At around 2 years of age, your child’s brain is taking a developmental leap. The various centers of the brain are developing by forming new neural connections. By now, your child’s brain has developed 100 trillion neural connections, which lead to motor development, increased language skills, and self-awareness.
Note: At around 24 months, your child is growing by leaps and bounds both mentally as well as physically. Experts advise that the child should have limited screen exposure as excessive screen time can reduce development. When kids watch screens slumped on the couch, they are not active physically, hindering their growth. While watching the screen, the kids miss out on real-life interactions with family and friends, which further inhibits their growth.
During this phase, the following areas of the toddler’s brain start to develop:
1. Cognitive Skills
2. Movement
3. Language
4. Social Emotional
5. Self-help skills
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COGNITIVE SKILLS
Cognitive skills involve various mental skills like learning, problem-solving, and thinking.
- Kids are curious to explore stuff kept in drawers
- Name body parts
- Sort objects by colour and shape
- Enjoy pretend plays
- Understands turn-taking
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MOVEMENT
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS -18 TO 24 MONTHS
FINE MOTOR SKILLS -18 TO 24 MONTHS
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LANGUAGE
- During 18 to 24 months, an infant’s vocabulary increases from 20 words to around 50 words.
- At around 18 months, your child will start to refer to him/herself by his/her name.
- He/She will begin to put 2-3 words together. For example, “Hi Mummy”,”want Apple”, “Go car”.
- Your toddler may mix words and toddler talk/babble.
- Don’t worry if your child pronounces words differently.For example, “tite” instead of “kite” or “duv you” instead of “love you” or “wata” instead of “water”. By 24 months, this pronunciation will improve.
- Children at this age will love to listen to stories read by you. They love big images.
- Even though they will be able to speak around 50 words, children between 18 to 24 months of age will be able to understand anything between 200 to 500 words.
- While talking, your toddler will use a lot of gestures and tones to help you understand better.
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SOCIAL EMOTIONAL
- During the age of 18 to 24 months, social and emotional development in children continues to undergo several changes.
- At this stage, a parent/care giver can expect a lot of “no” and “mine” from a kid
- At this age, make sure you teach your child some basic good manners like ‘please’, ‘thank you’ etc.
- Teach your child to put away toys after play.
- Sing happy and simple songs to your toddler.
- Your child may also be able to put on some simple clothing by him/herself
- Most importantly, have fun with your toddler. It makes the emotional bond stronger.
Some of the common behavioral patterns that one can expect from a child of this age are :
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- The child enjoys playing alone
- Likes to do things by him/herself
- Doesn’t like to share
- May push or hit if made to share
- Likes to help with simple household chores like keeping a glass on the table
- Can be reassured when afraid
- May act like he/she owns certain objects
5. SELF-HELP SKILLS
Self-help skills are necessary as they help kids become more independent. Here are a few self-help skills that toddlers between 18-24 months develop:
- Can self-feed using a spoon and a fork.
- Can suck through a straw.
- Can fingerpick and eat chopped table foods.
- Can eat food having a variety of textures.
- Can protect themselves by staying away from sharp and hot objects.
- Push arm through armholes to wear a shirt.
Related Posts:
Baby Brain Development Stage 0-2 months
Baby Brain Development Stage 2-6 months
Baby Brain Development Stage 6-12 months
Toddler Brain Development Stage 12-18 months
How to improve your child’s thinking skills
