Early learning 2 year old: Teaching Toddlers: Early Learning and Development for 2-3-Year-Olds

Teaching Toddlers: Early Learning and Development for 2-3-Year-Olds

November 4th, 2019

Developmental milestones for toddlers and preschoolers and how to help your child reach them.

The toddler years are a critical time in learning for your child. As children begin to walk, talk, and explore, it is up to parents to provide the right tools and activities to help them grow.

Babies transition to toddlers at around 24 months old, after moving from crawling to walking (or “toddling”). At one-year-old, most children say their first words and begin pointing and using hand movements. From here on, your child will continue to learn more and more words (including some we would rather them NOT learn!) Their vocabulary will typically increase slowly during the first six months, then rapidly the following six. By this time your child’s vocabulary will have increased from one or two words to fifty or more. After this two-year-old developmental milestone, your child will begin to create simple sentences. They will also be able to follow simple two-step commands like, “Pick up your toy and put it away.” (Just a heads up, just because they CAN doesn’t mean they WILL. That might take some work.)

Children at this age understand more than they can express, which can lead to frustration and tantrums. If you see a tantrum brewing, try to distract your toddler with a book or toy. When teaching your child a new task or skill, try to find time when they are well fed and rested. A tired or hungry toddler is more likely to get frustrated and lash out.

As hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity increases, your child will begin to explore their surroundings and toys more closely. Safety becomes even more important as your child becomes more mobile and begins exploring your home. Make sure to childproof your home to prevent accidents. As your child becomes more curious and begins to explore, supply them with age appropriate toys. These toys should allow mastery of a skill before more complicated toys and tasks are given.

As toddlers grow, they become aware of what objects are used for and will begin to play accordingly. The concept of pretend play also begins. Your child will begin to use their toys imaginatively and invent creative play scenarios. Toddlers who are in daycare or are around other children may now go on playdates. Do not expect your child to play cooperatively at first. As a parent, you will have to teach them concepts such as taking turns, sharing, and nonviolence. In these situations, older siblings can be good role models in how to behave.

As toddlers become more independent they will want the freedom to explore. But after this, they will often come running back to you for comfort and reassurance. Allow the space for them to explore, while also making yourself available for support and comfort. Sometimes, your toddler might cry and cling to you when you try to leave. This is called separation anxiety and typically starts around nine months of age but can begin later. Separation anxiety begins to subside as your child develops social and language skills to cope with unknown scenarios. As they grow, your child will learn that their separation from you is only temporary.

Once your toddler begins walking, talking, and exploring the world around them, they will begin to learn and absorb information quickly. As a parent, there are things you can do to facilitate this learning. Allow your child chances to explore in a safe environment. Play engaging games with your child like peekaboo and pat-a-cake. Children often mimic behaviors of adults and are fascinated by things as simple as everyday housework. You can provide your child with age appropriate toys that will help with this such as a kitchenette or toy vacuum.

Other toys toddlers may enjoy include:

• Simple puzzles
• Brightly colored balls
• Fat crayons or markers
• Stacking or nesting toys like blocks to build towers
• Toy animals and people
• Pull, push, and riding toys
• Peg boards and shape sorters to sort shapes and colors
• Toy cars and trains

Additional activities and skills to improve your child’s learning include:

• Organization – Encourage your child to put things back into their place, keeping their space organized
• Empathy – Children who receive empathy from adults, develop the skill much earlier than those who don’t.
• Encourage takings turns. Ownership should be secure before children can become comfortable sharing. Help your child wait for their turn and intervene if your child routinely begins grabbing at other children’s toys.
• Teach assertiveness – Allow your child to develop their voice. Encourage them to voice their wants and opinions in a respectful manner.
• Label emotions – Their own as well as the emotions of others. Recognizing others’ emotions is an important aspect of empathy and social interaction.
• Praise your child and let them know why so they can feel good about themselves, instead of just seeking the validation.
• Read – Reading to your child continues to be important as they can follow along with the stories. Be sure to point at the pictures as you read to help your child make connections. Encourage your child to name objects that they know. Afterwards, ask your child questions about the story.
• Talk to your child about daily events or other topics to encourage language development.

Keep in mind that all toddlers develop at different rates. If you have concerns, consult your doctor or a specialist.

Categories: Growth & Development, Tips for Parents. Bookmark this Event.

2 Year Olds — TLC Early Learning Center

Scroll

explore our chipmunk room

older toddlers – 2-year-olds turning 3

a Place for curiosity to flourish

The staff in the Chipmunk Room will focus on language development. Children will work on developing vocabulary; talking in sentences; asking open-ended questions; and giving the children language to reflect what is happening in their lives. Each child is encouraged to express their feelings as well as begin using manners, such as “please” and “thank you.” Independence is another goal of the Chipmunk Room, which is developed in a positive way through increased self-esteem and security in their environment. The first stages of social skills are learned as the children begin their move from parallel play to interactive play. They are encouraged to be kind toward others, while defending themselves without using physical means. Potty-training skills also are being developed by each child at his or her own pace. We use the Creative Curriculum as the framework for our education plan, as well as on-going assessment of the children to provide what they need individually.

warm & welcoming

growth

what other parents are saying

““Our family has been part of TLC-ELC since 2015 and we couldn’t be happier. Our oldest child started in the infant room, and we now have our second child in the toddler room. We have known every single teacher there since we started, and they have all known our children by name since we have been there. I know many of my friends can’t say the same thing for the centers their children attend – turnover is low, tenure among the staff is significant, and that has been such an important factor for us to know that our child is part of a “family”. Classroom curriculum is intently designed for each age group and there is a really healthy balance of structure and play. Now having my oldest in the pre-K room, I have realized how advanced the educational value has been along the way. Having your family attend TLC-ELC also allows you to join a bigger community. From summer picnics to Thanksgiving lunches with grandparents, to other get-togethers throughout the year, it provides opportunities to connect with other families. We truly feel like family here and truly feel like our child is loved. And at the end of the day, as a parent, that is the absolute most important part of a child care center. We feel so blessed to be part of TLC-ELC.””

