Early Years Minister, Nadhim Zahawi MP has been confirmed to officially open...read more
News
In the latest in his series of articles, Chris Williams, language development expert and founder of Chatta, explores ideas and activities parents and childminders can use to support children’s development in communication and language development. Here, he considers activities and ideas for children aged 2 to 3
2 to 3 Years: A time for tantrums
Often categorised as ‘The Terrible Two’s’, the period between two and three years old is the time when children are conflicted between independence and a constant need for attention from the caregiver.
It is in this stage where we may see a child become unwilling to have satisfaction of their needs deferred, resulting in anger or temper. It’s all a necessary part of the developmental learning curve. Appropriate response and distraction can help to ease the more trying elements of this stage, and most children resolve this conflict and progress happily into their fourth year of life.
A social being
At the beginning of this stage children are rapidly acquiring and practising new vocabulary. We see the beginnings of sentences form, along with a constant need to have questions answered to their satisfaction. Our patient response to these questions is essential, because it’s through this persistent quizzing that children make sense of their world.
Books and reading
As children progress through this stage we may notice a requirement for a favourite story over and over again. I can still, in fact, recite many of the books that I read night after night to my children at this stage. For months on end we immersed ourselves in “Some Dogs Do” by Jez Alborough. The familiarity of the story providing a ‘warm’ and ‘cushioning’ feeling for my stroppy two year old.
It is natural for a child’s attention span to vary at this age, so just focus on developing a love of books and stories. Good quality story time with snuggles and cuddles helps develop a passion for reading and books and it’s a great way to end a day or settle a child for a nap.
Some great stories to read at this stage include:
- So Much by Trish Cooke
- Calm down Boris by Sam Lloyd
- We’re going on a Bear Hunt by Michaell Rosen
- Funnybones by Allan Ahlberg
Apps and Technology
It is also at this age that we may notice children begin to develop a proficiency with technology. Children learn from what they see and we live in a digital age where much of our communication is conducted with the use of technology. We must still be mindful though that hand-held screen time increases the risk of speech delay. There is no digital resource that can replace quality interactions with adults.
However, this does not mean that there is no place for technology during this stage of development. It is an intrinsic motivator, and when used correctly with a two-year old child it can aid communication, recall and expression.
In the last article, we talked about the use of pictures in technology. This continues to be of prime importance. Take pictures of everything, then pocket the device. Enjoy the pictures later for recall. Ask questions and encourage children to re-tell what is happening, perhaps explaining this to another family member.
Go Outdoors
Get outside with your 2-year old - in general, it is normally the adult that is perturbed by weather! Children at this age love exploring the elements, so venture out, wrap up and explore. The experiences are free of charge and provide a priceless bank of future memories and reflective experiences.
Things to try:
● Make lunch for fairies or gnomes in a local wooded area.
● Take bark rubbings from trees.
● Go puddle jumping, i guarantee you’ll enjoy it too!
● Make some mud pies.
● Collect objects and make a nature collage.
Physical Play
Children aged between 2 and 3 are continuing to practise and develop their physical skills and becoming increasingly confident in running, jumping and kicking. Get active daily, and I guarantee you won’t regret this decision when it comes to bedtime.
- Play football
- Climb at the local park
- Bake and cook to develop fine motor skills
- Draw and paint
- Stomp around in sand
Children will begin to develop a preferred hand at this stage, so try to engage them in activities involving pushing and pulling to develop muscles (carts are great for this!).
Taking Turns
The natural developmental progression at this age means that turn taking is a challenge! Children in this stage are egocentric; they can only consider their own needs. They are developing the ability to play with other children rather than just around them. As adults, if we reinforce turn taking at every opportunity we can help children internalise that this is necessary for harmonious play and interactions.
Try these turn takers:
● Setting the dinner table - Alternating turns with each place setting
● Sharing a bowl of fruit - Your turn/my turn
● Playing with a chunky jigsaw and taking turns to place the pieces
● I spy - Start with colours or descriptions of objects
● Throw and catch with a large ball
Development Summary
Between the ages 2 and 3 children should be able to:
● Use a growing number of recognisable words and understand many more.
● Form simple sentences which develop more fluently as children reach age 3.
● Develop a love of stories and have a favourite, which they may constantly demand.
● Talk to themselves during play and play activity, often a self narrative of the game. Be sure to tune in and write down some of this as this can be wonderful for later reflection!
● Ask a broad range of questions and be keen for an immediate answer.
● Help an adult with home activities, children usually enjoy the responsibility of this.
Listen up!
Listening remains an important skill that children need to develop. In a stage where speech and language progression is so rapid, it can be difficult to encourage and support children to stop and listen!
What can you do?
• Minimise distractions. To get children to really tune in, minimise any level of distraction. Turn off the TV to read a book, make sure it’s quiet when you are spending time talking about the day. Distractions make for a much poorer quality listening experience.
