1) The document discusses the physical, cognitive, language, emotional, and social development of children ages 24-30 months. It provides suggestions for activities and materials to support development in each domain. 2) It highlights how parental depression can negatively impact infant cognitive development and the importance of teacher support for children and families. 3) Key developments include improved motor skills, preoperational cognitive skills, a vocabulary of 200-300 words, increased independence and parallel play, and learning to help others. The teacher should provide encouragement and coping strategies.

1. Chapter 15
The Child from Twenty-Four to
Thirty Months of Age
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

2. Materials and Activities
• Materials should provide for riding, climbing,
jumping, kicking, and throwing
• Toddler finger, hand, and wrist movements, including
grasping and releasing, now coordinate with vision
• Toddlers are take pleasure in the process of
manipulating objects and materials
• Toddlers begin to look a situations from the
viewpoint of others
• Activities help toddlers to construct knowledge
• Materials may be homemade or commercially made
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

3. Physical Development
• The two-year-old can stand, bend, walk, run,
jump, kick and throw with more accuracy
• There may be cultural differences in motor
skill aquisition
• Their eye-hand coordination is more accurate,
so they can reach and grasp objects, but they
still have difficulty using hands and fingers
independently
• Two year olds show independence in eating
and toilet learning
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

4. Suggestions for Implementing Curriculum—
Physical Development
• Provide safe areas for climbing and jumping
• Participate in movement games and songs
• Create a feely box to explore textures
• Provide materials to take apart, twist, put
together
• Use mealtime and toothbrushing as fine motor
learning time
• Develop toilet learning plan with family when
child begins to show interest
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

5. Cognitive and Language Development
• Cognitive Development
– Many children between 24 and 30 months are
entering Piaget’s preoperational stage of
cognitive development
– Children are constructing and organizing
knowledge about the world
– Drawings may begin to be representative
– Children at this age are active explorers and
problem solvers
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

6. Suggestions for Implementing Curriculum--
Cognitive Development
• Allow children to create own classifications
• Use objects to identify more
• Extend children’s labels of objects
• Use quantity words with objects and activities
• Use spatial-position words with activities
• Label actions in terms of time
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

7. Cognitive and Language Development
• Language Development:
– Toddler vocabulary may include as many as 200 to
300 words
– Toddlers construct sentences, using syntax
– Toddlers from new words, using plurals and past
tense
– Reading books provides language patterns
– Books assist with problem solving
– Toddlers observe environmental print
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

8. Suggestions for Implementing Curriculum--
Language Development
• Extend and elaborate on toddler sentences
• Identify and label own and child’s actions
• Read aloud. Encourage children to tell the story
when they have books with pictures
• Use expression when talking
• Engage in conversations with children
• Provide opportunities to write on an easel or
chalkboard
• Write child’s name, labels, and notes to the child
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

9. Emotional Development
• Toddlers are becoming more independent while
simultaneously recognizing their need for help
• Toddlers do not use emotional expressions or reactions
to manipulate others, but for coping with feelings
• Children who are given sufficient opportunities to
explore, use their senses, be physically active, use
expressive materials, and develop language skills may
often—through the very nature of these activities—be
destructive, messy, noisy, impudent, and defiant
• Stress in toddlers affects brain development involved
with emotional regulation and problem solving
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

10. Suggestions for Implementing Curriculum--
Emotional Development
• Provide experiences which appropriately
challenge children
• Give positive feedback
• Be sensitive to fears and frustrations
• Accept emotions as real and provide comfort
and coping strategies
• Accept the child’s feelings as honest rather
than manipulative
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

11. Social Development
• Twenty-four-month-olds enjoy the company
of other children; they are beginning to
interact while playing
• Toddlers still have difficulty sharing
• Symbolic play helps toddlers discover who
they are
• When toddlers are helped with tasks, they
learn to help others
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

12. Suggestions for Implementing Curriculum--
Social Development
• Allow child to accomplish as many tasks as
possible by self
• Show feelings and appropriate actions with
feelings. Verbalize feelings of others
• Engage the toddlers in conversations as they
enjoy parallel play
• Provide feedback when a child shares
• Provide opportunities for purposeful helping
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

13. Spotlight on Research
• Adult Depression and Infant Cognitive
Development
– When adults are attuned to infants, the infants have
better socio-emotional developmental outcomes
– In one study of premature infants, maternal
depression impacted the children’s cognitive
development
– Research results on paternal depression are
somewhat mixed
– Teachers must be supportive of all families and
children in their care
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

14. Checkpoint Discussion Questions
• Explain why an early childhood educator
should be concerned if a parent of a toddler in
his or her care appears to be depressed. How
might that impact the development of the
whole child?
• Imagine that a colleague questions why you
read to toddlers in your family child care every
day. What would you say and why?
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

15. Checkpoint Discussion Questions
• List two developing social accomplishments of
a child 24 to 30 months old.
• Describe a situation in which the child is
asserting independence. How should the
teacher respond to the child’s actions?
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.