Developmental Milestones: Development From Age 2-3 Years
Development after age 2 is very dramatic. Children go from infants to toddlers, speech blossoms, friendships develop, and independence increases. So, what should you be looking for?
Age 2
By age 2, your child should be walking and running, able to go up and down stairs, climbing, kicking, and throwing a ball, carrying toys around, and able to ride a scooter. Most children have been doing these things for months. Some children can jump off the ground, others haven’t quite figured out both feet yet. By age 3 many children can dress themselves in simple clothes (not buttons or zippers, and shirts can be a bit complex).
Most children can scribble, stack several blocks, and feed themselves easily. By age 3 most children can draw a (sort of) circle.
Speech
We look for speech to blossom. Many children are slow to speak, but by age 2 we want to see 2–3-word sentences and too many words overall to count. If you have a child who is slower to speak, this may take close to age 3 years, but speech should be improving throughout the year. A child should never lose words. Don’t worry about clarity – many words only a parent may understand, and pronunciation may not be very good. By age 3 it should be much better.
Age 3
This is the classic age of tantrums. 90% of children have tantrums by now, and they can last for years.
By age 3 we expect speech and motor skills to be improving, of course, but the biggest change is social and creative. By age 3 your child should have a very creative imagination and have true deep friendships and creative play with other children. Most children want to be very independent at this age, and are asking lots of “why” questions.
Many children reach these milestones early (girls are often much quicker than boys), and some are very slow. If worried, as always, talk to your pediatrician.
About Author
This article is written by Dr Leo Hamilton, who is a US board-certified Paediatrician since 2003. Dr Leo relocated to Singapore in 2011, caring for expat and Singaporean children from newborns at delivery to teenagers. Beyond his background in Hematology/Oncology, he has an interest in asthma, behavioural issues (primarily ADHD), teen health, and modern management of routine childhood illnesses such as ear infections, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia.
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