I

What an exciting week! Happy birthday to your new two-year old!  There have been many changes and growth in the past year and you have so many more to look forward to this coming year.  She will be developing new gross motor skills such as hopping, skipping, galloping, climbing, jumping, balancing on one foot and hanging onto monkey bars.  It may make you a bit nervous especially when you watch your toddler take risks like these, but these activities are help them develop!

In addition to the development of your child’s gross motor skills, the fine motor will be progressing in leaps and bounds too!  Giving your child writing instruments such as crayons, markers and chunk pencils will allow them to improve their grasp while drawing and having fun.  Hand-eye coordination will strengthen, which will benefit her in many ways in the coming years.

This third year of life will bring about even more communication and language so be ready to hear 3-7 word sentences and a child that seems to be tireless in talking!

Be sure to take time to explain how things work and engage in new learning opportunities.  Remember, play based activities that are initiated by the child are important to a healthy brain and in the promotion of  important academic, social and cognitive development.

Your child will start to understand colors and shapes, will learn the alphabet song, and begin counting from 1-10.  Puzzles are an effective and fun activity that builds upon many skills and is a fantastic activity for you to work on together.  Don’t forget to be reading with your child daily, as this  makes a child a great reader.

Observe the way your child plays, especially with other children.  Parallel play, the act of playing next to each other, but not necessarily “with” each other, is typical for two year olds and is completely normal!  Over time she will increase her interaction with other children, by playing with the same toys in the same area as other children. Eventually, this will result to social skills development that is vital especially when they have to share, take turns and communicate with others.

Enjoy and have fun with all the changes, growth and memories this year will bring your child!