The Second Year

The Second Year

Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care – NNCC. Powell, J. and Smith, C.A. (1994). The 2nd year. In *Developmental milestones: A guide for parents*. Manhattan, KS: Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service.

By 18 months of age does the child:

Motor Skills

  • like to pull, push, and dump things
  • pull off hat, socks, and mittens
  • turn pages in a book
  • stack 2 blocks
  • carry a stuffed animal or doll
  • scribble with crayons
  • walk without help
  • run stiffly, with eyes on the ground

Sensory and Thinking Skills

  • identify an object in a picture book
  • laugh at silly actions (as in wearing a bowl as a hat)
  • look for objects that are out of sight
  • put a round lid on a round pot
  • follow simple 1-step directions
  • solve problems by trial and error

Language and Social Skills

  • say 8-10 words you can understand
  • look at a person who is talking to him
  • ask specifically for her mother or father
  • use “hi,” “bye,” and “please,” with reminders
  • protest when frustrated
  • ask for something by pointing or by using one word
  • direct another’s attention to an object or action
  • become anxious when separated from parent(s)
  • seek attention
  • bring toys to share with parent
  • act out a familiar activity in play (as in pretending to take a bath)
  • play alone on the floor with toys
  • compete with other children for toys
  • recognize herself in the mirror or in pictures
  • seem selfish at times

By 2 years of age does the child:

Motor Skills

  • drink from a straw
  • feed himself with a spoon
  • help in washing hands
  • put arms in sleeves with help
  • build a tower of 3-4 blocks
  • toss or roll a large ball
  • open cabinets, drawers, boxes
  • operate a mechanical toy
  • bend over to pick up a toy and not fall
  • walk up steps with help
  • take steps backward

Sensory and Thinking Skills

  • like to take things apart
  • explore surroundings
  • point to 5-6 parts of a doll when asked

Language and Social Skills

  • have a vocabulary of several hundred words
  • use 2-3 word sentences
  • say names of toys
  • ask for information about an object (asks, “Shoe?” while pointing to shoe box)
  • hum or try to sing
  • listen to short rhymes
  • like to imitate parents
  • sometimes get angry and have temper tantrums
  • act shy around strangers
  • comfort a distressed friend or parent
  • take turns in play with other children
  • treat a doll or stuffed animal as though it were alive
  • apply pretend action to others (as in pretending to feed a doll)
  • show awareness of parental approval or disapproval for her actions
  • refer to self by name and use “me” and “mine”
  • verbalize his desires and feelings (“I want cookie”)
  • laugh at silly labeling of objects and events (as in calling a nose an ear)
  • enjoy looking at one book over and over
  • point to eyes, ears, or nose when you ask