Your Two Year Old

The Toddler Years

Socially and emotionally, your child’s language is still developing, but can understand most of what they hear. This is an age of testing, as they are exercising their will and want to know the consequences of their behavior. Tantrums are frequent as they have trouble expressing themselves in the moment and do not feel understood. There is a strong interest in others, so they will observe other children for long periods of time. Mimicing the words of adults or peers is how your child will develop their own language or skills. “What’s that?” or “why?” is often heard by this age group as they continue to understand and categorize the world around them.

Cognitively, toddlers begin to exert their independence and want to try new skills. They can do puzzles, open and close an assortment of containers and are beginning to show interest in pretend play. They remember songs and can recite phrases from favorite books. Remembering past events, they love to recall things that have happened or places they have visited. Their attention span is around 3-5 minutes.

Physically, two year olds can walk, run and begin jumping with two feet. They love to climb, will attempt to throw and kick a ball, and walk up stairs. Despite the correct positioning of the clothing or shoes, they are making attempts at dressing themselves and may begin interest in zipping, snapping or buttoning.