If you have a child who is going to be two years old soon and you want to know what you can expect of yourself as a parent… you can check out this piece of article where you will find four interesting facts about toddler development (between 2 to 4 years old) and what you can do to help them to develop their skills and emotional development.
#1 – Toddlers Are Naturally Emotional
People always talk about the ‘terrible twos’, but it is completely normal. By the ages of two to four, kids know what the difference between a ‘no’ and a ‘yes’ and most of the time they just like to test the water to see just how far they can get and see if the dad or the mum will give in first. At this age, you can set up a rewards system (like the recommended one created by Melissa & Doug) to promote good behavior as well as responsibility. You do need to know that the requirements for a 4 year old will be different than that of a two year old, but always be sure to be overly excited when kids do what they are told and be sure to say ‘thank you’ every time. At this age, children can recognize other people’s emotions and respond or react to them.
#2 – Most Kids Won’t Talk If They Don’t Have To
Many children start out pointing to objects as infants, but by the time they are two, they need to be using words, even if it is just saying out one word to describe what they want, need or feel. Older children who talk should not refer to everything as ‘this’ or ‘that’. Adults should refrain from saying ‘show me what you want’ and change that to ‘tell me what you want.’ Singing along with songs or playing with flash cards will help your child to get themselves associated with words and the daily objects.
#3 – Monkey See, Monkey Do
Toddlers love to copy what they hear and see, so be careful of what they watch and listen because they will most likely do it too. This part of toddler development is actually a good thing and can easily be turned into a game. You can get them to play games like ‘Simon Says’ which can help them to recognize body parts, verbs, following instructions and improves motor skills or you can get them to play hide and seek with objects, block building and ‘pretend’ real activities like cooking, dressing dolls or any other chore that mimics real life.
#4 – Kids Need Kids
One very important skill that cannot come from an adult is the interaction with other children. Toddlers need to be around other toddlers to learn how to share, make believe and even argue in order to learn problem solving. Therefore you will need to get your kids to mingle as much as possible with other kids like bring them to participate in play groups or those activity park. You also need to know that it’s normal for them to get sweaty and smelly when they are with other kids and this manner is also good for them to strengthen themselves up.