Toddler Understanding and Thinking Milestones

Right from birth, children are aware of their surroundings and want to explore them. As your child plays and interacts with the people and objects around him, he learns about his body, his home, and the world around him.

Below are some of the typical developmental milestones for “cognitive skills” (thinking and understanding)

Between the ages of 1-2 years, your child will:

Recognize herself in the mirror

Begin to say ‘no’ to bedtime and other requests

Enjoy dancing to music Imitate adults’ actions and words

Understand words and commands, and respond to them

Begin to match similar objects

Recognize and find familiar objects in storybooks with some help

Understand the difference between “you” and “me”

Feel proud when doing things independently

Between the ages of 2-3 years, your child will:

Understand simple stories

Respond to simple directions Name some objects in a book

Group objects by category (e.g. animals, clothing, food)

Play pretend with dolls or stuffed animals

Stack rings on a peg in order of size

Put together simple puzzles (3-4 piece inset puzzles) Identify herself in a mirror, saying “baby” or her own name

Tell others what he is doing Learn to count “1-2-3”