Motor Development

• Confidently throw and kick a ball.
• May begin alternating feet as she walks up stairs.
• Show a love of running, climbing, and sliding.
• Swing arms as she walks and runs. Won't need arms out to balance herself while running.
• Show enjoyment in activities such as drawing and scribbling. May sometimes use thumb and forefinger grip on pencil.
• Continue to work on learning to pedal tricycle.

Language development

• Have a vocabulary of about 500-1000 words. Begin to use sentences with 3-4 words.
• Have the ability to follow 2-3 step instructions. For example, "Could you please pick up the paper and put it in the garbage?"
• Play lots of language games such as what rhymes with "dog".  (Accept even the made up words that rhyme.)
• Asks a lot of questions involving words like what, where, how and when.

Intellectual Development

• Know that she should say "please" and "thank you" without being asked (Only, of course, if you have been working on this!)
• Will use words like today, last night and next time; however, he will not yet fully understand what they mean.
• Now has the ability to remember the location of  3 to 4 objects. It's a great time to start playing memory games such as concentration.
• Enjoy saying a few numbers in the right order.
• Begin to understand what numbers mean. For example, have your child set the table so everyone has a plate, knife and fork. 

Social and Emotional Development

• Will express the need to have someone listen to him and show that they love him by being affectionate.
• Regress a little in behavior by being bossy, wanting extra attention and acting like a baby.
• Test the limits frequently. However, he will gain comfort from having a regular routine and consistent rules.
• Develop imaginary friends. Resist asking questions such as "Is your friend a girl or boy?," or  "Does he have brown hair?"  An imaginary friend is just that - something wonderfully created to be anything the child wants.
• Become aware of body and of being a girl or boy.
• Show enjoyment of having a friend over for a play date.
• Can show sympathy for another child.
• Begin to learn how to cooperate with friends.

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