2 and a half year old development (Page 2)

I was googling if a child of 2.5 years should know colours and found this thread.

My son, Sam who has just turned 4 was a lot like all the clever kids (or fast learners) mentioned above but I don't think it's what most kids are like. He could count to ten by the time he was 2 and knew all his colours, couldn't read words but could remember a whole story from a book, all that stuff. His speech has always been really clear. When he was that age and I looked up child development he was always ahead of what they said he should be able to do.

Just like what Mrs said above was way below what all your kids can do at that age.

I also have a daughter, Mia who is more in the 'normal' bracket. She is 2 years 8 mths and she is smart in a lot of ways, she can count to maybe 14 but doesn't know what each number looks like. She talks a lot! in 6 word or so sentences but she desn't recognise which letter is which. She doesn't know colours. She knows some animals and the sounds they make. She doesn't remember words from a story the same way Sam did. She does know some kids songs. The thing is I find is her interest level in learning stuff isn't as much as Sam had. She'd rather tuck all her dolls and teddies into bed. And she's a bit of a wimp when it comes to riding a bike or scooter. Sam seemed to just know how they worked and was so determined to do something that nothing could get in his way. She went on the scooter and just stood there as if she expected it to go by itself! And she gets really frustrated when she can't do something and often gives up.

When Sam was wee I had all the time in the world to play and help him learn but when Mia was born Sam was 17mths and life was busy! Mia also had very bad excema and was sick a lot so it was very hard to play with her physicaly as a baby and I wonder if all of these things contribute to her early development.

It's true they all do stuff in their own time and sometimes there's nothing you can do to force it. I do try to teach through play with Mia but she just isn't that interested and stuff doesn't stick with her as fast as it did with Sam.

I would also say that although being proud of what your child can do is good - boasting isn't always taken well by other mums. Some mums are worried if their child hasn't reached a milestone and it could make them extra worried so just be senstive.

Mother and Toddler type groups are a great way to meet other kids the same age.

Anyway, we all think our kids are great dont we?! And I've got one of each - a fast learner and a slow learner. lol only kidding, poor wee Mia. I could shout all day about how amazing and cute she is.

Becks

Hello everyone. I have a 2 and 5 months old. He is the sweetest little kid. At some point I got very frustrated because I thought he does not know things. I got mad at myself and just wanted to say that...we should be very proud of our kids for what they are. Labels are stupid and they start labeling too early.
This is what my son can do. He can count to 10 in 2 languages since he was 2. He knows some letters in English. Knows about 10 songs-just 2 of them in English. He knows his first and last name, his grandparent's names, his aunt and uncle and so on. He makes 4-5 words together. Asks the questions: what is that?, what are you doing? where is "something". Knows purple and orange-the others mixes often and dislikes when I ask him. Does recognize some numbers but often mixes them up. Can put his shoes on. Can brush teeth but gets distracted easily. Loves pretend play.
Love your kids for what they are...otherwise they feel it....I know from experience. They feel that and feel so bad.A 2 yr old should mostly play and not worry about spelling, reading or knowing history.
God Bless you all.
You will see that all kids are more than great!
Love is the answer!

Amazing. I have been teaching Preschool for some years now. I RARELY get children at 3 who are counting to 20. So, please, think about what you say before posting things. Can you really back up what you are saying about your child? If I ask he/she to count to 20, would they really? Or, would you be telling him/her what number comes next? Same with letter recognition and sounds. Those skills are RARELY mastered before Kindergarten. I suggest that you just enjoy your children and what they REALLY do. Don't make up things to fill your own voids.

Concerned parents

I have a 4 year old daughter, and a set of twins 2 1/2 boy and girl. Both girls well advanced verbally. My 4 year old kylee has great motor skills and Cali (twin) 2 1/2 Not so much, not worried, she'll get there. My son mark (twin) 2 1/2 has great motorskills but verbally behind, (not worried). He does see a speech therapist and is showing progress. He is doing most of it on his own, learning at his own rate. I think he just enjoys the time with his therapist away from his sisters, although it still takes place at home. What really worries me is how people pass judgement and think things are wrong. Right off the bat people were comparing him to the girls. I'm a realist and know things will happen at there own pace. I'm sick of people looking at poor little marky wondering what is wrong. Why in this day and age everything considered a problem. The word is child development not child judgement. He counts, says his abc's (kinda), knows colors. He listens, and knows right from wrong. He has to be coaxed to make eye contact but does it on his own sometimes as well. Seriously kids are different that is a fact. According to these concerned people should I be worried his twin sister doesn't run well or can't throw a ball "he can". Maybe somethings wrong???? That's a joke. Marky is a fine healthy boy developing at his own rate. If all kids were the same they would be clones. I overheard someone saying I don't like to admit things could be wrong, that is so far from the truth. I am 100 percent daddy and know my son. I would be the first to address a problem and have done so when need be. I just wish people would treat him like the normal 2 1/2 year old he is and stop magnifying everything he does because in the long run they could be the ones hurting him.

