Toddlers can usually:
✓Walk down stairs with both feet on each step
✓Run, jump and climb with great agility
✓Chew well as they have most of their teeth now
✓Learning to master how to incorporate toys and equipment like balls, riding toys and climbers in complex ways; for example, climbing the slide upwards.
🌈 Aim for 4 Food Colours Every Day
🍅Red
🥕Orange
🥦Green
🫐Purple
🌽Yellow
🥩Protein
🧀Dairy
Protein at every meal · 3–4 dairy servings per day · Involve your child in choosing colours at the market.
😴 Recommended Sleep Schedule (24 hrs)
Night 7pm–12am
Night 12am–8am
Wake
Nap 1–2h
Awake pm
7pm10pm1am4am7am10am1pm4pm7pm
Night sleep (10–12 hrs)
Afternoon nap (1–2 hrs)
Some nationally and internationally recognized checklists, if you do want to check further!
Ways to Promote
| Areas of Development | Suggestions | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Physical development (overall) | Adequate nutrition |
 📷 Including children in the cooking process, can start right at doing the groceries, till the table clearing. |
| Enough sleep (usually 10–12 at night and a 1–2 hour afternoon nap) |
Consistent bedtime routine
📖 [Step-by-step visual / comic strip placeholder]
|
|
| Exercise (3 hours of movement everyday) | Active lifestyle (see relevant chapter) | |
| Gross motor development | Encouraging children to push their boundaries in physical activities, to do a little more every time |
 🎞️ Climbing higher up the ladder or grill ensuring a safe landing surface (bed beside the window/foam mats), racing a longer distance |
| Fine motor development | Activities that let them attach uneven objects together | Simple puzzles |
| Activities that let them practice pincer grip | Using tongs to pick up objects of different textures, shapes and sizes (rubber duck, piece of lego, napkin) | |
| Kneading | Playdoughs or ata dough | |
| Oral-motor development | Food of different textures | Chewing bones, not blending food |
| Brain development | Engaging children into conversations, ensuring secure attachment |
Talking about the task as you do it ("let's squeeze some toothpaste on the brush"),
💡 As you talk to them, you are helping their brains to grow!
|
| Acknowledging your child, even if you are busy (serve and return) |
When to See a Pediatrician
Gross Motor Skills
- Cannot walk steadily by 2 years old
- Frequently falls and trips on flat surfaces
- Can not run, jump and climb by 2.5–3 years old
- Muscles seem too stiff or too loose
- Uses one side of the body more than other
Fine Motor Skills
- Cannot grasp small objects, e.g. crayons, spoon
- Cannot stack 2–4 blocks
- Cannot scribble or draw
Other Physical and Sensory Concerns
- Shows no interest in moving, playing and exploring
- Has difficulty chewing
- Closing one eye when viewing objects
- Extra sensitivity to sunlight
- Failure to respond to or locate the direction of parents' voices
- Favoring one ear more than the other
Toddlers can usually:
✓Recall, but not in details, for example, they will remember meeting your cousin 2 weeks ago, but may not remember what they talked about
✓Understand simple cause and effect; for example, if they presses the red button, the toy will play a song
✓Hold attention to an activity for 6-10 minutes. Many other variables are at play here, such as the child's interest, distraction level, type of activity, etc
✓Pretend play
Toddlers are only beginning to develop their
working memory.
If they are given 4 instructions at once, and the child follows all 4 of them properly, their cognitive development is quite advanced; if they remember the first 2 even, it is fine.
Some internationally recognized checklists, if you do want to check further!
Ways to Promote
| Purpose | Activities |
|---|---|
| Growth of synapses | 🌿 [Visuals] Making memories by spending quality time together. It can be something as simple as planting a tree together, as long as everyone is involved and enjoying it. |
| New experiences and environments, e.g. park, zoo, visiting relatives, etc. | |
| Talking to children about those experiences ("Which animal was your favourite?") | |
| Working memory | Announcing the steps of a task while performing ("We are going to put on the socks now") |
| Asking children what comes next ("What to put on next?") | |
| Zone of Proximal Development | Raising the difficulty level of an activity (your child can bring you the newspaper from living room comfortably, next, you can ask them to give them to their grandmother in the other room) |
| Asking questions as they pretend play (they served you "tea", you can ask them if it is too hot) | |
| Overall cognitive development | Keeping children physically active (see Physical Development chapter) |
When to See a Pediatrician
- Has difficulty following simple instructions, e.g. you have asked your child to put the brush back at its holder after brushing their teeth. The child holds the brush and waits, puts it beside the basin instead, or looks at you for a gesture/prompt to show them what to do.
- Can not match or sort basic items (for example, can not sort balls according to color)
- Does not recognize familiar people or objects
- Does not pretend play
- Does not copy simple actions
Toddlers can usually:
✓Learn and use new words faster and more effectively than the last two years. Their vocabulary range grows from 50+ at the age of 2 to 200+ to even 1000+ by the end of age 3
✓Speak more clearly, but some words may still be difficult
✓Use 2-4 word sentences
✓Start using pronouns
✓Name and describe objects
✓Understand spatial words (up, down, over, under, etc.)
✓Understand simple instructions and questions
✓Engage in short conversations, but they may interrupt
Some internationally recognized checklists, if you do want to check further!
Ways to Promote
| Purpose | Activities |
|---|---|
| Expanding vocabulary | Asking open ended questions ("tell me about your new toy", instead of "do you like your new toy?") |
| Expanding their statements | |
| expand it to: "yes, it is very sunny and bright today, isn't it?" | |
 🎞️ Reading to them |
|
| Singing along | |
| Pronunciation | Modelling — Speak using proper pronunciation yourself |
| Breaking difficult words down in syllables ("say ah-mae-zing, pro-ja-po-ti") | |
| 🎞️ [GIF] Animated use of mouth muscles | |
| Encouraging them to speak up | Engaging conversations (mealtimes, while cooking or freshening up) |
| Allowing them the time to response as it takes a little time to process and form responses at this stage, offer help after that, if needed | |
| Exposure to social environment with other children | Play dates (friends and family, neighbours) |
| Pre-school |
When to see a Speech Therapist
By the age of 3, if the child is exhibiting the following behavior:
- Using less than 50 words
- Not forming 3 word sentences
- Speech is not clear
- Rarely showing interest in communicating
Myth
Terrible Twos
Truth
Your child is trying out and honing their newly acquired skills. Let's not label their developmental needs as "terrible".
Myth
Every child grows in the same manner
Truth
Even if two children are getting the exact upbringing, they might turn out very differently. What works with one child may not work with another, as each child is unique.
Myth
They are too young…learning starts after school
Truth
Learning begins at birth. Children's brains start developing long before birth and continue as they start learning after birth.
Myth
They can not do anything, I should do it for them
Truth
They will learn by trying, making mistakes, failing, and trying again. You can help, guide, and cheer!
Social and Emotional Development
Some internationally recognized checklists, if you do want to check further!
⚠️ When to See a Pediatrician