What to Expect From Your Two-Year-Old
Your child’s second year is full of first times which makes it a really sweet time in both of your lives. At this stage, they start to be children and stop being babies. In addition, they also begin to show their personality and, unfortunately, tantrums are more and more common. It’s a great adventure, but it’s important to know what to expect from your two-year-old.
There’s a lot to look forward to as your child grows. If you’re wondering when your child will start to walk, talk, and do other things, we’ll let you know in today’s article. However, before we get started, we want to remind you that each child has their own evolutionary rhythm. Therefore, it it takes them longer than others to reach certain milestones, but it’s at their own pace, that’s okay.
Your baby’s first steps
In their second year of life, your child should have already taken their first steps. However, for others, this will happen at the beginning of their second year. And that’s fine. This will be when your child begins to walk without any help, with wobbly first steps.
Most children begin to walk between nine and 18 months (the average age is between 14 and 15 months). Once they start walking, the adventure will get more tiring! However, it’ll be worth it because these are very exciting moments.
Your two-year-old may start running!
When your two-year-old has mastered the art of walking, they’ll start to run and explore the world. After about six months from the time they start walking, they’ll start running. And you’ll be running right behind them! You might wonder if it’s normal that you can’t always keep up with them. However, you have to remember that they have a lot of accumulated energy in that small body.
Climbing
If your child already walks and runs, they’re now a complete explorer! Now, anytime they figure out that they can go up, down and climb something, they’ll do it. They’re quite the adventurer and they love knowing that they’re capable of doing those things.
Your little explorer will start climbing furniture and stairs, so you have to constantly watch them. If you’ve noticed that they start to climb the bars of their crib, it’s time to take them out.
Play with a ball!
Kicking a ball is a huge milestone for both boys and girls. To do this, your two-year-old will need coordination and connection to know that the ball, when kicked, will roll or bounce. When the little one discovers that the ball will bounce, they’ll also want to do the same with other toys or food. They’ll want to see what happens when they throw those things on the ground.
Your two-year-old: drawing
At this age, children will start playing Picasso and will begin painting the entire house. You’ll have to let them explore their creative side, but you should also make it clear where they can and can’t do it. If you don’t make those boundaries clear, you may find your walls and floors plastered with their art.
Your child’s first scribbles will be priceless to you. During their second year, they’ll gain more control over the small muscles in their hands and fingers. These fine motor skills will help your two-year-old doodle.
Eat with a spoon
At this stage, they’ll be able to eat with a spoon little by little. This is because of the same fine motor skills and strength in their hands that’ll allow them to start drawing. At first, it can be a bit of a disaster, and your child is likely to stain everything. Therefore, you need to be patient during this learning process.
Symbolic game
Your child’s two-year-old imagination is coming to life. Between 18 and 24 months, a child’s brain is ready to begin fantasy play. For example, you may see them “feeding” a teddy bear or talking on a toy phone.
Enjoy their sense of magic because it’s wonderful to see. And, if they give you something “to eat” or they hand you the phone to “talk to grandma,” play along. It’s a precious phase of life that you don’t want to miss.
Your two-year-old: talking, talking, talking!
Up until this point, your child was just babbling. However, around 15 to 18 months, you’ll start to hear words that actually make sense. From 24 months on, they’ll be able to put two words together to form small phrases, such as, “Play ball!” “No more!” “It’s mine!” “Mom, let’s go!”
Playing with friends
At this age, young children like to play with their friends and they enjoy interacting with other children. At the end of the second year, they may not be ready to share their toys when they play, but it’s a big step in their young life.
Conclusion
As you can see, your two-year-old child will start doing more and more things because their motor development is at full capacity. What could be more rewarding for a mother than to watch her child grow up in such a healthy and vivacious way?