Parents of most two-year-old babies finally breathe a sigh of relief, because a charming little peasant, which requires undivided attention, is gradually turning into an independent, albeit very stubborn child. The formerly very active physical and mental development slows down, because children already know how to walk and run, master the initial skills of self-care, confidently handle small objects. Neuropsychic development depends on how parents worked with him in the first years of life.
Physical development
Already in two years, the physical development of boys and girls is different. Girls weigh from 12 to 14 kg, growth is approximately 84-90 cm, boys grow to 86-92 cm, weight - 13-16 kg. By the age of two, children walk confidently, run almost without falls (unless they stumble over negligence), they can step over obstacles, descend on an inclined plane and walk up stairs. Most babies are very fond of active pastime, and movement without a goal no longer attracts them.
Two-year-olds on a walk want to not just walk, but ride on a swing, climb the stairs, play with the ball, run after each other and dig sand with a shovel. The movements of the child become noticeably more confident. Parents may notice the first inclinations for certain sports: boys begin to play football with interest, girls dance or do gymnastics, children can jump over low obstacles or walk on a beam.
Fine motor skills
Particular attention in the development of a child of two years should be paid to fine motor skills. At this age, you can gradually begin preparing for school, because the hand movements in children are associated not only with visual coordination, but also with the work of the brain. Two-year-olds are well versed in both hands and most often it will already become clear whether the baby is left-handed or right-handed. The child begins to act with both hands at the same time less and less, giving preference to the leader in drawing, modeling and other creative activities.
To ensure harmony, half of a 2-year-old child development program should focus on fine motor skills. Classes should be held regularly. Two-year-olds are very fond of sculpting from plasticine, making simple applications from blanks or cutting large figures with scissors under the supervision of their parents, drawing with pencils, paints, felt-tip pens on any surfaces that they come across. There is no need to be afraid to give the child scissors, brushes and paints, but in the first lesson, it is necessary to explain how to handle these items.
Parent Mistakes
Classes for the development of a child of two years provide for the achievement of any result, which may be a drawing, application, a figure made of salt dough or plasticine. But many parents make a serious mistake, doing everything on their own or choosing tasks that are too complicated for a two-year-old. A child at this age still cannot cut paper evenly, draw according to the pattern or the cells, does not understand why cut even squares and circles.
The kid needs to be given first to consider the proposed items. Brushes and paints, felt-tip pens, colored paper, other tools and materials for creativity will certainly interest him. Only when the child has considered everything and played enough can you offer some simple task. It is considered a very good result if the two-year-old can correctly hold scissors in her hand, carefully paint large pictures, make balls and āsausagesā from plasticine.
The opposite (and also erroneous) approach is to leave the baby to deal with everything independently. Any development program for a child of two years foresees first acquaintance with objects, materials for creativity, auxiliary tools, the implementation of several basic crafts, and only then relatively independent creativity. At this age, the baby still does not understand what can be done with plasticine, colored paper, glue, scissors and paints. Therefore, parents need to think through a program for the development of the motor skills of a 2-year-old child so that he gradually moves from simple activities (for example, coloring a simple picture) to more complex ones (drawing according to the model).
Biennial behavior
At the age of two, the behavior of an obedient and loving baby suddenly changes dramatically. He turns into a stubborn and restless naughty man who argues with his parents and confidently defends his independence. By the age of two, children understand and answer questions, learn to express their thoughts, communicate their own desires (sometimes even too persistently), can maintain a conversation with adults, tell how the day went.
The period from two to three years is called sensitive by child psychologists, because it is at this age that an important stage in the development of speech passes. The child no longer just learns to speak, but knows how to pronounce words correctly, understands their meaning and assimilates the most important components of his native speech, for example, the ability to correctly build sentences, answer questions, pronounce sounds and syllables separately. At this age, it is quite possible to begin teaching a foreign language, but only if the two-year-old does not have problems with native speech. The kid will be happy to learn the meaning of new words and expressions, and very soon the why will become his favorite word.
Baby speech development
For the development of the speech of a child of two years, it is important to read as much as possible with him, to tell tales and just talk. Child psychologists noticed that modern technologies (watching videos on a computer or smartphone, cartoons on TV) are not suitable for the development of speech, and children who spend a lot of time in front of device screens have difficulty communicating their thoughts even at school age. poorly developed imagination and limited vocabulary.
