Milestone Moments: 2 Years Old
- Kicks a ball
- Steers a push toy
- Climbs up and down objects/stairs or walks up and down stairs using railing or parent
- Jumps downfrom small step
- Walks on tiptoes
- Runs
- Throws a ball overhead
- Catches a ball with trapping
- Makes or copies straight lines
- Builds a tower of more than eight blocks
- May use one hand over the other
- May develop food preferences
- Pulls on simple garments
- Points to/identifies pictures when they are named
- Uses sentences of 2 to 4 words
- Knows names of familiar people and body parts
- Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers
- Begins to sort shapes and colors
For more details about milestones, below are some specific tips from some of our therapists.
Tips from a Physical Therapist
At 2 years, your child is able to move faster, further, and higher, and they are learning to be more active through sport-type activities. Learn about how you can help your 2 year old develop with these tips from a Physical Therapist.
- Kicks a Ball
- Your child should be able to kick a ball forward 6 feet by bending their preferred leg back, bringing their opposite arm forward, then straightening their knee so their foot makes contact with the ball while the opposite arm moves backward.
- Activities to try at home:
- Set up a goal using cones, potted plants, or other toys you have on hand. Take turns trying to kick a ball through the goal.
- Run and kick a ball in the backyard. This activity does not clue you into your child’s balance skills needed for kicking a ball while standing still, but it does develop the necessary arm and leg movements.
- Steers a Push Toy
- Your child can steer a push toy using both hands, and they can control the toy so it doesn’t bump into walls, objects, or people.
- Activities to try at home:
- Make an obstacle course at home and let your child navigate it with their push toy. Have your child walk through the course in a zigzag, in circles, or in another pattern. Use pillows, toys, and moving objects (walking in front of your child) to make the course more of a challenge.
- Walks Up and Down Stairs
- Your child should be able to walk up and down steps using one or both feet on each step and holding a hand on a rail, wall, or while holding your hand. Children typically start to climb steps by placing two feet on each step, leading with their preferred foot. As your child develops, they will climb stairs by alternating one foot on each step similar to walking on a level surface.
- Activities to try at home:
- Place pieces of a puzzle at the top of stairs and leave the board at the bottom. Encourage your child to go up the stairs to grab one puzzle piece at a time and bring it down to place on the board. Provide lots of encouragement and help as needed.
- Practice walking up and down stairs at a playground, and use the slide at the top as a reward for your child’s efforts.
- Jumps Down
- Your child will jump 4 to 6 inches down by bending slightly at the hips and knees. Typically, your child will start by leading with their preferred foot and landing either on their preferred foot first or landing on both feet at once. As your child becomes more comfortable and coordinated, they will begin to jump with both feet together and will land with their feet together as well.
- Activities to try at home:
- Start low. Encourage your child to jump down from 1 to 2 inch surfaces, such as the bottom of a slide that touches the ground. Then progress toward jumping off of curbs or the bottom step of a set of stairs.
- Encourage your child to jump like a frog to promote jumping and landing with both of their feet at the same time rather than leading with their preferred foot.
- Walks on Tiptoes
- Your child should be able to take five to 15 steps on their tiptoes, with knees slightly bent for stability, and heels not touching the ground before lowering their feet to the ground in a slow and controlled manner.
- Activities to try at home:
- Hang a banner just low enough to where your child can reach it on their tiptoes. Identify or count objects on the banner aloud with your child as they walk forward to touch each item. You can find fun banners at the dollar store!
- Runs
- Your child is able to increase speed and lift their knees so both feet leave the ground. You should begin to notice that your child’s trunk rotates as their legs move, and their arms begin to swing back and forth in an alternating pattern with elbows bent. As your child first learns to run, they may use a flat foot progression and decreased arm swing. However, as your child becomes more comfortable running, you should see their running pattern begin to mature and normalize.
○ Activities to try at home:- Play a game of tag! This classic game offers a fun way to encourage running.
- Set up a finish line and race your child across the yard.
- Your child is able to increase speed and lift their knees so both feet leave the ground. You should begin to notice that your child’s trunk rotates as their legs move, and their arms begin to swing back and forth in an alternating pattern with elbows bent. As your child first learns to run, they may use a flat foot progression and decreased arm swing. However, as your child becomes more comfortable running, you should see their running pattern begin to mature and normalize.
- Throws a Ball Overhead
- Your child should be able to throw a tennis-sized ball forward at least 7 feet in the air. Your child will place their non-preferred foot in front of their body, bring their opposite hand with the ball over their head and backward with elbow bent, and move their arm forward and straighten it as they throw the ball.
- Activities to try at home:
- Set up a target and take turns throwing a ball at the target while standing in place.
- Play a game of catch. Allow your child to throw you a tennis ball or baseball while you catch it.
- Catches a Ball by Trapping
- Your child should straighten their arms in front of them with their palms facing up or toward one another in preparation to catch the ball. Once the ball makes contact with your child’s hands, they should bend their elbows and corral the ball toward their chest to secure it.
- Activities to try at home:
- Play catch with a playground-sized ball. Start by tossing the ball from 1-2 feet away and progress to 3-5 feet.
