Month 18 - Year 2.5
'Challenging' is a word that comes to mind for
many parents when describing their two-year-old. It's not called
the 'terrible twos' for nothing. But this is a time of intense
learning and of fast-growing independence, as you see your
relatively helpless baby blossom into a child with a personality
and mind of her own. Stay calm and loving - and enjoy!
What will she do next?
By two-and-a-half, your child can:
- Climb easy nursery apparatus
- Walk upstairs and downstairs confidently, using a rail, two
feet to a step
- Jump with two feet together from a low step, and stand on
tiptoe if you show her how
- Throw a ball, rather stiffly
- Kick a large ball, but softly and lopsidedly.
Speak easy
At two years your child can:
- Act on simple commands
- Use at least 20 words and join two or more words together
- Recognise simple pictures of objects.
At two-and-a-half she can:
- Use three words together
- Join in songs and understand simple short stories and
conversation.
Your two-year-old will talk more when there are adults around than
when she's left to play with other toddlers. But by her fourth
birthday, the presence of adults will actually inhibit fantasy play
and imaginative language.
Questions and Answers
Q: My two-year-old seems to be asking me questions all day long!
How do I deal with them?
A: It may sometimes seem as if your toddler is trying to test your
patience, but she's actually practicing the art of conversation.
- Give short, simple answers, not long complex ones
- Give real, concrete examples. If she asks: 'What does breakable
mean?' show her some things that are breakable and remind her of a
time that something was broken
- Be truthful. If you don't know the answer, tell her. Suggest
you try to find out together.
Did you know?
At around 20 months, toddlers start to grasp an endearing new skill
- how to tease. They might hide your purse or you car keys when
you're going out, usually with a coy smile. Toddlers with older
brother and sisters may learn to tease even earlier.