• Be aware of your voice tone. Switch your voice up and down and change your tones so children have to tune in more carefully to hear what you’re saying. Speak in whispers.
• Hum a song. Hum a familiar nursery rhyme and ask children to guess what it is, they’ll have to really listen to be able to identify your song!
• What’s in my box? Place bells in a box and carefully pass them around. Ask children to listen carefully and guess what’s inside. Vary the objects including items such as stones, beads and dried pasta.
Autumn 2017
News Archive
National Children's Day UK (NCDUK) is all about the importance of a healthy...read more
Like everyone else it seems, BAPN is now on a number of social media platforms....read more
June O’Sullivan MBE, the CEO of London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), has...read more
Parenta, has launched Footsteps 2, an online EYFS assessment tracker and...read more
Yoopies claims to have become the first UK childcare platform to offer a free...read more
Early-years training organisation NEyTCO, which was founded in 2014, has...read more
Buckshaw Bunnies Childcare Ltd, the owner of Gelston Manor Day Nursery in...read more
BAPN will be adding to its support and member discounted products and services...read more
Action for Children purchased Kent childcare group St Bart’s Day...read more
Stanley Security is running its ‘Together for Safer Education’...read more
Mark Hardy, chair of the Association of Play Industries, has called on...read more
Ipsos MORI, the independent research organisation, are carrying out important...read more
The childcare sector welcomed the DfE’s publication of its new Level 3...read more
Scotland’s minister for childcare and early years Maree Todd launched a...read more
The British Association of Professional Nannies (BAPN) announced Tricia...read more
Inspiring Scotland was awarded £862,550 to increase outdoor learning for...read more
A SOCITM review found that half of UK councils don’t provide good online...read more
Free childcare in Wales could mean fewer children take up early education...read more
As EYC went to press, 60 nurseries from across the UK were waiting to discover...read more
The Co-operative Childcare’s nursery at St. Richard’s Hospital in...read more
A Grantham day nursery that closed its doors in February as a result of the ill...read more
Bloomsbury Publishing has released three new educational books for the...read more
David Wright, co-owner of Paint Pots Nurseries in Southampton, is...read more
Fast-expanding Dublin-based childcare provider Tigers Childcare is entering the...read more
Morton Michel, publisher of Early Years Childcarer, is the headline sponsor of...read more
Hocus Pocus Day Nursery has posted a petition calling for government to ditch...read more
In an attempt to plug gaps in early learning and childcare supply, Scottish...read more
Childminders in England who have been registered with Ofsted for less than...read more
On September 16, an intrepid team from across the insurance industry will be...read more
The Welsh government was advised that its flagship Flying Start programme...read more
A charity set up by a family in memory of their late daughter launched the...read more
Co-Founder of First Aid Training Cooperative, Cory Jones, warned that a lack of...read more
Wednesday 1st August is National Play Day, when children are encouraged to get...read more
Children’s Activities Week is a NEW national event celebrating all the...read more
Your Business Matters! Morton Michel’s ‘Your Business...read more
London’s first full-time outdoors nursery proves itself as a successful...read more
This year at the upcoming Manchester event in June, Childcare Expo introduces...read more
Despite the weather warnings and Storm Emma rearing her ugly head, Childcare...read more
A Welsh government law which stops funding for registered childminders looking...read more
This year’s National Children’s Day UK (NCDUK) will take place on...read more
The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) welcomed the government’s...read more
While most local authorities across England have been told they will be...read more
Paper Nations, a creative partnership led by Bath Spa University and funded by...read more
The British Psychological Society (BPS) labelled a government green paper on...read more
NEyTCO have launched a campaign to bring awareness via Social Media to ban the...read more
National Children’s Day UK grows into a major national celebration -...read more
Returning to Olympia London, the countdown is officially on for the longest...read more
Following their hugely successful relaunch, Nannyjob.co.uk now features over...read more
Complete the Morton Michel annual survey and you could WIN a £100 Amazon...read more
We are running a fantastic competition on behalf of Mark Hainy and Leigh Tilley...read more
The Children’s Activities Association (CAA) has launched Children’s...read more
While figures released late last year on the uptake of 30-hours funded...read more
There is a new water brand on the market specifically for young children.read more
Ofsted has called for improvements to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)...read more
Oaktree Designs has come up with an exciting, cost-effective resource for...read more
Long awaited and much maligned by the sector, the 30-hour funded entitlement...read more
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Family and Childcare...read more
In the latest in his series of articles, Chris Williams, language development...read more
Luxury shower brand Insignia has launched a gadget to help prevent scalding in...read more
Respected early years lecturer, author and consultant Mine Conkbayir has...read more
The Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) has moved to...read more
Bookings for Minding the Gap 2018: Ensuring the Wellbeing of Every Child opened...read more
