The Power of Parenting

Monday, 15 February 2021

Intellectual Development 31 to 36 months

Intellectual Development means being able to think creatively and abstractly, to pay attention, solve problems and develop keen judgement along with a lifelong readiness to learn.
Typical Skills
Language
  • Asks questions frequently, using ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’
  • Participates in storytelling and recites nursery rhymes
  • Repeats five-word sentences
  • Converses with adults and peers and can be understood
  • Talks to self about recent events and make-believe characters
Thinking Skills
  • Develops size comparisons, using language like ‘bigger’, ‘smaller’, ‘really little’
  • Tries to dramatize thoughts and ideas (e.g., pretends to be a dinosaur)
  • Counts three objects
  • Matches similar pictures and objects, sorts different ones
  • Enjoys creative movement
    Emerging Skills
    Language
    • Uses and understands direction and position words like around, backward, forward, inside, underneath
    • Comments on details in picture books
    • Shows an understanding of story plots, acts them out using puppets or dolls
    • Answers complex questions like, “What is this?” or “How did you do that?”
    • Responds to requests like, “Go find your coat,” or “Please get a paper towel”
    Thinking Skills
    • Separates small objects from large ones
    • Makes a plan before taking action (e.g., searches for needed felt board pieces)
    • Notices changes in nature (e.g., when a seed he planted sprouts)
    • Uses words associated with an understanding of time (e.g. sleep time)
    • Pretends to be community helpers

      Comfort
      If you do this:
      		Your Toddler will:

      • Take time to talk to your toddler and ask about the things that interest her
      • Sing number songs and rhymes like “Five Little Monkeys”
      • Use laundry routines as an opportunity to describe and sort family members’ clothing
      • Share ideas and experiences because she knows you are interested in her opinion
      • Learn number concepts and counting in a playful way
      • Able to categorize things by family member; at 19 months knows what’s “mine”; at 36 months also knows what’s mom’s, dad’s, etc.
      • Take comfort in the routine and spending time with you
      • Enjoy the familiarity of touching things that belong to family members
      Play
      If you do this:
      		Your Toddler will:

      • Ask open-ended questions like, “What did you see on your walk?”
      • Introduce the concept of first, second, third in simple games, asking, “Who is first? Who comes second?”
      • Provide simple puzzles with three to six pieces
      • Practice using descriptive words
      • Begin to recognize that numbers are used in different ways
      • Gain confidence in his ability to put things together
      Teach
      If you do this:
      		Your Toddler will:

      • Introduce abstract and basic concepts (such as time, colour, and size)
      • Introduce the concept of time when following routines (e.g., breakfast time and bed time)
      • Create a sorting game so children can sort objects by colour, shape, size
      • Begin to develop an understanding of abstract concepts and talk about them
      • Begin to understand that events follow a sequence
      • Begin to understand the concept of sorting and grouping