Your child between 2 years and 3 years (1849)

Key points below


Children develop at their own pace. This sheet is a guide to help you know what you might expect from your Child between 2 to 3 years of age. If you are concerned about your child’s development, please talk with your doctor.

What should my child be learning?

Gross Motor Skills: Big Body Movements
Run forward for short distance without falling.
Walk forward, backward and sideways on a line without stepping off. 
Jump forward and jump over small items.
Jump up in the air to try and touch things out of reach.
Jump down without help. 
Walk up and down 4 steps with no help or only a rail for balance.  They can take each step with one foot.
Throw, catch and kick a playground ball.
Catch and throw a tennis ball.

Fine motor skills: Play and Self Help
Start to eat with a spoon and fork.
Drink from a Sippy cup or open cup.  They will not use a bottle any more.
Stack 6-10 blocks.
Begin to draw a straight line, up and down, side to side and a circle.
Use child safety scissors to cut a piece of paper in half.
Hold a crayon or pencil like a grown up.
Work on a puzzle with large knobs.
Turn pages in a book.

Language and Social Skills
Understand simple questions and requests.
Follow simple directions.
Name some body parts.
Ask what questions. “What’s this?”
Name pictures in books.
Use about 50 or more words.  People other than the caregiver can understand 50 or more of the child’s words.
Begin to use negatives like “no me, I not, not go, no want.”

How can I help my child?

Gross Motor Skills
Draw a chalk line or use a piece of tape to walk on.
Practice jumping over small soft toys, cracks in the sidewalk, jumping in leaves, over sticks and other small things. 
Dance and sing to music, use noise making toys.
Practice walking up and down steps.
Play in the park or outside, climb, jump, slide and run.  Do some movement and play everyday.
Let your child be messy, play in sand, grass, dirt, and water with supervision.

Fine Motor Skills
Practice buttoning and unbuttoning large buttons.
Paste, glue, paint, finger paint and color.
Stack blocks, put shapes in puzzles or shape sorter.
Use safety scissors to cut play dough, scrap paper, small paper plates or discarded mail envelopes, junk mail.
Color and scribble with crayons.

Language and Social Skills
Read books. Point to items in book and name what you see “Where is the dog? Where are his feet? Where is the blue fish?”
Talk about what you are doing during the day.  Say, “I am washing my hands, I am brushing my teeth, I am putting on my coat.”
Go outside for a walk and name things you see in the neighborhood, like grass, trees, car, truck, bus, and stop signs.
Name people in your family, like mom, dad, and sister.  Name people in pictures.
Ask questions during pretend play, like “What are you doing? What are making? What are you wearing?”

Toys to have for your child at 2 to 3 years old:
Duplos, Megablocks, Blocks.
Chalk for coloring on sidewalk or making lines to practice balance.
Easel, large crayons and coloring books, Playdough, playdough or safety scissors.
String with large beads, Large knobbed puzzles.
Board books, hard cover books.
Little tykes, Little people, doll houses, Little tykes farm, Little tykes bus.
Little kitchen, grocery cart, workbench for pretend play, dress up clothes.
Different sized balls for catching and throwing.
Tricycle and helmet.
Sorting toys and matching toys, barnyard bingo.

For other health and wellness information, check out this resource: 
https://kidshealth.org/ChildrensWi/en/parents
https://kidshealth.org/ChildrensWI/en/parents/development-3yrs.html