Developmental Milestones and Toys for 2 Year Olds
When choosing wooden toys as gifts for 2 year olds, it is helpful to keep in mind appropriate developmental milestones.
However, please remember that all children develop & progress at different rates - these are general milestones only.
LEARNING
- Listens to stories, turns pages and points out details in books
- Begins to look at books independently
- Begins to recognise some alphabet letters especially those in their name (our ABC Touch Blocks are perfect to encourage early literacy)
- Identifies body parts and their functions
- Completes simple jigsaw puzzles (why not try our Chelona Puzzles?)
- Stacks rings and wooden blocks. And enjoys knocking them down
- Begins to match and then sort shapes (the Wonderworld rolling shape sorter will provide enjoyment for many years as the shapes get progressively harder)
- Can sort and match by colour
- Begins to count and understand the concept of 1 and 2
- Identifies objects that are shorter or longer
- Pouring and filling containers with water and sand
IMAGINATION
- Begins make-believe play (why not view our wide variety of kitchen pretend play wooden toys)
- Will watch and imitate the play of other children in a parallel manner
- Will offer and share toys with other children but is still possessive of own belongings
- Helps with everyday activities and imitates them in their play--giving Teddy a drink, having a tea party (our Wonderworld Tea Time Set is perfect!)
- Begins to use objects for purposes other than what is intended -- use blocks for a load of hay in a truck
- Talk to themselves or to their toys when playing creatively
LANGUAGE
- Is able to use language to effectively get others to respond to needs and wants
- Speech becomes more intelligible and vocabulary is continuously increasing at a rapid rate
- Develops from 2 or 3 word sentences to more complete and complex sentences
- Receptive language (what they understand) is significantly more than their expressive language (what they can talk about)
- Able to follow 2 or 3 phrase commands
- Uses plurals and begins to use "I" instead of "me"
- Begins to use negative statements--- no, not, no more
- Asks "What's that?" and then "Why" questions
- Begin to repeat short poems and sing simple songs
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
- Climbs stairs unassisted
- Can balance on 1 leg, roll and jump up and down as well as forward
- Can grasp and turn doorhandles, grasp crayons to scribble and will begin to interpret the drawing
- Will begin to learn how to cut with scissors
- Begins to throw a ball and catch it by clasping to the chest, and also kick a ball
- Starts to take off clothes and to undo buttons and zippers
- Uses feet to push riding toys
- Toilet training may commence during the year
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL
- Likes routines
- Starts to show independent behaviour and begins to use the "NO" word
- Can be impatient, unable to wait or take turns and displays temper tantrums when frustration levels rise
- Making choices can be difficult as they often want it both ways
- Physical aggression lessens as verbal and negotiation skills improve
- Begins to show empathy for other people
This article was written by the Wooden Toy Store Team. Please feel free to use it in it's entirety with the inclusion of the Wooden Toy Store as the author and a link to www.woodentoystore.co.nz
