Milestones of Development 2 Year
This is how you as a parent can make your child smarter.
| Area of Development | Skill Level | Play Activity |
| Eyes | Can visually distinguish small objects at a distance | Play I spy in a car |
| Eyes | Can discriminate between small print letters | |
| Hands | Handle everything in reach, in sight, in sound, in range | Give simple directions when playing, ask to point out or get objects – play sets: farm, garage, work bench, cars, etc., point out toys, clothing, food, objects in books and magazines |
| Hands | They dump, pour | Sandbox play |
| Hands | They insert, remove | Buckets with small objects to put in; dump out |
| Hands | They stir, unstir | When you are cooking hand your child a bowl and spoon to pretend |
| Hands | Turns on, turns off | Busy boxes with lots of gears and buttons |
| Hands | Hand-to-hand | Hand two thing to your child at once. This also helps them in the decision making process. |
| Hands | Loves to take things apart, but cannot always put them together again | Give opportunity to manipulate toys that come apart – household goods, nuts and bolts, pop beads, q-tip box, waffle blocks, bristle blocks, links that easily come apart, etc. |
| Hands | Turn the pages of a book, one page at a time |
Use cloth books, thick pages, flip photo albums, greeting cards tied together with string |
| Hands | Able to build a tower of 6 blocks | Practice stacking; encourage; work down in size up in number – pillows, foam pieces, large plastic containers, cereal boxes, milk cartons |
| Hands | Can use small scissors | Give magazines have your child practice cutting on pages. |
| Hands | Can hold a glass of milk or juice securely | |
| Hands | Can turn knobs | |
| Hands | Can turn doorknob to enter or leave room | |
| Hands | May hold a pencil or crayon with adult grip | Have lots of art supplies on hand |
| Hands | Able to take lids off jars | Save old plastic jars when you are done with them. |
| Hands | Things still slip out of fingers | Be patient, they are still so young. |
| Hands | Can draw vertical line | Have paper, pens and rulers available to practice. |
| Hands | Build a tower of five cubes | Practice stacking; encourage; work down in size, up in number – paper bag blocks (fill big with crumpled newspaper and tape shut) |
| Body Movements | Have 2 sides of their body to use | |
| Body Movements | Have mobility which is new & exciting freedom | |
| Body Movements | They may pedal up and down | Have a small tricycle for them to try riding. |
| Body Movements | May climb, slide, jump, hop on 2 feet | Use records and tapes |
| Body Movements | Use lateral & reciprocal movements | Walk on tape on the floor - backwards and forwards |
| Body Movements | Use backward movements proceeding forward motion | Walk outside of home to build up confidence. |
| Body Movements | Run, jump, gallop, clap | Use records or tapes. |
| Body Movements | Large motor small spaces | |
| Body Movements | Obsessed with spatial exploring | |
| Body Movements | Delight in rough-and-tumble play | Get down on the floor and play with your child |
| Body Movements | Insist on being mother's helper, assisting in everyday housekeeping chores | Give your child a small broom, dust cloth and other play cleaning materials. Let them help you fold the laundry. |
| Body Movements | Stand on one foot alone | Draw hopscotch on the driveway |
| Body Movements | Jump in place, both feet off floor simultaneously | Use record or tapes |
| Body Movements | Climb with a purpose-to see better or reach for something | Make an obstacle course in your living room |
| Body Movements | Difficulty mastering simple space relationships | |
| Locomotion | Monitors his walk & the placement of his feet so that he will be able to deal with obstacles in his way | Make sure your child has a safe environment. Move obstacles out of the way. |
| Locomotion | Walking pattern not smooth; foot and leg move as one | |
| Locomotion | Like to walk unaided | Use objects that move or have wheels, small vehicles for child to push while on hands and knees, small furniture to push- walker, wagon, large box, toddler taxi, push riding toys, push grocery boxes around |
| Locomotion | Dislike being carried or pushed in a stroller | Always hold your child's hand in public |
| Locomotion | Walk backwards for 10 feet | |
| Locomotion | Walk a few steps on tiptoes | |
| Locomotion | Move around house with ease; no longer bumps into things | Put toys on adult chair and encourage toddler to climb – overstuffed chair, favorite toy |
| Locomotion | Running still stiff and awkward | Encourage child to run for a hug |
| Locomotion | Cannot turn sharp corners, or come to a quick stop | |
| Locomotion | Climb to top of gym; can't climb down again | Use stairs to practice downwards steps |
| Listening | They know objects have meaning | Play game with feel box and small objects and conversation – box, tactile small objects i.e., block, stone, spoon, ball, cracker |
| Listening | They understand more than they say | Encourage words not just gestures; ask questions; model with doll |
| Listening | A great deal of looking, listening and attending is taking place at all times | |
| Listening | Pay more attention to what people say | Converse and chat with child |
