Your child is growing incredibly fast, and their progress can be categorized into four main developmental domains: physical, cognitive, language and communication, social and emotional. hyperlink to the sections These are the key areas where you’ll see rapid growth between the ages of two and three. Observing these different facets of their development will help you support their natural progress and celebrate every exciting milestone.
1. Physical Development
1.1 Checklist
Toddlers are usually able to:
- walk down stairs with both feet on each step
- run, jump and climb with great agility
- chew well as they have most of their teeth now
They are learning to master how to incorporate toys and equipment like balls, riding toys and climbers in complex ways.
1.2 Ways to Promote
| Areas of Development | Suggestions | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Physical development | Ensuring adequate nutrition, sleep and exercise | Including children in the cooking process, consistent bedtime routine, active lifestyle |
| a.1. Gross motor development | Encouraging children to push their boundaries in physical activities, to do a little more every time | Climbing higher, racing |
| a.2. Fine motor development | Activities that let them attach uneven objects together, kneading | Simple puzzles, playdough or atta dough |
| a.3. Sensory, fine motor, oral-motor development | Food of different textures | Chewing foods, not blending |
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By the age of two, the number of synapses a toddler has reaches an adult level and by three it doubles.
As the brain grows rapidly during this age, it is considered the prime time for brain development.
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Engaging children in conversations, ensuring secure attachment |
Talking about the task as you do it (“let’s squeeze some toothpaste on the brush”), acknowledging your child even if you are busy
Serve: child reaching out for interaction (e.g., babbling).
Return: adult acknowledging the serve and responding (e.g., making the same sound). Tap again to close |
1.3 When to See a Pediatrician
Gross Motor Skills:
- Cannot walk steadily by 2 years old
- Frequently falls and trips on flat surfaces
- Can not run, jump and climb by 2.5-3 years old
- Muscles seem too stiff or too loose
- Uses one side of the body more than other
Fine Motor Skills:
- Cannot grasp small objects, e.g. crayons, spoon
- Cannot stack 2-4 blocks
- Cannot scribble or draw
Other Physical and Sensory Concerns:
- Shows no interest in moving, playing and exploring
- Has difficulty chewing
- Closing one eye when viewing objects
- Extra sensitivity to sunlight
- Failure to respond to or locate the direction of parents’ voices
- Favoring one ear more than the other
2. Cognitive Development
2.1 Checklist
Toddlers are usually able to:
- Recall, but not in details
- Understand simple cause and effect; for example, if they presses the red button, the toy will play a song
- Hold attention to an activity for 6-10 minutes. Many other variables are at play here, such as the child’s interest, distraction level, type of activity, etc
- Pretend play Mimicking real life experiences, e.g. pretending to be the teacher
Toddlers are only beginning to develop their working memory (learning how to keep several pieces of information in their brain at once). If they are given 4 instructions at once, and the child follows all 4 of them properly, their cognitive development is quite advanced; if they remember the first 2 even, it is fine.
2.2 Ways to Promote
| Purpose | Activities |
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Connection between brain cells or neurons
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Storing information in one’s head for a short term while using that information to accomplish a task
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The gap between what one can do alone and what they can achieve with a little help
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| Overall cognitive development |
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2.3 When to See a Pediatrician
- Has difficulty following simple instructions, e.g. you have asked your child to put the brush back at its holder after brushing their teeth. The child holds the brush and waits, puts it beside the basin instead, or looks at you for a gesture/prompt to show them what to do.
- Can not match or sort basic items
- Does not recognize familiar people or objects
- Does not pretend play
- Does not copy simple actions
3. Language and Communication Development
3.1 Checklist
Toddlers are usually able to:
- Learn and use new words faster and more effectively than the last two years. Their vocabulary range grows from 50+ at the age of 2 to 200+ to even 1000+ by the end of age 3 (Maa, Baba, pakhi, ball, car, cookie, etc)
- Speak more clearly, but some words may still be difficult
- Use 2-4 word sentences
- Start using pronouns
- Ask simple questions
- Name and describe objects
- Understand spatial words
- Understand simple instructions and questions
- Engage in short conversations, but they may interrupt
3.2 Ways to Promote
| Purpose | Activities |
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| Expanding vocabulary |
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| Pronunciation |
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| Encouraging them to speak up |
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| Exposure to social environment with other children |
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3.3 When to see a Speech Therapist
By the age of 3, if the child is exhibiting the following behavior:
- Using less than 50 words
- Not forming 3 word sentences
- Speech is very hard to understand
- Rarely showing interest in communicating
4. Social and Emotional Development
4.1 Checklist
Toddlers usually exhibit the following behavior:
- Pretend play Mimicking real life experiences, e.g. pretending to be the teacher
- Enjoys parallel play Playing or being around other children, even if not playing together
- Mimics adults and other children
- Learns how to take turn, with help
- May resist a change in routine
- Shows a wide range of emotions
- Struggles with regulating those emotions Ability to manage one’s own feelings, emotions and actions at times
● Wants to do things by themselves
4.2 Ways to Promote
| Areas of Development | Suggestions |
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| Social behavior |
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Ability of making one’s own choices
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Ability to manage one’s own feelings, emotions and actions
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4.3 When to see a Pediatrician
- Shows no interest in being around other children
- Does not show affection towards primary caregivers
- Does not show emotions
- Seems disconnected from what is happening around him/her
- Does not pretend play/mimic
5. Myth Buster
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Terrible Twos | Your child is trying out and honing their newly acquired skills. Let’s not label their developmental needs as “terrible”. |
| Every child grows in the same manner | Even if two children are getting the exact upbringing, they might turn out very differently. What works with one child may not work with another, as each child is unique. |
| They are too young… learning starts after school | Learning begins at birth. Children’s brains start developing long before birth and continue as they start learning after birth. |
| They cannot do anything, I should do it for them | They will learn by trying, making mistakes, failing, and trying again. You can help, guide, and cheer! |
Resources
- ASQ
- ASQ – Social-Emotional
- Height for Weight Look-up Table