Encouraging Healthy Development - Healthy Development Ideas - 2 Years

Incredible growth occurs during the first three years of a child’s life. There are many things you can do to support and nurture healthy development during this time. Below, we’ve listed some specific activities to help a 2-year-old learn and grow.

Moving - Physical or Motor Development

Ask your toddler to carry small items for you once he/she walks well.
Kick a ball back and forth, and once your toddler can do this, encourage him/her to run and kick it.
Visit parks, playgrounds and large indoor play spaces where your toddler can run and climb on playground equipment.
Dance to music and play games like “Freeze” or “Hokey Pokey.”
Take your toddler to parks to run and hike on nature trails.
Blow bubbles and let your toddler pop them.
Encourage your toddler to open doors and drawers; ask him/her to turn pages in a book while you are reading.

Talking - Communication and Language Development

Talk to your toddler about the things you are doing and seeing together.
Repeat words correctly if your toddler mispronounces something, rather than saying that a word was mispronounced – say, “Yes, that is a truck.”
Teach your toddler to identify and say body parts, animals and other common things.
Use words to identify feelings.
Encourage your toddler to say the word rather than pointing to something he/she wants.
Tell stories, read and encourage pretend play.
Expand on the words your toddler says – if your toddler says, “Me down,” respond by saying, “You want to get down”.
Sing songs and repeat rhymes together; take turns inserting goofy words into songs your toddler knows such as “Row, Row, Row your ----.”

Interacting - Social and Emotional Development

Be calm and comforting during and after your toddler’s temper tantrums.
Be consistent with what your toddler can and cannot do.
Use words to describe your toddler’s emotions – “You are happy when we visit the library.”
Give your toddler lots of hugs and kisses and give praise for good behavior.
Praise your toddler’s good behaviors more than you punish bad behaviors.
Arrange play dates for your toddler to play with other children; have lots of toys to play with because toddlers have trouble sharing.
Encourage your toddler to have empathy – to hug or pat another child who is sad.
Give your toddler simple tasks to do to help around the house, such as sweeping and helping with dinner. Give praise for being a good helper.

Thinking - Cognitive Development

Encourage pretend play with dolls, toy phones or stuffed animals.
Play with blocks and take turns building towers and knocking them down.
Provide materials for art project using crayons, paint and play-dough; praise your toddler’s work and display it on the refrigerator or wall.
Hide things around the room and have your toddler find them.
Help your toddler with simple puzzles with shapes, colors or animals; name the pieces as they are put in place.
Ask your toddler to tell you what he/she sees while you are riding in the car; sing songs and say rhymes.
Sing songs with actions like “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” and “Wheels on the Bus”; teach your toddler the actions.

smiling toddler with hands folded on table

If you have concerns about a child's development and think a child might need extra help to learn and grow, don't hesitate to refer a child.

The family will be contacted by the local school district to arrange for a screening or evaluation to determine if their child is eligible for Infant and Toddler Intervention or Preschool Special Education services in Minnesota.

Refer a Child

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