Developmental Milestones for 2-Year-Olds
At a Glance
Two-year-olds typically learn many new physical skills.
Toddlers begin to engage in more pretend play.
As children approach age 3, they usually can understand most of what you say to them.
Once your child is 2 years old, you officially have a toddler! And it can be hard not to compare your child with other toddling tots—or have other parents compare their child to yours.
You may not be completely sure what skills are typical at this age, especially if this is your first child. Check out these developmental milestones to get a better idea of which skills are typically expected of a 2-year-old. Keep in mind that children develop at different paces. So if your child is late to do a few of these things, don’t panic.
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Physical Milestones
This year, children may not only grow by leaps and bounds, but also learn to leap and bound! Expect to see big things happening with the big muscles (gross motor skills), as well as development in small muscle movement (fine motor skills).
Most 2-year-olds learn to do things like these by the end of their third year:
Gross Motor Skills
Walk,run, and start learning to jump with both feet
Pull or carry toys while walking
Throw and kick a ball; try to catch with both hands
Stand on tiptoes and balance on one foot
Climb on furniture and playground equipment
Walk up stairs while holding the railing; may alternate feet
Fine Motor Skills
Start brushing own teeth and hair
May pull pants up and down
Turn on the taps and wash hands
Build a block tower of at least four blocks
Start practicing snaps and zipping up (if you start the zip)
Hold utensils and crayons with fingers instead of a fist, although at this age the grasp still may not be quite right
Cognitive Milestones
Toddlers start thinking in new ways, learning new skills, finding new techniques to solve problems, and showing their independence. By the end of this year, children typically:
Enjoy more complicated pretend play, like pretending that a box is a spaceship or assigning people characters when playing
Remember and talk about things that happened in the past, using phrases like “the other day” or “a long time ago”
Do three- to four-piece puzzles
Group toys by type, size, or colour
Recite favourite books and nursery rhymes with you
May follow two-step directions, such as “take off your coat and hang it up”
Language Milestones
By the end of the third year, children usually understand much of what you say to them. They’re also talking more. At this age, children can typically:
Understand the words for familiar people, everyday objects, and body parts
Use a variety of single words by 18 months and speak in sentences of two to four words by 24 months (may combine nouns and verbs, like “mommy eat”); have a vocabulary of 200+ words by 36 months
Repeat words they hear
Start asking “what’s that?” and “why?”
Begin using plurals (dogs) and basic pronouns (me, you)
Social and Emotional Milestones
Two-year-olds typically start to be more independent and more interested in other children. But not having the words to express themselves can be frustrating. By the end of this year, children will likely do things like this:
Mimic what other children and adults do and say, as well as how they say it
Be happy to play near, if not with, other kids
Start to realise they can do things without your help
Disobey more than before, doing things they’re told not to do, just to test what happens
Have tantrums of frustration
Show increasing separation anxiety by 18 months, which typically eases a lot by 24 months; become increasingly independent and aware of themselves as their own person between 24 and 36 months
All children develop at their own rate, and there’s no need to worry when children are slow to develop some of these skills. But if they aren’t meeting the majority of these milestones as age 3 approaches, talk to your child’s doctor. The doctor can help you sort out what’s going on, if there’s any concern about developmental delays and how to help your child progress.
Key Takeaways
By the end of the third year, most children are climbing, running, and jumping.
Tantrums are a normal way for 2-year-olds to express frustration.
Talk to your child’s doctor if you have concerns about your child’s progress.