In a year and a half or two years, the childās vocabulary is from 40 to 100 words, by the end of the second year it can reach 300 words. The speech development of children 2 years old implies the ability to combine words into phrases and simple sentences in meaning. If itās impossible to form phrases, then parents need to learn it: to pronounce correctly not a single word, but the whole sentence. The replenishment of the vocabulary is facilitated by the fact that the two-year-old, seeing a new subject, tries to find out about its functions, often asks what the subject is called, why it is used. Parents need to answer all these questions in a detailed manner.
Games for developing the speech of children of 2 years are numerous, but it is best to just read books and talk with the baby, because nothing can replace a lively interested communication. For reading, it is better to choose books with bright pictures, easy and clear text. We must strive not only to quickly read fairy tales and poems, but to read with expression, try to convey to the two-year-old the meaning of what was read. It is necessary to involve the child in the discussion of what they read, making them sympathize or empathize with the fairy-tale characters. At two years old, many kids love the simple verses of Korney Chukovsky or Agniya Barto, fairy tales about animals and Russian folk.
Cognitive abilities
The development of a child of two years is still determined by the fact that he can not focus for a long time on one object. This is an age-related feature that many parents use to their advantage, diverting the attention of the baby as necessary. Two-year-old understands the purpose of household items, tries to use them, continues to master cutlery and personal hygiene items. A child knows how to assemble a pyramid and play a constructor, correlates a three-dimensional geometric figure with a flat one (cube and square, circle and ball), identifies an object by signs (heavy, soft, hard, large), is oriented in simple quantities, for example, comparing toys by color , size, weight, can name the color of the toy, draws lines of different directions and lengths.
Favorite games in two years
The development of a child of two years is directly related to the game activity, which remains the main one. The kid is already consciously taking some actions and wants to learn more interesting things about the world around him. When planning classes for children 2 years old for development, it is necessary to take into account that two-year-olds can focus only on a small number of subjects, are quickly carried away by a new occupation, but also lose interest in it in a short time. You need to play simple games for perception and short durations.
Independent two-year-old games become more emotional and complex. In the group, children play scenes from fairy tales, plots, like to play āhouseā or āmother-daughterā, cook food, ātreatā toys, create home-made āhairdressersā or ācar parksā. It is good if parents are actively involved in the game. For the development of a two-year-old child, it is recommended to use cubes, various loose leaf frames, soft large puzzles, magnetic toys, mosaics, board games of the Find a Couple type, wooden constructors and legos.
Successful early development of a child in two years is necessarily associated with social ties. In this increase behavior, emotions and preferences are changing greatly. All two-year-olds delight parents with an inexhaustible interest in the world around them, the ability to get along with other adults and peers. Children actively participate in common games, like to spend time with peers in kindergarten or on the playground.
But by the third year of life, the character can be very spoiled. Most parents find it difficult to cope with an irresistible craving for independence in everything and the desire of the child to defend their opinion on any issue. Earlier stubbornness and disobedience were most often associated with fatigue or poor health, but as early as two years old children can even learn to manipulate their parents in this way.
It is important not to impede the drive for independence. Parents need to provide the two-year-old with the opportunity to try everything they want (of course, within reason). Of course, the child will not be able to completely clean, dress or eat on their own, but even if the results are catastrophic (scattered trash, a dirty bathroom, and so on), you can not scold the baby. Otherwise, the two-year-old will very soon give up trying to do something on its own, which will slow down the mastery of simple household skills and abilities.
Practical skills
So, no less important than the development of the speech of a child of two years, is the mastery of practical skills. This applies primarily to personal hygiene and domestic skills. Trying to sweep the floors or brush your teeth - these are all games for the development of a child at the age of 2, because otherwise the two-year-old cannot yet master the skills in a playful way. In any case, among the most important social skills of this age, psychologists note the ability to take care of themselves on their own. The child should be able to eat liquid or semi-liquid food with a spoon (soups and mashed potatoes), wash his hands and wash, put on some of the things, ask for a pot or sit on it on his own, and turn to adults with requests.
Boys and girls
The physical and mental development of the child (age 2 years) begins to depend on gender. Boys are usually a little larger than girls, taller and weigh more; their chest circumference increases faster. But we must not forget about the individual characteristics of the family. With large parents, a girl can weigh more than her peer-boy from a family where everyone is thin. In the second year of life, the weight of the child increases monthly by 200-250 grams, and growth - by a centimeter.
