A child from two to three years of age, better known as the terrible two’s

This is a crucial moment, which is full of magic and fantasy. The changes and intellectual advances are manifested in speech and behavior. Between two and three years of age the communication of the child improves enormously thanks to the fact that their speech is more complex, they many various ideas, create full and elaborate sentences, although brief, with all their components, they use verbs, use pronouns and articles, distinguish past things from future ones, create questions and express their feelings of anger and fear. Because of this, their aggressive attitude decreases (biting, pulling on another kids hair, throwing their toys). When the child expresses his or herself well, he or she will think well, and vice versa. If during the child’s first year his need to explore was channeled through manipulating objects, during the third year he will do it through speaking. The child’s level of socialization is high, and he will like to sit down at the table with the rest of the family, eat alone, use a fork but is still a little clumsy when it comes to cutting food. He will love to discover new flavors and is very sensitive to how his plate is decorated. In this stage the child will discover his or he sex and will find out if he is a boy or a girl through games and different attitudes. If he is a boy he will identify with his father, but will be affectively dependent of his mother. If she is a girl, she will identify herself with her mother, but will try to conquer her father.

Children at this age continue sleeping between ten and twelve hours, just like before, and will have naptime. Nighttime nightmares will be more frequent, because the child is more sensitive to the influences of the environment and the alterations of his or her routine. These can range from going to a birthday party to moving from houses, the birth of a new baby brother or parents separating, to give an extreme example. This is a good moment to start sending the child to the kindergarten. It is also a good moment to start taking the child to see plays and puppet shows, or organize a camping party in the garden with friends.