| Listening | Understand longer sentences | Use tapes, records, and talk a lot; limit TV |
| Listening | Enjoy books; point to and name objects; turn pages | Use homemade picture file |
| Talking/Communication | Can identify objects by pointing or talking | Use play objects in a box |
| Talking/Communication | They talk in syllables, words and phrases | Clarify words for child; emphasize and pronounce clearly |
| Talking/Communication | They scream, whine, laugh, shriek | Introduce noisemakers to child – bells, drums, blocks, tambourine, shakers, rhythm sticks |
| Talking/Communication | Have body gestures and movements which tell adults what they want and need | Encourage words not just gestures; ask questions; model with doll |
| Talking/Communication | They make funny sounds and faces | Give silly directions: “Blow me a kiss”, “Rub your tummy”, etc. |
| Talking/Communication | They may say "I" | |
| Talking/Communication | They may say "all gone" | |
| Talking/Communication | They may say "me go ball" | |
| Talking/Communication | They may say "I go to bathroom" | |
| Talking/Communication | Joins in five words of song | Any song |
| Talking/Communication | Nods, agrees, steps forward, leans | Always use positive reinforcements |
| Talking/Communication | Short sentences, avoid "I" | |
| Talking/Communication | Loud noises | Talk to your child about "library voices" |
| Talking/Communication | Labeling and name calling - kitty; meow | |
| Talking/Communication | Practicing sounds - ba, bye, all gone, so big | Repeat nursery rhymes over and over again |
| Talking/Communication | Use three-word sentences | |
| Talking/Communication | Name 6 body parts | Point to body parts in a sing song voice. |
| Talking/Communication | Use personal pronouns, "I", "you" and "me" | |
| Talking/Communication | Average number of words is 272 | Repeat words and phrases; ask questions. |
| Talking/Communication | Tremendous increase in vocabulary | Repeat words and phrases; ask questions. |
| Talking/Communication | Form 2 & 3 word sentences | Use two word sentences with child: “Baby sit” – dolls and accessories |
| Talking/Communication | Use words that name things, persons and actions predominately | Repeat words clearly; vary tone and inflection |
| Talking/Communication | Rhythmic language | Sing songs and make games out of everyday things |
| Talking/Communication | Overgeneralize words | |
| Talking/Communication | Counting and classifying objects | Ask child to help collect things for activity, objects should be within child’s reach; various rooms; coloring, snack, bath, bed, washing, dusting, baking, etc. |
| Talking/Communication | Vocabulary of more than 3 but less than 50 words; some have vocabulary of 200 to 300 words | Repeat words clearly; vary tone and inflection |
| Talking/Communication | Join words together into two-word phrases | Encourage communication by chatting with your child back and forth |
| Talking/Communication | Still rely on facial expressions, gestures, body movements for communication | Tell your child to use your words |
| Talking/Communication | Call themselves by own name; i.e., "Mary wants apple" | Repeat the sentence back using correct language |
| Talking/Communication | Can sing phrases of songs | Any song |
| Talking/Communication | Imitate parents' tone of voice | Repeat words clearly; vary tone and inflection |
| All | Routines and rituals important | Keep to a schedule |
| Dressing | They may dress up | Have hats, shoes and clothing available for play |
| Dressing | Beginning to take an interest in buttoning and unbuttoning | Have dress up clothes with zippers and buttons |
| Dressing | Can put on socks, shoes and hats | Let your child try and dress themselves |
| Dressing | Able to do some tooth brushing herself | Brush your own teeth with your child to encourage proper brushing |
| Dressing | Enjoy bath | Have toys in bathtub |
| Dressing | Like to wash hands, but never their faces | Have your child practice on dolls or other objects. |
| Dressing/Eating | Has a tendency to dawdle | Break activity into simple steps – putting small objects in and taking out of a container, turning pages of board book one at a time, putting magnets on and off the refrigerator one at a time, picture cards to turn over one at a time |
| Feeding/Eating | Definite food likes and dislikes appear | Have a variety of finger foods on hand to try. |
| Feeding/Eating | Appetites are smaller; less interest in eating; do not need as much food | Have smaller meals several times a day |
| Sleeping | Sleeps 13 hours and has naps of 1-2 hours | Regular sleep schedules are important at this age |
| Sleeping | Sleep requirements vary between 8 and 17 hours a night | Keep to a schedule |
| Toileting | Anal & urethra sphincter muscles mature allowing child to be toilet trained | Potty chair available to sit on whenever so it becomes comfortable |
| Toileting | Ask to go to the toilet | Have your child go to the potty when you go and sit together. |
| All 3 | Eager to affect environment, interacting with every object in his path | Take nature walks |
| All 3 | Play with attributes of things: texture, shape, size, color, function | Use 3 piece puzzles and cut-out boxes to feel and touch edges, shapes puzzle, large knobs, shape box |
