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All children develop differently and at their unique pace. This is not a post of judgment for anything your toddler is not yet able to do independently.
Rather this is a thought-provoking list of ideas of things you could start allowing or encouraging your toddler to do independently.
Toddler Self-Care
Your toddler may be doing all, some, or none of these tasks. Your household set-up greatly impacts your toddler’s ability to be involved.
Things your 2-year-old could be doing on their own or with some help include:
- throwing away their diaper
- put dirty clothes in the hamper
- dress/undress (may still need assistance)
- brush their hair
- brush teeth (parent brush after)
- put on shoes (depends greatly on the type of shoe)
- take off shoes
- put shoes away
- put jacket on (likely with assistance)
- take off jacket
- put away jacket
Household Chores
There are small things around the house your toddler can easily help with.
Some things your two-year-old can help with include:
- unloading the dishwasher
- laundry-pushing button to start, moving from washer to dryer
- help sort laundry into piles
- help with sock matching
- help carry clothes to put away
Time in the Kitchen
Your toddler should be able to help out in the kitchen and have a certain level of independence.
-use fork and spoon
-wipe table area clean
-take plate to the sink
There are so many other things your toddler may be able to do, but it depends on you as the parent. For example, if you have been working on teaching your toddler to drink out of an open cup or if you only allow your toddler to use a sippy cup. I can’t say your toddler should be able to drink out of an open cup at this age if you never allow it.
We have a high-top table in our home. This does prevent our 2-year-old from easily getting up and down from the table independently.
There is a type of high chair out there that helps with independence. We did not own this but if you are interested you can check it out here. I believe your toddler is able to climb up and down on their own.
Wherever possible I strongly recommend making your home functional for promoting independence in your toddler. For example, if you have a low drawer that they can access. This would be a great place to keep their plates, bowls, cups, and even eating utensils. They can get them out for mealtime and put them away when you unload the dishwasher.
Play Time
Some things that are very normal for 2-year-olds to be able to do include:
-singing songs
-clean up toys
-playing independently
-stacking blocks
-organizing by color
-using their imagination
All children enjoy different types of play. If your child does not gravitate to a specific type of play that is perfectly fine! These are simply ideas for things you could encourage your toddler to try.
They may not start randomly sorting items by color. We have a rainbow stacker. I broke it apart and spread out the pieces. I then gave my daughter a toy that had multiple colors and encouraged her to match them to the pieces spread out.
She loved it. Now she can do it on her own any time she likes.
Basically, I gave her a quick introduction to color sorting.
Verbal Milestones
By around age 2, your toddler should be putting two-word phrases together.
“Go outside”
“Ride car”
“Eat food”
Ideally, they will on occasion state even longer phrases.
At the age of 2, your toddler could have a huge vocabulary or a very limited one. Don’t freak out if they are limited. You can gently encourage them to get talking. Check out my article for some tips on How to Get Your Toddler to Go from Frustrated to Babbling to Talking.
I also want to give you some easy topics to get them talking.
Start naming:
- farm animals
- animals in general
- colors
- shapes
- common household items-spoon, chair
- sing songs
- read books
Give your toddler words and then they can choose to speak those words when they are ready.
I also find songs to be a great way to get a toddler talking. Just think about things you learned in elementary school. If the teacher put it in a song you could easily learn and remember it. The words in the song will stick with them.
Helping your toddler verbally will help in communication which in turns helps with their independence.
Help Your Toddler be Independent in Your Home
Think about every room of the house. Where would you like to see your toddler have independence? What can you do to modify that room to help them achieve this goal?
I touched on the kitchen a bit earlier. Give your toddler a lower drawer to store their items.
Consider putting a stool in the bathroom for teeth brushing.
If you have a mudroom, coat closet, or entryway consider placing low hooks for jackets. You could use a simple command hook that can later be removed. Consider also having a small bench or seat where your toddler can sit to take off and put on their shoes. If this doesn’t work in your space they can simply sit on the floor.
You could also get a small mat where your toddler knows their shoes go or a specific spot on a shelf. The key is to have a system that your toddler can manage.
When it comes to toys you cannot expect your child to clean up unless there is a clear understanding of where items belong. You need a clear system that a two-year-old can understand.
Conclusion
Break your house down into smaller chunks and see where you can give your toddler independence. In a lot of ways, our toddlers crave it and we hold them back. It is easy to put their shoes on for them or carry them down the stairs to keep them safe.
We are often preventing their growth. Think about ways to can give them the freedom to go and learn on their own safely and independently.
Check Out My Articles
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