Play for Two-Year-Olds

Change would be the best word to describe what to expect from a two-year-old. Sometime you’ll swear she’s growing every which way, right before your eyes. The child will master a long list of new skills and accomplishments—physical, intellectual, emotional, and much more—and will struggle with accepting limits amidst all the new stuff she can do. Every child develops at his or her own pace, but for most typically developing kids, certain milestones are reached within a predictable age range[1].

Two-year-olds are little explorers. So much in the world is new to them and they can’t wait to check it all out. Supervise them carefully! The two-year-old can easily get so absorbed in investigation and discovery that they lose track of the larger environment around them. Some favorite play activities for two-year-olds include:

Reading books (over and over!)
Kicking, throwing, and catching large balls
Climbing jungle gyms or other safe structures
Swinging, running, balancing, and jumping
Exploring the natural environment
Creating pictures and “writing”
Emerging pretend play, role playing, and dressing up later in the year
Stringing large beads
Figuring out simple puzzles
“Helping” with grown-up activities (cooking, shopping, cleaning)
Filling and emptying
Organizing and sorting objects
Figuring out how things work

[1]Resources consulted include: (1) By the Ages: Behavior & Development of Children Pre-Birth through Eight by K. Eileen Allen and Lynn R. Marotz. Published by Delmar, a division of Thompson Learning, Albany, New York: 2000; (2) The American Academy of Pediatrics: Caring for Your Baby and Young Child Birth to Age 5: The Complete and Authoritative Guide, by S.P. Shelov and R. E. Hannemann. Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishers, New York: 1994.

Provided By Susan J. Oliver, Tropomedia
This information is provided on behalf of the toy experts at your neighborhood toy store.