Pregnancy
24-30 Months: Learning About Me -- Milestones
Toddlers' feelings of competence sometimes lead them to expect more of themselves than they can do. They haven't had enough experience to know what will work and what won't, but this doesn't keep them from trying many different kinds of things. Their efforts to master new challenges can be frustrating for them as well as for those taking care of them. However, when they are successful, they gain a sense of mastery and achievement. By supporting their unsuccessful efforts as well as their successes, adults encourage them to keep trying and not feel as though they have failed during their initial attempts at mastery. They are learning to try things again and again, which is part of the process of gaining mastery. For example:
Developing as expected, they might:
- peel their own banana at lunch and show how they did it
- say no when someone wants to help them walk up the stairs
- eagerly climb up the bars on the toddler gym, then call for someone to help them get down
- dump the puzzle pieces out on the table and then ask for help in putting the puzzle back together
- insist on carrying their glass of milk over to the table, but cry when it spills
- try to put on their own sweater, and even though it may be upside down or backward, insist on leaving it this way
- look anxious as they view the new riding toy and refuse to get on it
- examine the form board shapes and then cry and say, "I can't," while refusing to try even one of the shapes
- attempt to squeeze the toothpaste out, then cry and hit out when they can't do it
- throw down the connecting cubes and shout, "Too hard," after making one attempt to put them together
- try several different puzzle pieces, each with increasing frustration, and then push them all off the table
- push the new riding toy over to a caregiver, then protest when their attempts to use the pedals to make it go don't work
2. Shows growing ability to manage own behavior in different ways.
Toddlers want to find out what they are in charge of and what they can control. They are becoming aware of the rules both at home and at their child-care centers. They often forget social expectations in moments of intense feelings, but they are learning. They push limits because it's not clear to them what the boundaries are, and they need to experience the limits. This makes them appear stubborn and uncooperative at times, but they do this as a way of asking adults to be clear in setting limits and to let them know what the expectations and rules actually are. For example:
Developing as expected, they might:
- look at their caregiver when asked to stop jumping on the sofa, but continue to jump until helped to find something else to do
- cry for a few minutes after being dropped off at child care, then start to play
- take off their coat and try to hang it on the low hook put there especially for this purpose
- show increased interest in using the toilet
- wash and dry their own hands before a meal without being reminded
- talk about needing to use a "whisper voice" when going into the library
- try to wipe up the juice they spilled at snacktime
Needing development, they might:
- throw their coat on the floor as they race through the room
- grab for the graham cracker as they push another child's hand out of the way
- drag their feet and pull away when asked to go to the sink to wash up
- stamp their feet and cry when told they can't play with the blocks just now
3. Expresses feelings through language and pretend play.
Toddlers are beginning to understand the social expectations around using words to express their feelings. Their growing mastery of language skills helps them as they learn how to use words to say how they feel. Older toddlers are also beginning to engage in pretend play, which is greatly facilitated by their new command of spoken language. Using words helps them to think about and begin to understand the way they feel about things. Toddlers work harder at expressing their negative feelings than they do at expressing joy and pleasure. For example:
Developing as expected, they might:
- repeat "Mommy gone" over and over as they watch their mother walk down the sidewalk from the child-care center
- pretend to be an angry lion who roars at everyone
- act out a visit to the doctor by giving a "shot" to the stuffed animals and then comforting them after the shot
- laugh and call out, "Yeah!" as they run to their parent or teacher when asked if they would like to help make the salad
- explore being a mommy as they feed the doll and put it to bed
- walk confidently down the street until they see a dog, then run to the safety of their caregiver's arms
Needing development, they might:
- kick and scream when told it's not their turn on the riding toy
- cry loudly but can't explain what happened or answer any questions
- grab the doll from another child and say, "I want that one"
- yell, "I hate you," after being told, "This isn't the time for watching videos"
- walk angrily away from a peer with whom they were playing, yelling, "You're not my friend"
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