What your child is doing
- Riding a scooter or tricycle
- Saying three word sentences or more
- Dressing himself/herself with easy clothes
- Singing to himself/herself
- Being clingy one moment and independent the next
What not to worry about – fears
Most two year olds go through a phase of demonstrating age appropriate fear around things like thunderstorms, the dark, and even monsters and spiders. The key is not to make a big deal out of it, especially if it’s a fear of yours as well. Reassure your child with words and a hug and then distract them. You may find the topic keeps coming up long after the fear has gone, again reassure and then distract.
How you can help your child at this age
- Play physical games with them such as running, jumping and climbing; it will give them a taste for activity and help with their motor skills.
- Help your child to learn to express their feelings when they have a tantrum. Instead of telling them off, get them to express what has upset them/hurt their feelings etc.
- Your child's imagination will become more colorful if you start to play pretend games with his/her dolls and stuffed animals.
Troubleshooting - “My daughter won’t listen to me - it drives me crazy.”
“I love the Supernanny tip where you get down to their level and lower the tone of your voice. I find if I yell from the kitchen it’s too easy for my kids to get distracted and ignore me. Instead I come up to them, get down to their level, which means they have to pay attention to me and then lower my tone so they know I am serious. It works every time especially in public.”
Hannah, 30 mum to Carly 4 and Max, 2
Bounty
Bounty