— Ann LaPorte

Take a peek into the 2-year-old Classroom

Hear from our Staff

“ We focus on independence, encourage curiosity, and use sensory and hands-on activities to learn and grow.”

— Chloe Seterstrom | Chipmunk Room Assistant Teacher

Ready to explore your next steps?  

Discover an early learning center that helps your whole family flourish with the team at TLC ELC. If you are ready for your kids to explore with curiosity in a safe and loving environment each day, we’re ready to help. Simply get started by scheduling a tour of our facility where you can view your child’s potential new classroom and ask questions about how things work.

Schedule your tour

Early child development – where are the boundaries of the reasonable? | Education

Therefore, I would like to add notes of reason to good parental intentions for early development (all these experiments with early education, as a rule, fall on the head of the first-born young ambitious mothers, less often the initiative comes from dads) and talk about the basics of child psychology and physiology, to get an answer to the question of “when to start. ”

nine0003

Let’s start with a parent’s favorite activity – learning to read. Of course, the picture is touching (for a non-specialist) when a 1.5-2-year-old baby reproduces the alphabet. However, everything has its time. A child is ready to learn to read when he or she begins to speak clearly . That is, most teachers are right (and Nikitin, and Zaitsev, and many other authors) – it makes sense to start teaching reading no earlier than 3 years. This is on average. There are children who have a well-developed speech already at a little over a year and are able to read by the age of two – but there are very, very few of them, most children “ripe” by 3, and some only by 4 years. To clarify: to start learning means to start learning letters. The child will still read much later.
nine0003

Indeed, before the child develops the ability to think abstractly, he may well memorize both letters and words, but this is just photographic memory, not conscious understanding. After all, physiologically, the baby is not yet able to think abstractly for up to three years and understand that this little thing means A, this one means B … These are the features of the development of the human brain, and no matter what the parents’ ambitions are, you will not jump “above the head” of the child. After all, we do not teach a child to walk immediately after birth, realizing that the body is not ready. Why is there no such understanding regarding the development of the abilities of the psyche and intellect?

Photo: Depositphotos

A child who learns to read before the age of 3 and one who learns after this age do it fundamentally differently. In the first case – due to memory, in the second – due to abstract thinking. But not all children by nature are given the opportunity to learn to read at an early age. And if parents are too tight, you can get the opposite result – an aversion to reading and learning in general.

nine0003

And most importantly: yes, you can learn to read at 1.5-2 years old (if the child has developed speech) – but what is the goal? What will it practically give? Flattering parental vanity? Or will a child at 2 years old begin to read avidly? Before 4-5 years, this will still not happen – again, due to the peculiarities of the development of the child’s psyche.

On the other hand, after 6 it is also too late: it is a proven fact that it is much more difficult for a child of 7-8 years to learn to read than for a 5-6 year old. Therefore, it is not in vain that modern schools require from those entering the first grade at least reading by syllables.

nine0003

So the interval is clear, I hope. And there is no need to rush … Just enjoy communicating with your child. Will you really love him less if he does not learn the letters in a year and a half?

Many parents motivate their attempts to teach reading from the cradle by the fact that, they say, the child himself is interested in poking letters with his finger. But do not decide for the child what exactly he is interested in! At the age of one and a half, a child points his finger at everything, he is interested in EVERYTHING! But if it points to a microscope or a telescope, we do not rush to explain microbiology or astronomy to it. And if there are letters, then we immediately put them in the alphabet. Paradox. As if it is easier (in the understanding of a child of a year with a little – the same).

Photo: Depositphotos

It is not so much early development that matters, but timely development. Age appropriate. And it should be remembered that all children have different age characteristics of development. And if a neighbor girl reads at 2 years old, it makes no sense to worry that your child at 2.5-3 even speaks with difficulty – they just have different rates of development. As well as for the parents of such a girl, this is no reason to look down on less “advanced” kids. For a child who spoke early (in a little over a year), learning to read at 2-3 years old will not be too early (although it is not a fact that he will be interested in it). For a child who spoke at 3, this is not just early, it is premature and ineffective.

nine0003

And the whole point here is precisely in priorities: if at the forefront is “to teach”, to develop the skill of reading, these are the ambitions of parents and nothing more. If the emphasis is on encouraging the child to learn, the development of cognitive activity is a constructive approach worthy of respect.

For me, there is a huge difference in who the cognitive initiative comes from: from the child himself, or from the parents. If the baby wants to learn to read or count is himself, if he even counts the candies in the box, then this is his interest. If mother a year with a penny makes him sit down at the ABC – this is her initiative.

Do not do everything for the child, leave him a chance to live life according to his own scenario, and not according to the parents imposed. The child himself has the right to choose what and when to pay attention.

First steps towards independence
Photo: Depositphotos

Let me draw an analogy with school age: “physics” has nothing to do in a specialized class for “humanities”, as well as vice versa. But how to understand in the first grade what is closer to him? It’s the same way to teach letters a year – and if it’s more interesting for him to draw? (At the same time, motor skills will develop, again, he will speak faster). Or is he categorically not a humanist at all? Children are different. So, one more important point – early development should be in accordance with the natural inclinations of the child. nine0007