It's nice to hear you all talk about how intelligent your children are, but I've noticed a lot of you can't write or spell worth a darn.
It's one thing to be proud of your kids and another to flat out fish for details so you can rub it in some mothers face about how much better your kid is. Do you need a medal? Some sort of recognition for your childs accomplishments so you can take credit for it? Get over yourself.
P.S. My kids a f@#$ing genius!

I think each child is unique, if they spell, count etc etc. Yea im proud of my daughter but would never rub it in any one elses face. I totally agree with everydaymom, enjoy them while there babies because once this times gone you will never get it back...

Ive got two boys, Seth who is 3 and 2 months, and Anthony who is 2 and 1 month.
Seth was always advanced with his gross motor skills, crawled really early (4 months) and walked early (9) months, he can run really well, has a wicked arm and aim (thinking about putting him into softball) but his fine motor skills, speech and cognitive thinking are quite behind for the average 3 year old, and the drs are looking at testing him for ADHD and Asperges. Despite this, hes a lovely, playful, happy kid who i love being around!
Anthony has been diagnosed with global development delay and is about 9 months old developmentally, is also nearly deaf, has a vision impairment, gluten intolerance and has been hospitalised for failure to thrive, but he is the cuddliest, funny giggliest little boy ive come across.
For me, each of my childrens developments and milestones reached are that much more special, and we have a small party every time they do something new because we have no idea when the next thing will be, or whether there will be a next one particularly for anthony (they are afraid he may just stop developing because the dont know what is wrong with him)
I think parents need to be aware of milestones so that if children arent reaching them, parents know to ask for help, but milestones arent the be all and end all. I love my boys for the trials and tribulations, the hardships and the joy and accomplishments they make, and ALL children should have achievements celebrated. Parents are allowed to be proud, just be gentle about it

I was looking for a kind of developmental timeline, kind of trying to gauge where my son is at....interesting to see some of these comments.

My son is 2 and a 1/2. We do baby Can Read with him and alot of other baby learning stuff, and we let him watch cartoons once or twice a day, along with taking him to the park, playing with him, all of the normal stuff. He can read all of the flash cards that came with the read videos, and he can count to ten on his own, counts steps when he goes up and down. He knows alot of colors, animals....the one thing that really amazed me was how fast he developed a sense of humor...he is a funny little guy. The one thing that concerns me is his speech. He says alot of words now, and he does spit out small sentences once in a while, but he still won't really hold a conversation...I know he understands much of what we say, and sometimes I think he ignores it or plays dumb, lol, so he can get away with not doing what we ask.

I have always read, as stated by others, that boys develop a little more slowly verbally, while girls physically develop later...seems like common sense. That's the case with my son, he was walking like a champ at 1 and climbing early.

One thing I will say, I have to agree that is is really annoying when you hear other parents talking about their kids being little geniuses...I have a neighbor who acts like her little girl is the next Nobel Prize winner, and she takes pleasure in acting like my son is under developed....her kid is 3 and talking pretty well, but I stay out of the comparison game and just treat them both like they are awesome kids. Truth is, every kid has gifts, and no matter if they develop slow or fast, we can only see where those gifts develop and make sure they receive the attention and love they need to grow up and be happy, healthy and confident.

Also, whoever said that genius isn't usually apparent at a very young age is absolutely correct. Many children with huge IQ's are considered slow children and underdeveloped, because parts of their brains that most children don't use are working overtime, and the normal parts don't develop as quickly because the child is developing much more quickly in other areas. Einstein indeed didn't speak until a very late age, and his poor grades were due to boredom and restlessness at knowing the material without even trying. So for those parents that think because their kid can say the alphabet and count to ten, that you have a future Rhodes scholar on your hands....just relax and try to have some humility. Praising your child at home and telling them how smart they are is absolutely the thing to do....but telling everyone you know that your kid is the smartest child you have ever seen really is annoying as heck.

my 2 and a half year old is underdeveloped, does any one know where i can find any one that could help?

