and-forth interaction, naming, repetition, songs, books, routines, and ordinary conversation without turning home into a lesson plan.
Module 03
Autonomy and “No”
Why “no,” “mine,” and “I do it” are part of healthy development, plus ways to offer choices, hold limits, and reduce power struggles without giving up your role as the adult.
Module 04
Big Feelings and Meltdowns
What is happening when a toddler loses access to language and logic, how to think about co-regulation, and what helps during the peak of distress versus after everyone is calm.
Module 05
Transitions and Routines
How toddlers use predictability to feel safe, why transitions often trigger resistance, and how simple routines, previews, and repair can make daily shifts less explosive.
Module 06
Repair, and the Long Game
What to do after hard moments, how parent repair supports trust, and why development is shaped by repeated patterns over time rather than by any single imperfect day.
Why this approach is different
Research, translated for the way your day actually goes.
Research-based, not trend-based
Built from peer-reviewed developmental science across brain development, language, executive function, and emotion regulation — not a single personal philosophy.
Plain language, no jargon walls
The science is translated for parents — concise, readable, and honest about what the research can and can't tell us.
Realistic for a normal day
Every recommendation is filtered through actual family life: tired adults, multiple kids, work, daycare pickups, and dinner.
Calm and non-shaming
No scripts to memorize, no suggestion that one slip ruins your child. The tone is the way you'd want a thoughtful friend to talk to you.
About the educator
Built by Matthew McArthur for Growing Minds Science.
Matthew is a Child Development Specialist and parent coach. He has coached over 100 parents in Los Angeles, has been working with parents on these principles for two years, and has spent six years studying them.
His research and practice focus on cognitive development, language development, environmental influences on skill development, and parenting behaviors. He teaches an Infant and Toddler Socialization class in Los Angeles. Growing Minds Science is the place that brings that work into one library for parents who want the developmental science without the noise.
Waitlist
Be the first to know when this class opens.
Join the waitlist and get the milestone tracker. We'll send a short note when the toddler class opens, plus occasional research-backed reminders for parents.