Definition

This article describes the skills and growth targets of 2 year-old children.

Alternative Names

Growth milestones for children - 2 years; Normal childhood growth milestones - 2 years; Childhood growth milestones - 2 years

Information

Physical and motor-skill markers:

  • Should have the first 16 teeth (can be a wide variation of the actual number of teeth)
  • The height is roughly half the total height the child will attain as an adult
  • May be psychologically ready for toilet training
  • Can run with better coordination, while the stance may remain wide
  • Can kick ball without losing balance
  • Can build a tower of 6 to 7 cubes
  • Can browse through a book one page at a time
  • Able to turn a door knob
  • Can pick up objects while standing, without losing balance (often occurs by 15 months, and would be concerning if you don't see it by 2 years)

Sensory and cognitive markers:

  • Vision fully developed
  • Vocabulary has increased to about 50 to300 words (healthy children demonstrate wide variations)
  • Can organize phrases of 2 to 3 words
  • Able to communicate needs such as thirst, hunger, need to use the restroom
  • Increased attention span
  • Able to clothe self in simple clothes (frequently more adept at removing clothes than putting them on)

Play recommendations:

  • Encourage and provide the necessary space for physical activity
  • Provide safe replicas of adult tools and equipment
  • Allow the child to help around the house and participate in the daily responsibilities of the family
  • Encourage play that involves building and creativity
  • READ TO THE CHILD
  • Try to avoid watching television at this age (recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics)
  • Parents should control both the content and quantity of television viewing. Limit television viewing to less than 3 hours per day, and preferably 1 hour or less. Avoid programming with violent content. Re-direct the child to reading or play activities
  • Control the type and quantity of games played
Review Date:5/15/2006
Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.