Waltons Garden Buildings has published a complete guide to help childminders...read more
Popular two-player game Guess Who has teamed up with the RSPB for a makeover...read more
Fire safety has to be one of your top priorities in any business, but when...read more
Childcare Expo Midlands is back for 2017 with an unmissable programme of...read more
It's your last chance to receive your Morton Michel's Magic Miles fundraising...read more
Chris Williams, founder of “chatta” and language development...read more
Macmillan Cancer Support’s much-loved World’s Biggest Coffee...read more
My Family Week celebrates families of all shapes and sizes, allowing children...read more
Childcare recruitment company Tinies Childcare has launched its Inspiring a...read more
The Nursery Catering Company (NCC) has launched its summer vegetarian and...read more
Latest figures from Ofsted reveal that childminder numbers have fallen by...read more
The Regulation Matters Campaign has renewed its call for all childcarers in the...read more
Delegates at the National Early Years Trainers & Consultants Organisation...read more
Morton Michel celebrated the launch of its new policy for nurseries with fine...read more
Get ready to be inspired by the leading influencers and suppliers from across...read more
Last week the inquest into the death of Nasar, a 14-year-old boy from North...read more
The UK government’s childhood obesity action plan unveiled last August...read more
Record-breaking crowds flocked to London Olympia on March 3-4 for Childcare...read more
Emotions were running high as James Hempsall OBE, the national programme...read more
In Manchester next month, an event for all childcare practitioners will be...read more
Children and babies are prone to head injuries as they have disproportionately...read more
An online services marketplace has created a GCSE style quiz to see how many...read more
A top au pair agency is leading a revolution in the holiday market by providing...read more
Childcare minister Caroline Dinenage MP chose Childcare Expo to make two...read more
One of the UK’s leading voices on physical activity in the early years...read more
The Department for Education has re-launched its start-up grants for childcare...read more
A team of paediatric dietitians have developed a board game that is a...read more
Readers now have a new way to read Early Years Childcarer (EYC); via our mobile...read more
The Croydon Childminding Association (CCMA) and Pacey Local Croydon, both...read more
An event for everyone in the early years community will be opening its doors...read more
An entrepreneurial duo has launched a ride-on for early-years settings. Zoomer...read more
Childminders or nannies looking for a way to engage their device-mad charges in...read more
Thousands of early years practitioners descended upon London Olympia on 3 &...read more
Childcare Expo London, taking place at Olympia on 3rd & 4th March will play...read more
A unique, affordable conference for Childminders and all Early Years...read more
The minister for childcare and early years in Scotland, Mark McDonald, revealed...read more
Despite government hopes that extending parents’ entitlement to free...read more
Self-styled Rainbow Fairies Natasha Gavin and Suzanne Dennison have launched...read more
A staggering 98% of parents in Northern Ireland are satisfied with the quality...read more
Readers now have a new way to read Early Years Childcarer (EYC); via our mobile...read more
Christine Button, a nursery manager and former childminder, has been handed a...read more
Not long since the Midlands event closed its doors, Childcare Expo is chomping...read more
Caroline Dinenage, the MP for Gosport, Stubbington, Lee on the Solent and Hill...read more
For the first time, the Prime Minister has appointed a minister with...read more
On August 1, Morton Michel, the UK’s biggest childcare insurance...read more
A new creative construction toy is taking the early-years sector by storm....read more
The department of health has published a new infographic promoting physical...read more
Discount retailer Aldi has extended its award-winning Mamia range for babies...read more
Manchester welcomed Childcare Expo with open furry arms last week at EventCity...read more
In Manchester this month, an event for childcare practitioners will be taking...read more
A Merseyside nursery has received an “outstanding” Ofsted rating,...read more
Home Counties based nanny agency, Nannies Matter has published a free...read more
This magazine’s publisher Morton Michel was named Specialist Broker of...read more
The proportion of parents in England who rate the quality and availability of...read more
The Chiltern College has announced a massive development project at its...read more
Kiddi Caru Day Nurseries has installed cooking facilities at each of its 19...read more
Macmillan Cancer Support is urging early-years settings across the UK to help...read more
An entrepreneurial Scottish occupational therapist and childminder has set up...read more
Morton Michel is delighted to announce the launch of their brand new website!read more
Never before has children’s health been deemed a ‘national...read more
Over 2,500 early years professionals are expected to visit Olympia London over...read more
The first major longitudinal study in Europe to investigate the impact of...read more
The number of childcare providers in England has fallen again, marking three...read more
Out-going Labour Party shadow minister with responsibility for childcare Pat...read more
Charity Contact a Family has warned government that disabled children risk...read more
High quality nurseries led by early years teachers have the biggest positive...read more
The National Literacy Trust (NLT) is holding its 12th annual early years...read more
The Playhouse Company, which specialises in bespoke, made-to-order playhouses,...read more
The National Early Years Trainers & Consultants Organisation celebrated its...read more