Wondertime: Child Stages: Emotional Development - and More Joys of Parenting Young Children

Emotional Development

3 to 6 months
Play is vital to a baby's physical, mental, social, and emotional development, and best of all, babies at this age enjoy and actively respond to play.

18 to 24 months
Many 18- to 24-month-olds show anxiety around other toddlers, especially if they are unfamiliar, and also become anxious in anticipation of unpleasant events. And while temper tantrums are not necessarily a new phenomenon at this age, toddlers often perfect them as they approach 2 years of age. The typical 2-year-old has also learned how to soothe himself and starts to become more aware of other people's emotions, reacting to anger and affection among other family members.

2 to 3 years
Between the ages of 2 and 3 years, you're likely to see your child talk in sentences. While the typical 2-year-old has a vocabulary of 30-50 words and can put two words together, another year of language development usually brings the ability to make three-word sentences and communicate more effectively. Not only do children start to use pronouns such as I, me, you, and we, but they also start to use them to express emotions (in ways other than through tantrums!). And by the time a child is 3 years old, grown-ups should be able to understand at least 75 percent of what he says.

2 years: Two-year-olds dedicate most of their waking hours to play of one kind or another. Through some kinds of games — such as puzzles and shape sorters — they refine their developing motor skills. Through others — games of pretend with dolls and other children — they sort out emotional conflicts and make sense of their place in the world. Playing, like talking, is something children do without being prompted.

3 years: While attending to the physical care of your preschooler, you will also find she thrives on a great deal of emotional and intellectual nourishment, and much of this comes from play. While manipulating simple household objects such as cardboard tubes and empty cartons, children give themselves valuable lessons in counting, cause and effect, and problem solving. And by finding new purposes for ordinary objects, they learn to think creatively.

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