My son is two and a half a healthy weight with good appetite loves his brocoli and most veg and fruit, more importantly he is happy . Its great to be proud of our little ones but more importantly love and encouragement with praise is the best way to help our children reach their full potential. Mum 2 wonderful little prince

My son is two and a half a healthy weight with good appetite loves his brocoli and most veg and fruit, more importantly he is happy . Its great to be proud of our little ones but more importantly love and encouragement with praise is the best way to help our children reach their full potential. Mum 2 wonderful little prince

AGREE, WITH ALL YOU HAVE WRITTEN, MOST PARENTS THINK THEIR LITTLE ONES ARE AMAZING AND THEY ARE, SO DOES IT REALLY MATTER, EJOY THE MOMENT,
THE MOST IMPORTANT GIFT ONE CAN GIVE THEIR CHILD IS LOVE PRAISE. AND ACCEPTANCE FOR WHO THEY ARE.

My son is 2 and a half and I was wondering the same thing as the first poster of this thread, which is who I am responding to. Where does a parent find out what's "normal" development and what exactly should they know to be considered such? (Not that I encourage my son to be "normal", just with regards to development.)I am certainly not bragging but I do consider my son very intelligent but I'm thinking, All parents do, or should. I teach him all I can think of but would love a "guideline" I guess to make sure he is at least on track. Learning is fun in our house and I take any opportunity to teach, if it's appropriate and not forced.

Fortunately, we taught him sign language and he could communicate with it at 8 mo's, we still learn new signs(ASL) every day but this has helped with his communication and language immeasurably. I recommend Signing time.com if you are interested.

Thanks to that early development, Connor knows all important names ie himself his parents and extended family, almost every major animal and can say their names and identify most of them through pictures. He knows all the main colors (ROY g BIV) plus and can say their names. He can count to 15 so far (except 4 is stumbling him up) He can say, the whole alphabet if he can see it. He knows all the character names in his books and can read back a few words from his favorites although he doesn't actually read the words from the book he just remembers them from the pictures. He sings along with songs and learns the words progressively. He walks stairs by himself(with one of us very close of course) He eats most of the time by himself and with utensils, as well as drinks from a regular glass by himself. He's very helpful with all household chores and is eager to assist. He draws and paints regularly and makes loose shapes of which he knows about 6 different shapes and can say about half of their names (circle, square, triangle, rectangle)He know's most emotions and what they mean.

I am certainly not looking for a pat on the back, I'm just relaying what my own son does now for your reference, I have no idea if he is normal or knows more or less than any other child.

As I say all this though, I can't help but wonder what am I missing or should I be concentrating on something else? Where does Connor sit on the scale of development? I think I'm doing a good job and that all is well but I wish their was a practical "guide" to keep us on track, so to speak.

I would definitely not worry unless your child hits a block of some kind and doesn't progress as they themselves would normally do. It's all individual.

Just a quick word to all the negative comments and parent bashing going on in here, I think it's pathetic, parents are simply trying to HELP their children by sharing our experiences, I would say at least a large portion of us have no ill intent to offend other parents with stories of "what my child can do" it is simply to share with other parents for their consideration. Why must people immediately assume that we are bragging or having some kind of pissing contest. Some of us (most I would bet) just want the best for our children and use these forums for such, malicious comments are useless.

My son is two and a half years and he is so smart too, wow, he is truly amazing. he knows how to use the iphone, go to youtube and find his favorite shows. he knows how to count to 20, knows his abc's. he has proper conversations with us, he prays always, blesses his food always. he does everything on his own and dos not want help including putting on his clothes etc. he is potty trained. he knows all the colors. he eats on his own, goes into the pantry and takes out food to eat himself. he plays soccer and kicks the ball so hard. just about everything he does at a high level. he is so mature and we are so proud of him.

