Toddlers are young children between 14 and 36 months. Toddlerhood is the time parents seem to find their children the most challenging, as their “babies” struggle between complete dependence and separation. Curiosity, energy, and speed increase during the toddler years; hence, limits need to be established. By the age of 2, several abilities in children improve.

Coloring, building blocks, and scribbling are activities that interest children at this particular stage. They have gone from fun babbling to building a vocabulary of about 40 words, still learning to use the words in combination. Children have gone from needing help while taking steps to running, jumping, and climbing. At this age, children are able to refer to themselves by name, and in many cases, they have a hard time sharing. By three years of age, children are usually able to dress and undress themselves, to some extent. Their language skills develop rather quickly during this stage. They begin to speak a little more clearly, making themselves understood, and they are able to comprehend more than one command at a time. Children are usually ready to be potty trained at this time.

Preschoolers

Preschoolers…these are the 3 to 5-year-olds. At this stage, children begin riding tricycles, dressing and undressing themselves with help, and showing awareness of gender identity. These are children’s curious years. Your child will ask you about any and everything. Three to five-year-old children are eager to learn. They are also very imaginative, making it hard for some to distinguish between reality and their fantasy worlds. Children often claim to have (imaginary) friends that only they can see around this age.

At this stage, preschoolers walk on their tip toes, stand and hop on one foot, skip, dress themselves, etc. Certain fears are sometimes associated with pre-schoolers, for instance, fear of separation, baths, dogs, the dark, etc.

During this time, it is important for parents to exhibit the behavior they are expecting from their children. Children are very impressionable during these early years, and they tend to follow the example of their parents. It’s at this age they test their parents by trying out the profane words they have heard from older siblings, neighbors, other adults, or their parents.

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