Developmental Milestones
At twenty-four months, your child likely is more squat than long and his balanced center of gravity helps him walk. As the year proceeds he will thin out, gaining inches though adding only between two and four pounds.
Your child undergoes many physical changes this year. He becomes able to kick a ball and to look behind him as he walks. He may even try walking backward. He enjoys riding a low tricycle and swinging on swings. Such activity gives him a sense of what his body can do and how it feels to move in different ways.
Fact
Young children ask “Why?” frequently because they are curious about the world. Suddenly they start to notice things they didn't before: The sky is blue! Mommy goes to work! Daddy likes to listen to music! Answer your child's questions as entirely as possible without getting too wordy or deep.
Encourage your child to undertake new things, such as to drink from a grown-up glass (just fill it a little in case it spills), to carry something while he walks, thread large beads on a string, button his coat, and build with blocks.
At the age of two, your child is actually starting to make connections based on what he's learning and experiencing. For example, when he sees a horse at a farm and realizes it resembles his toy horse, he may comment “Horse says
Your two-year-old by now exhibits a distinct personality, even conveying particular preferences. When she wakes up in the morning, she recalls a toy she wanted to play with the previous evening. She chooses favorite books to bring you to read and has particular friends she prefers to play with. She asserts her opinions and expects you to respect these.
Although your child's personality is still forming, in some ways it has already established itself. You probably have noticed characteristic ways she responds to new experiences and to frustration, and what her overall temperament is. As you help her learn how to help herself and how to do her best, you want her to feel good about herself.