Well most of you do have very progressive kid's of your own. I think as long as a child of this age can express himself and let you know(in his own words) what he wants or wishes,is most important. At this young age its commendable if a child can recite poems, count or say their alphabets, eventually all children by the time they reach a certain age can say it anyways. What is important is letting them be themselves at this age. Boys are more playful then girls, I know because my boy will ask questions and remember everything said to him but his attention span is more fixtured on playful things. He likes going out, running about, sitting on his bike, throwing the balls everywhere, playing with his car and then trying to break it apart, fiddling with my laptop, playing with batteries, helping me in the kitchen (oh he loves that), will ask me if I want the light switch on and get the stool and climb on it to switch the light, he will help me hoover the house, he will remember the time his programme starts and will remind me to switch the telly on. He imitates his daddy to the T, he even picks up a book he wants us to read. ( we encourage him to read). He will look out of the window and call out to the kids if they are playing in the street. He has the courtesy to say thankyou, sorry & please when he needs to without being prompted and will say hello to everyone passing by on the street.
I will not force him to learn numbers unless I see something to remind him how many or what that is and that stops at it. I know he will learn in his own time and he will pick up everything.
I realised when growing up myself that you can push your child to learn at a really young age(all parents do that, its not bad) but its encouraging them to be themselves and happy within themselves that nurture and help them become better grown ups.
That is my opinion. Congratulations to all of you who are doing a good job with bring up kids, it is hard work but as parents that is our job and a very important job too....

hi my little grand daughter is two, counts to forty backwards , recites abc,knows her colors, cleans teeth, points to countries on world globe and names them, recites abc, able to have a conversation,draws eyes nose and mouth when drawing or painting, she also spells own name, able to turn on dads i pad puts in password to play game,my son did not speak till he was four, had four sibling who spoke for him , there was no stopping him when he did start to speak.all children are special in their own way.

my 28 month old knows her abcs, as well as knows every letter individually. She knows all of her colors and can count to 20, knowing 1-10 individually as well. she is potty trained during the day, sings tons of songs as well as recites most of her books, including the step one and two readers, verbatim. She talks in anywhere from 2-8 word sentences and has a huge vocabulary. She has always been smart imo lol. she acts more like a 4 or 5 year old as far as what she knows and how she interacts with daily life.

i think both my children are very smart for their ages, my daughter is 2 years and 4 mnths old and my son is just 10 months, my 2 yr old is able to count to 12, count all her fingers unassisted, learning her abc's, she can spell her name, knows most colours, knows most animal names and there sounds, can sing twinkle little star, row row your boat, a cupple or dora songs, knows how to work an iphone, tv and dvd player, brush her own teeth, wash her own hands and use the potty for 1's and 2's on her own, the list goes on.. were very hands on with her but never push her, she learns at her own pace and i am so proud of her achievements my 10 month old is following in her footsteps, he has been able to sit up at 6 mnts, crawl at 7 mnths, stand up and pull himself up at 9 months and taking steps now he can say over 10 words, clap his hands ect ect..

My child is 25 and half months. She can speak and understand 2 languages according to her age (3-5 words in a sentence ). She can sing several songs with actions including ABC song. Counting upto 10. Naming 5 colours. Recognizing some shapes.

She can dance so well. jumping . running. climbing, sharing, advicing....etc.

She is not so talkative and speak when it is necessary,She is very kind to everyone. If she sees a child is crying she is feeling so sad and console the child with kind words and wiping the tears. She is born with nice human qualities and never been practiced them by anyone.

ooooh goodness, my daughter will be 3 in August and can do all her ABC's can count all the way to 40, but recognizes 50 and 100.She loves to read and converses a little to well for comfort.
Sometimes I forget she is not even three, we are still having trouble with them number 2 but she is so good at going to the loo for number 1.
She also knows All her Primary and most of the secondary colors, can say her name and her sisters name as well, she is also very firm with her words and is quite assertive...Gosh that felt like i was describing me

i am a disabled, single, stay at home father. i don't leave the house much and my child does not need child care due to me always being around. so needless to say my son gets little/no interaction with others, other than me....especially children. now i don't know if i have reason to worry but,....my 2/half year old does none of these things. when learning a word he has used them (no more than dozen times), then refuses to say the word again. he recognizes when i say them and responds appropriately, ie: 'all done' (when being done eating or bath time, ect). i am finding it rather difficult to potty train as per his lack of speaking. makes little indication that he has to go although i have found that to be changing as of recently via 'potty dance'. he is especially interested in cars....matchbox or little people or even the cars on the road when we go for our walks. i watch him flip over his ride on fire truck just to play with the underside and rotate the wheels (i can see a mechanic in the future....) i was considered a late bloomer as well and i turned out to be super intelligent although with the down side of being a paranoid manic schizophrenic. with that being said, i consider my son no different than myself, specifically the difference with recognizing and responding when learning. i was different and i can see my son being different as well. my knowledge of that is good for when he is older but not so much now....