When should you seek help?
- Your child is not independently walking or walks with an immature gait. This includes walking with a wide base of support, holding hands up at chest (high guard positioning), flat foot progression, or hyperextended knees.
- Your child walks on their tiptoes more than 30% of the time. This is known as toe-walking.
- Your child is unable to walk up or down stairs or does not attempt to crawl up or down stairs.
Tips from a Speech Therapist
- Make time for play
- As with any age, play is a crucial part of language development during this stage in life. Don't forget to make play a integral part of your daily routine with your child.
- Keep it natural
- You don't need fancy therapy activities to make language fun at home. Daily activities like simple games and play routines all elicit language and work well for speech development.
- Keep language learning fun
- Remember to make it exciting. Whatever activity you choose to do with your child, make sure to keep it fun. Your child doesn't always know that they are learning while they play with you, keep your activities engaging to keep them interested!
- Narrate daily life
- This is a great way to expand your child’s vocabulary. If you are cooking, talk to your child about what you are doing. For example you might say, “These eggs are going to be delicious. I love eggs. I am putting the eggs in the pan. Now I'm stirring the eggs. We are eating eggs.”
- Ask and answer questions
- Your little one is very curious about the world around them. Ask them simple questions to expand their knowledge and language. Make sure you always work to engage your child. While they may be curious, don't forget they are always learning, so be patient and answer their questions.
- Use communication temptations
- This is a great way to set your child up for a communication exchange. A few examples include holding the child’s favorite food or toy in your hand and waiting for the child to request it. Blow bubbles all around the room and then stop suddenly and wait for your child to request or ask for more.
- Include your child
- Children learn from experiences. They love to feel and be a part of whatever mom and dad are doing. Keep in mind that the simplest of activities and/or daily routines could be perfect language learning opportunities for your little one.
- Expand and extend language for your child
- Expansion is the elaboration of your child’s utterance. If the child says, “cat," the adult might say, “The cat is sleeping.” Extensions add “extra” information to what the child has said. If the child says “The cat”, the adult might say, “The black cat is sleeping in the box.” An expansion makes the child’s utterance grammatically correct, and an extension adds information.
- Be present and attentive
- Every day and every moment spent with your child is an opportunity for language development. Put down the electronic device, forgo the television show, skip the gym, and reschedule the meeting. The best therapy for your little one at this age is meaningful quality time with mom and dad.
Tips from an Occupational Therapist
When your child is 2 years old, they are naturally interested in activities when you get involved. Remember to provide visual demonstrations, and allow your child to watch and learn as they develop new skills. Below are more tips from an Occupational Therapist to help your child reach milestones at 2 years.
- Imitates Straight Line
- Your child can make a vertical line after you provide a visual demonstration. Your child will learn to make a horizontal line around 2 and a half years following a visual demonstration.
- Builds a Tower of More Than 8 Blocks
- Your child should be able to vertically stack at least 8 blocks independently. You can provide a model first by building your own tower and knocking it down. At 2 years, most children love watching the tower tumble, and they are more willing to repeat the activity.
- May Use One Hand Over the Other
- Hand dominance begins to emerge around this age, but can appear between ages 2 to 4. At 2 years, your child may still swap hands. If your child does not show a hand preference by age 5, consult your child’s primary care provider.
- The development of hand dominance indicates the hemispheres of your child’s brain are becoming specialized, or lateralized. If no dominant hand is emerging, this can create difficulty for the child when carrying out fine motor tasks.
- Pulls on Simple Garments
- At 2 years, your child should begin to help pull pants down and find arm holes in a pullover shirt. At 2 and a half years, your child should be able to button large buttons, pull elastic waist pants down, and put on a front button shirt (excluding buttoning).
- Give your child time to problem solve and try dressing themselves before offering assistance. This facilitates the development of self-care skills.
Try these developmentally stimulating toys and activities for your 2 year old:
- Play with playdough
- Try adding beads to the playdough and ask your child to pick them out for an added challenge.
- Your child may begin showing an interest in using scissors! Try using toy scissors on playdough to introduce the new skill.
- Pom-poms with kitchen tools
- Practice grasping these small objects with tongs, or ask your child to pick the pom-poms out of a whisk.
- Play with puzzles
- Coloring, painting, or drawing
- Change things up and try drawing with shaving cream!
- Build towers with blocks
- Practice threading small objects
- String cheerios onto uncooked spaghetti noodles, or put pipe cleaners into a small-mouthed bottle.
- Peel off stickers
- Stick clothes pins on
- Wheelbarrow walks and crawling up slides
- These activities build the palmar arches of your child’s hands. These arches are essential for handwriting and grasp.
When should you seek help?
- Your child cannot imitate you drawing a vertical line.
- Your child still puts lots of toys in their mouth.
- Your child is unable to put a simple, large puzzle piece into a puzzle, or they can’t put a simple shape into a shape sorter.
- Your child cannot feed themself with a spoon.
Your child cannot stack eight blocks on top of one another.
If you feel your child could benefit from any of our services, please Contact Us today to get started.