After reaching two years, boys and girls become aware of their gender and believe that in accordance with this they have certain āresponsibilitiesā. By about two and a half years old, children know that girls often wear dresses and skirts, and when they grow up they will look like mothers, and boys should not wear skirts, they look more like dads.
Gender differences are also apparent in behavior. Girls, as a rule, are calmer and better at mastering speech, and boys are independent, aggressive and prefer movement. Differences can be seen in relation to others, addiction to different games and activities. Girls love it when they pay attention and evaluate adults according to their attitude. Two-year-old boys are more interested in the skills of others and the desire of adults to play outdoor games with them.
Educational games
Most children are happy to find similarities and differences in pictures or things. For example, you can offer to compare the squirrel and the teddy bear. The child will say that both animals have eyes, paws and a tail, but the squirrel has red hair, it is smaller in size, and the bear has brown hair, it is larger. If the baby copes with this task with ease, you can move on to more complex ones, offering to compare, for example, two different toy cars. Such a simple activity develops mindfulness well.
Regular motor activity is important, which can be interrupted by calm and creative activities. On the floor or on the table, for example, you can build a small gate from the designer and arrange a competition in who first rolls the item to the gate. Items can be of various shapes and sizes, for example, sticks, dice, whetstone, wheel, ball. You need to show the child and allow yourself to verify in practice that round objects roll better, explain why. This game will teach a two-year-old to distinguish different objects in form.
The beginning of the study of mathematics is considered the action of comparison. The next lesson for the development of a child of two years old fits perfectly. It is necessary to offer the child, for example, four small soft toys or dolls, and give three saucers (any items are suitable). The toys are laid out on the table, asking: "Will there be enough saucers for everyone?" Parents can independently conclude that there are fewer plates than toys. Then you need to combine the number of items and offer the child to compare independently. Do not take too many items, you can start with five.
Provides the development of the speech of a child of two years, imagination and fine motor skills to create a book with your own hands. You need to take several sheets of cardboard of the same size, together with the child cut out the pictures you like from newspapers and magazines. In the process, you can teach two-year-old the skill of cutting along the contour and working with glue. Pictures must be glued to cardboard, and then all the pages folded together and tied with a ribbon or rope. It will turn out a small book. Pictures can be selected thematic or educational, and then come up with a story to them.
For the development of a child after two years (this is especially useful for imagination and motor skills), various designers are suitable. It is possible to jointly build a reliable fortress, for which boxes of different sizes (from under household appliances, shoes, small items) will be used as building material. Folding boxes, you can build a tower, house or fortress.
Development programs
There are ready-made programs for the development of a child of two years, but you can always make changes so that the classes correspond to the interests of the baby and the level of his skills. Some parents prefer to study with a two-year-old according to special methods: they begin to learn to read Zaitsevās cubes, look for a kindergarten where they study according to the methods of Waldorf pedagogy or the Montessori system.
As part of the Walfdor pedagogy, much attention is paid to improving the emotional world of the child and creative abilities. There are classes in music, a special system of exercises with musical accompaniment, crafts, wood carving, embroidery and weaving. In schools for the early development of children (2 years old and of a different age, because there are different programs) that work according to this method, theatrical holidays, puppet shows are often held, the props for which are made from natural materials.
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The Nikitin system today is heavily criticized. In fact, this is a technique of technocratic education, where the aesthetic and humanitarian aspects are practically absent. There are many drawbacks, but some games can still be used. By the way, the Nikitin system (in contrast to the Montessori method) is designed for homework and the active participation of parents.
There are more serious methods of early development, which are openly alarming. According to the Doman system, for example, all the attention of parents should be devoted only to the education of the child, which is almost impossible. Education in the early stages consists in showing the kid a series of cards with a strictly defined set of information. Distracted by extraneous issues and satisfy the desire of the child to feel things is not allowed. Dialogue and co-creation is not provided.
Nevertheless, some elements can be borrowed from the system. This was proved by the Frenchwoman Cessille Lupan, who published the book "Believe in your child." She managed to adapt the rigid system of Doman for children. It will be interesting to consider colorful cards by branches of knowledge both for a one-year-old baby and a five-year-old, but you must definitely answer the childās questions, give them a feel for cardboard boxes, and together remember songs suitable for the occasion, interesting stories, facts about animals or objects, and fairy tales.