Two-Year-Olds:  Social and Emotional Development
Brenda Zirbel, Parent Educator

Through social and emotional development, two-year-olds learn to approach the world with a sense of trust and emotional security.

Trust and Emotional Security              
Parents support typical 2-year-old development when they:

• talk with their child about where parents are going and when they will return
• give their child a familiar toy, blanket or book to provide reassurance
• make themselves available as a source of safety and security when their child ventures out to explore and play
• name familiar people in photos; talk about who they are and what they are doing          
• provide encouragement for their child to try a new activity while remaining  close to offer support

Self-Awareness
Parents support typical 2-year-old development when they:

• help their child understand feelings by reading facial expressions and body language
• provide opportunities for their child to try to do things independently
• allow their child to keep favorite toys and possessions in a special place
• acknowledge their child’s increasing abilities to interact with others and solve problems
• recognize their child’s ability to identify his/her own characteristics, such as size, hair color or gender

Self-Regulation
Parents support typical 2-year-old development when they:

• allow their child to do things for self and acknowledge the actions
• make it easy for their child to be successful with simple tasks, such as putting on shoes or picking up toys
• acknowledge their child’s attempts to manage their own behaviors  
• give clear expectations for safe behaviors and use simple rules that two-year-olds can understand
• talk about ways their child is learning to follow routines or simple rules, such  as “I like the way you hold my hand when we cross the street.”     

     
Relationships with Other Children
Parents support typical 2-year-old development whey they:

• provide opportunities to play with other children in a variety of settings
• support their child’s interactions with other children and acknowledge turn-taking and helping behaviors
• provide more than one of some toys or materials so that 2-year-olds can play next to and with each other
• support imitation and pretend play with their child by providing toys such as dolls, dishes, cars, trucks or blocks
• talk about what their child is feeling and how other children may be feeling

 
"Minnesota Early Learning Guidelines for Birth to 3", MN Dept. of Health, MN Dept. of Human Services, 2007, excerpts and adaptations from pages 10.13, 15, 17 and 19.

Brenda Zirbel, ECFE parent educator, ISD 196