0 Stages in Growing up: 18 months to Two Years Old

18 months to 2 years old

Children of these stages in growing up (18 months to two years old) are full of energy.  They love to explore and to manipulate objects, and they can entertain themselves for short periods.  As their major muscles develop, their walking skills increase.  Parents should be patient and offer encouragement as they begin to develop bladder control and, later, control their bowels.

 Children of these stages in growing up begin to learn what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour as they test limits.  Constant adult supervision is still necessary, because toddlers cannot determine what behaviour is safe and what is potentially dangerous.  Small children respond well to known routines.  Something as minor as a sandwich that is cut in a new way can cause distress. 

They like being with other children although they usually play near or with a parent.  The children watch each other and often imitate each other, but without interacting.  Many toddlers have trouble making choices.  They are demanding, often inflexible, and constantly in motion.

Toddlers quickly learn to manipulate their parents through tears and tantrums.  Small children are more likely to become upset when they are tired, hungry, or rushed.  Often tantrums can be avoided when parents carefully plan routine and are clear about what is acceptable behaviour.   

When parents are overly controlling or critical, however, children can become filled with self-doubt.  Although children of these stages in growing up (18 months to two years old) can be trying, they can also be loving companions—and fun to be with.

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Stages in Growing Up: 18 months to Two Years Old  is a blog post on  Modern Parenting Tips: Styles & Approach to Train & Discipline Children

Related topic to read on:

•  Stages in Growing Up: Four to Five Years Old
• Three-Year-Olds: Stages in Growing Up (12 Tips) 

Detail: Stages in Growing up: 18 months to Two Years Old

0 Three-year-olds: Stages in Growing Up (12 Tips)

Stages in growing up.

  1.   Three-year-olds begin to show both mental and physical independence.  They are proud of their accomplishments and delight in demonstrating them.  These stages in growing up will help develop their coordination for them to be able to ride on toy cars.  

  2.   They can entertain themselves by making simple  drawings or playing with blocks.  Their communication skills are developed enough for them to tell simple stories or repeat nursery rhymes.  Stages in growing up help the three-year-olds to be independent enough to do many care-taking activities, such as using the bathroom.  

3.   With a little assistance, three-year-olds can dress themselves (although they may have problems with buttons) and they have an easy time getting undressed on their own.

4.   At about three and a half, children may become awkward and, on occasion, stumble and fall.  They might develop stuttering or nervous habits, which could be caused by stress or insecurity.  Parents should not panic, but try to find the cause of the stress and eliminate it if possible.

5.   Children of these stages in growing up have fewer temper tantrums because they can do so many things for themselves.  Unlike younger children, who use “no” with great frequency, three-year-olds use “yes.” They have more patience about having to “wait a few minutes.” 

6.   While toddlers have troubles adapting to sudden changes in plans, three-year-olds like new experiences and are usually willing to try most of the things parents suggest.  They are increasingly more social with adults, they learn to share, and they begin to show real, and they love participating in long sessions of acted-out make-believe.

7.   These stages in growing up help kids express emotional insecurity by crying and whining, and frequently they want parents to reassure them of their love.  Three-year-olds seek this assurance through a paradoxical approach, vehemently saying, “You don’t love me.”  

8.   By three and a half, many children are jealous of anyone or anything that takes away the attention of their parents or friends.  Three-years-olds often say they want to be just like their parents.  They express love through their words and their actions. 

9.   At these stages in growing up, children might inform everyone that they are going to grow up and marry their parent of the opposite sex.  They need to be told that their plan is impossible, but reassure them that they will have their own especial person when they grow up.

10.   Parents can expect their children to inundate them with questions during this period.  Children like to give their own answers and then hear what the adult has to say.

11.   A movie, a television show, or something the child hears might cause fears that become greatly inflated at bedtime; the three-year-olds literally believe that the monsters are out to get him or her, and demand help.  When this occurs, it is imperative that the parents become understanding and comforting to the child.

12.   It is important that a child of this age learn self-control, how to behave in the company of others, and how to communicate frustrations through words instead of tears and tantrums.  Parents need to be patient and set limits.  The stages in growing up of three-year-olds need to know that their parents have confidence in them, as well as love them.

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Three-Year-Olds: Stages in Growing Up (12 Tips)  is a blog post on  Modern Parenting Tips: Styles & Approach to Train & Discipline Children

Related topic to read on:

•     Stages in Growing Up: Four to Five Years Old
  

Detail: Three-year-olds: Stages in Growing Up (12 Tips)

0 Stages in Growing up: Four to Five Years Old

Stages in growing up

1.  Pre-school and kindergarten stages in growing up provide an opportunity for children to meet new people and face new challenges.  This is a time when children like learning start to develop the ability to cooperate with others.  By five, most kids have already learned to play a variety of roles. Examples: a follower of older children, a bossy leader of younger children, and a cooperative partner with a peer. 

2.  Children begin to have strong preferences in playmates and identify with people of their own sex. As four to five years old children pass through these stages in growing up, their play becomes more complex as their cognitive skills develop.  Even though they may invent imaginary friends and make up stories they insist are true, children at this stage begin to understand the difference between the real and the imaginary.   

3.  Four to five years old stages in growing up ask detailed questions that require thoughtful answers.  They also are curious about their past because hearing about their past helps them feel bigger in the present.  At this time, children become more emotionally independent and are frequently more interested in spending time with their peers than with their parents.

4.  Encouraged by their friends, 4-year-olds often consciously break rules and behave inappropriately.  With or without provocation, they might bite, pinch, hit, or kick; throw or intentionally break things; call people’s names; or use profanity.  These stages of growing up assert the children’s independence by defying parents and teachers.  Angry reactions from adults are often met with smirks and a general attitude that communicates “You can’t get me.” 

5.  Children often experience mood swings at this stage of development.  They begin to understand the concept of “right” and “wrong” but test “wrong” to get adult attention.  Parents have to choose when, where, and how to respond.  Some things can be ignored but it is imperative to react strongly and firmly to the rest.

6.  Four to five years old stages in growing up can take care of themselves in their daily routines.  They might become fussy about their clothing, and they like others to admire what they are wearing.  They enjoy helping around the house, but they usually forget to do the chores they have been assigned.  They may be very sloppy about taking care of their clothes and toys and show a disregard for other people’s things. 

7.  Concentration spans lengthen and, by four and a half, many children spend long periods building, painting, or playing dress up.  They like completing what they begin and the uninterrupted time they require should be provided whenever possible.

8.  Fears recede in intensity and begin to shift from fantasy.  These stages in growing up may worry them about the safety of their parents and the possibility of abandonment.  As children move from four to five years old in life, parents often find them to be more emotionally stable. 

9.  They are more predictable and wild outbursts generally disappear.  Almost overnight children of this age become helpful, cooperative, and very responsive to praise.  Their defiance evaporates, they want to do things the right way, and they are extremely sensitive to criticism. 

10.  Their self-concept is largely drawn from how they think teachers and parents view them.  If they haven’t been ridiculed or constantly criticized, four to five years old move through the year of developing a sense of purpose, inner control, and direction.  The goal of stages in growing up for them is to feel comfortable and capable in their world.

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Detail: Stages in Growing up: Four to Five Years Old