2到3岁孩子的培养

Childhood Development: 2 to 3 Years
 Your child is now a toddler. Toddlers have high energy levels. They want to do things for themselves. Keep in mind that your child is experiencing all sorts of impulses, but does not yet have control over them. Tantrums are common. Patience is important.

How your child eats:

• Make eating fun to avoid "food jags" and pickiness by preparing food in fun shapes or with different dipping sauces (e.g. cheese spreads, yogurt, etc.)
• Your child should be eating "child-friendly" portions that are 1/3 to 1/2 of a regular adult portion.
• Your child should start the habit of washing his hands before meals.
• Your child is capable of helping with some meal preparation: scrubbing vegetables, snapping peas, tearing salad greens, and peeling bananas.
• Watch your child when he eats and avoid giving him foods that he might choke on. Examples include "hard to chew" food like steak, "small and round" food like hot dogs, grapes, peanuts, popcorn (hot dogs and grapes can be cut into strips), and "sticky" food like peanut butter (peanut butter can be mixed with plain yogurt to decrease stickiness).

How to care for your child's mouth:

• Your child may be ready to use a small (pea-sized) amount of fluoridated toothpaste when brushing, but will need your help to floss and clean teeth completely. Talk to your pediatric dentist before starting toothpaste.
• Most children have all 20 "baby" (primary) teeth by age 2.
• Most children stop sucking their thumbs by age 2.
• Your child should be seeing a pediatric dentist every 6 months.

How your child uses his hands (your child's fine motor skill development ):

• Your child is more interested in scribbling with crayons. He will begin to copy lines first, and then circles.
• Towards his third birthday, your child may enjoy learning to cut with safety scissors.
• Your child will enjoy simple stringing activities with large beads. Make sure the beads are large enough so that your child will not choke if he puts them in his mouth.

How your child moves (your child's gross motor skill development ):

• Your child will learn to run without tripping too often.
• Your child will also learn to jump on both feet.
• Your child will learn to walk up and down stairs independently.
• Your child will be able to balance her weight on one foot for a few seconds.

How your child communicates (your child's speech and language development ):

• You will be surprised at how many words your child will learn this year! Try writing down the words that he knows every three months.
• Your child will learn to talk in short sentences.
• Your child will be able to talk about events that he remembers happening in the near past, but will confuse words like yesterday and tomorrow.
• Though he may not always follow your directions, your child does understand you better.
• He will be able to follow directions using the words "on" "in" and "under."
• By age 3, 75% of his speech should be clear.
• Most strangers will understand at least 50% of what your child says.

How your child explores (your child's cognitive development ):

• Your child will understand simple stories.
• Your child's imagination will become more vivid. She may even have imaginary friends and will play pretend with dolls and stuffed animals.
• Your child also will learn to match familiar items to pictures of those items.
• Your child may enjoy simple puzzles (3-4 piece puzzles are great for 2 year-olds).
• Your child may begin to "play house." You will see that she knows what familiar objects are used for.
• Your child will be able to name pictures of objects and point to pictures of people doing familiar activities in books.
• Your child will learn to count "1-2-3" and understand what those numbers mean.

How your child is growing emotionally (your child's social and emotional development ):

• Your child is showing more interest in other children. He will be more cooperative in simple games with other children. He will like playing with other children.
• Your child begins to understand rules that are consistently reinforced. Use praise or a favorite activity to reward her for following rules.
• During this year, the more you help your child with transitions from one activity to the next, the easier it will be for your child. For example, tell him about an upcoming visit to the doctor, or a stay with a babysitter.
• Your child will like having a daily routine. Help him adjust to new experiences or persons by introducing him to the new person or situation slowly.
• "Mine" is a word often used by your child in this period.
• By the end of this year, your child will know that he is a boy, or that she is a girl and she can identify herself in the mirror.

Loving and playing with your child:

• Look for signs from your child that it is time for toilet training. If you wait for your child to show interest, toilet training will be easier and more positive for you and your child. Remember, boys often do not complete toilet training until after the third birthday.
• Your child will enjoy playing with your old shoes, purses, or hats. Playing with dress-up clothing will help your child with her dressing and undressing skills.
• Be patient with your child. She may need your help in calming down from her many activities.
• Be firm, and consistent in setting limits for your child. Too many rules may cause your child to be very rebellious, and too few limits may leave your child feeling very insecure.
• Read to your child regularly, every day if you can. Let him fill in the blanks in familiar stories and rhymes.

How to keep your child healthy:

• Does your child have all his/her shots? Check the 2008 immunization schedule.