Understanding Children

Understanding Children

Two and Three Year Olds

Terms to Know• Language comprehension

• Expressive language

• Egocentric

• Gender roles

• Self – concept

2 year olds

Physical Development• Gross motor development – Improved coordination and body

control – Can walk up and down stairs if they

place both feet on each stair – Can jump several inches off the

floor– Can sit on a riding toy and move it

by pushing with their feet

Physical Development• Fine motor development – Can insert keys into a lock and turn

pages in a book one at a time – Can hold scissors properly – Hand preference is fairly developed – At 24 months, kids can scribble – Hold the crayon or pencil in their fist – Can build with blocks

Physical Development• Self – help skills – Undress self – Dress self by pulling on simple

garments – Zipper usage– Drink from a cup or glass– Can use a spoon – Potty training

Cognitive Development

• Language Comprehension Skills – Understanding of language – 2 year olds can understand and

answer routine questions (e.g. What is that?)

– Can tell difference between soft/heavy, big/tall


• Expressive Language Skills – The ability to produce language forms– The child’s experiences affect the rate

and content – Important to provide an environment

that stimulates language development – Two language strategies

• Feeding – in: you provide child’s language • Expansion: reframing child’s word into a

sentence


• Express language skills– 50 to 200 word vocabulary – Girls generally develop language

skills faster than boys – Often use the word “no”


• Math Readiness Skills– Developed as children interact with

others and with objects – Begin to sort objects by shape and

color

Social – Emotional Development

• Social development – Children play next to each, but not

with each other–More interested in adults than other

kids – Act out adult experiences as they

play (driving, talking on the phone)– Possessive; do not want to share – Affectionate


• Emotional development – 2 year olds like to be able to control their

surroundings – Doing a task too difficult for them may cause

anger – Commonly develop fears (most often of

being harmed or hurt, or stem from their imagination)

– Need regular routines to build trust and security

– Need love and caring, despite their temper

When teaching 2 year oldsbe prepared for:

– The word “no”… A LOT – Egocentricity … they think you feel

the same way they day– Dawdling … they go at their own pace – Curiosity … especially with toys. Add

new items a few at a time. – Temper tantrums … be calm and

composed.

3 year olds

Physical Development • Gross motor

development – Throwing, jumping

and hopping improve due to better coordination

– Can climb and descend stairs easily

– Can ride and steer tricycle

• Fine motor skills – Cutting skills more

refined – Can reproduce simple

shapes as they draw – Can trace – Enjoy drawing faces

that include a mouth, eyes, nose and ears that are not proportional

Physical Development• Self – help skills – Daily care routines require little

assistance from adults– Open buckles on clothes – Put on shoes (without strings)– Have trouble telling front from back

of clothing –Most have almost full control of toilet

routines


• Able to solve simple problems • Still egocentric • Learn quickly – Language comprehension,

expressive language, and math readiness skills continue to improve


• Language comprehension skills – Can remember and follow 3 part

instructions – Understand pronouns such as you,

they– Space concepts become clearer


• Expressive language skills – Children may use more than 900

words – Start to use question words

(why/when) – As children play, they frequently

talk out loud to themselves


• Math Readiness Skills – Understand

more/less/smaller/empty– Like to compare objects– Counting skills begin at this age – Distinguish between one and many


• Social development – Eager to help others, especially

adults – Adjust to new people more easily – Begin to play with other children –Will share some– Begin to learn gender roles • Behaviors that are expected of girls and

boys


• Emotional development– Strong, visible emotions – Eager to act in ways that please others – Likely to become angry when things do not go

their way, but direct anger toward object instead of person

– Developing a self – concept: the way they see themselves

– Not as frightened by objects that they know, but afraid of imagined dangers (dark)

– Fearful of pain – Affectionate

Teaching 3 year olds: • Eager to please • Enjoy playing alone and in groups

of 2 or 3 • Enjoy pretending to cook, shop • Become increasingly independent• Need encouragement to be

independent

Task Rotation• You will be visiting 4 different stations.

You will have approximately 10 minutes at each station.

• After you complete the task at each station, you will answer the following questions on your own paper: 1. Which station are you at? 2. What task did you complete? 3. Does this task work on fine or gross

motor development?

Understanding Children

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