24-30 Months: Toddler Discoveries -- Milestones

1. Explores new ways to do things and shows beginning understanding of concepts such as color, size, matching, and weight.

Exploration is the passion of two-year-olds. They touch and hold everything they see. They love to dump, pour, fill, and spill in the sand table, the water table, the sink or tub. They put things together and pull them apart. As they explore, they learn how things work and begin to understand concepts of color, matching, same, and different. They are learning the foundation ideas of time (now versus later), size (bigger and smaller), and weight (light and heavy). Two-year-olds show their love for books, especially tiny ones that they can carry around with them. They explore ideas in the dramatic play area as they learn who does what and how people do what they do. For example:

Developing as expected, they might:

• ask meaningful questions in relation to the television show they are watching
• match their blue crayon to the one a friend is using
• complain that they don't have as many crackers as a friend has
• recognize Grandma in the family photo
• match clothing when asked to find the other sock in the drawer just like the one they already have on
• sort the pegs from the pegboard into groups of the same colors
• try new ideas with play dough, such as using toothpicks as candles for a birthday cake
• match duplicate pictures

Needing development, they might:

• push play dough around on the table without trying to make it into anything
• not stop to examine flowers, bugs, or other interesting sights on a walk
• use blocks or markers in the same way every time, with little creativity or exploration
• not match or sort crayons or toy cars according to color or size
• just look at the picture, and not respond when asked to point to the boy who is running

2. Uses reasoning skills and imagination when planning ways to make things happen.

Two-year-olds are able to figure things out using their experience combined with their new imaginative skills. They are learning about how things work when engaging in simple pretend play in the dramatic play area, building with blocks, pouring at the sand or water table, and participating in various art activities. They like to have the same books read over and over, and can retell the stories they have heard most often. They begin to plan what they want as they find a book they want to hear, or pull out of the drawer the shirt they want to wear. For example:

Developing as expected, they might:

• anticipate Grandpa's arrival when they see a parent making up the bed in the guest room by asking, "Is Grampa coming this day?"
• create stories and dramatizations based on a book they just heard
• combine toys in complex ways, such as using play dough in the dramatic play area to represent food, or putting blocks into the cars of a train to represent people riding to town
• look outside at the newly fallen snow and run to get their boots and mittens
• make up stories as they build with unit blocks and table blocks, or while they color
• know that the rectangular shape belongs in a particular spot on the form board, and twist it until it fits
• find all the felt pieces they will need to tell the story of Ask Mr. Bear or Ti on the felt board
• push chairs into a row to create a train for dramatic play
• plan a tea party with stuffed animals, and go to the water table to fill the teapot

Needing development, they might:

• insist on being the same character every day in dramatic play
• not be able to name the main characters in a story
• watch as classmates build a pretend castle in the block area, but not join them
• pick up and put down objects in dramatic play, but not plan for or act out a specific routine or familiar activity

3. Begins to understand consequences when re-creating familiar events and following routines.

Toddlers are very determined and often appear stubborn as they try to follow routines. They want to make things happen in the exact way that they think things should happen and can become upset when something turns out differently from their expectations. If routines have become fairly predictable in their lives, they know what will happen next, which adds to their comfort and security. For example:

Developing as expected, they might:

• call for a nearby adult to help, rather than hitting out, after another child grabs a toy away from them
• insist on putting on their mittens before they put on their jacket, although this makes it difficult to dress themselves until they remove their mittens
• imitate the ways they've observed a parent using tools around the house
• show frustration when trying to follow the rules of a simple board game
• imitate simple block structures or single-line crayon strokes
• start to cry when Mom says it is time to say good-bye to Grandma
• select a book about a cowboy after pulling on the big boots from the dress-up box
• choose their brand-new shoes when getting ready to go to a birthday party

Needing development, they might:

• continue to fuss when it's cleanup time, even though they know that snack comes next and then storytime follows
• forget after every snack to pick up their napkin and cup and throw them away
• push the same knob on the activity box, even though no action is produced
• try to push the circle shape into the square slot
• not know where to put the little people at cleanup time