| Tactile | Manual, manipulative | Sort objects in pile – blocks, rings, spoons, cups, balls, socks, shoes, books, etc. |
| Tactile | Can put a square block into the rectangular hole of a shape-sorting box | Use a shape sorting box |
| Visual | Use their eyes to guide their hands and feet | |
| Visual | Vague awareness of relationship between things; their number, quantity, weight, size | Use play sets such as farm, garage, etc. – workbench, farm set, play broom, mop, etc. |
| Visual | Discriminate vertical from horizontal lines | Use of the words up and down, back and forth and sideways will help distinguish |
| Attachment | Are deeply attached to their parents | Give plenty of hugs and kisses |
| Attachment | Separate carefully and briefly | Just remind your child you will be back soon |
| Attachment | Significant social relations center around parental persons | Play groups |
| Attachment | Actively tries to prove their independence by disobeying, being negative & doing what they feel like doing | Ignore “no”, say, “let’s go do…” |
| Attachment | Like parents to play with them, chase them, play hide-and-seek & read & sing to them | |
| Attachment | Social contacts are brief & transitory, due to short attention span | Play groups |
| Attachment | Adjusting to age mates individually or in groups is socially awkward | Set up small play groups |
| Attachment | Parents still on top of social ladder | Set up play groups with your friends |
| Attachment | Strong attachment to mother | Spend time with your child |
| Attachment | Increasing sense of independence | Let them help you do chores and cook in the kitchen simple things |
| Attachment | Fears & anxiety about separation from mother erupt | Reassure your child you will be back soon |
| Emotional | They play side by side | |
| Emotional | They are learning to give and take (Take comes first) | Practice giving and taking |
| Emotional | They are learning to pass and receive (Receive comes first) | Play catch with a ball |
| Emotional | They are learning to hide and look (Looking comes first) | Play hide and seek. Mommy is coming to find you. |
| Emotional | They are learning to put in, take out (Taking out comes first) | Put objects in a feel box and ask to pull out and name |
| Emotional | They are learning to put on, take off (Taking off comes first) | Dress up clothes |
| Emotional | They may fight over a common toy | If it happens often having two of the same item may help, teach about taking turns (still too early though) |
| Emotional | They may fall apart and throw a tantrum | Daily |
| Emotional | May have a favorite toy or person | Each child should have something special that they can call their own. |
| Emotional | Just realizing they are separate selves | |
| Emotional | They are secure, when they are secure | |
| Emotional | Have feelings of happiness, sadness, fear, etc. | Read books on feelings |
| Emotional | Have feelings that change rapidly | Read books on feelings |
| Emotional | Have short memories, attention spans | Have lots of activities for them to do |
| Emotional | Need time, structure, balance in their lives | Schedules are important |
| Emotional | Alert/overwhelming | |
| Emotional | Pleasure in looking at & being looked at | Have mirrors close by and tell your child how beautiful they are |
| Emotional | Beginning of self-concept | |
| Emotional | Disgust | |
| Emotional | Curiosity | |
| Emotional | Freely mixes inanimate & animate objects in his spoken responses | |
| Emotional | Hitting & biting are prevalent in the beginning stages of social learning | Remove the child from the situation and so NO - NO BITING |
| Emotional | Obtain & hoard possessions | Give them their own space for their things |
| Emotional | Feelings of affection & tenderness can get mixed up with shoves and punches | Role play |
| Emotional | Assert their independence b y saying "no" | Ignore "No" and revert attention elsewhere |
| Emotional | Beginning to explore potential for influencing other people, especially parents | |
| Emotional | Mainly interested in themselves. Not apt to show or play with age mates | They can play side by side at this age but not together |
| Emotional | Ready for participation in informal or formal play group | Start teaching about rules |
| Emotional | Initial concept of friend as a familiar peer | Have play groups |
| Emotional | Call all women mommy and all men daddy | |
| Emotional | Many fears come about | Reassure your child they are safe |
| Emotional | Intent on doing things their way | |
| Emotional | Self-concept enhanced when people react with approval and praise their accomplishments | Always catch your child being "good" |
| Emotional/Attachment | Need prompt attention | Look into your child's eyes when engaging them |
| Emotional/Attachment | Up and down preferences | Ride on a teeter totter |
| Imitation | They try to help, do imitations of what they see | Have your child help in the kitchen |
| Imitation | Their imitative & perceptual behaviors show finer discrimination | Dress Up and role play |
| Imitation | Imitate mannerisms of parents or primary caretaker | Role play |
| Imitation | Fears learned from parents: mice, snakes, thunderstorms | |
