Hi everyone! I have been doing a series on my Instagram page on gross motor milestones. It is broken up by month, and I have shared ways to play at each month as well to promote motor milestones. These are only guidelines for typically developing children, meant for educational purposes, and there are ranges for every major milestone. If there is a month that your child isn't doing EXACTLY what it says they should, don't worry! Every child is different and unique, and as some children start walking at 12 months, others don't start until 17 months! Here are motor milestones for your two year old.
If you would like more information on each month, head on over to my Instagram page and check out my story highlights, where I provide even more info by video and ways to play at each month!
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24 Months Old
Your two year old should be kicking and throwing balls. They may still use either hand or foot, as kids don’t show a preference for right or left until closer to 3.
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They will also walk up and down the stairs with a "step to" pattern. This means that they will lead with one foot, let’s say the right just for this example. They’ll go up to the step with right foot, then bring the left foot to the SAME step. They may not alternate their feet yet, which is very typical for this age range.
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Anyone have a two year old running around the house and throwing things? They don’t call it the terrible twos for nothing- they are learning lots of higher level gross motor skills that they enjoy!
28 Months Old
Not a whole bunch of new gross motor milestones here, but 2 things that are fun to play Simon Says with!
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Your 28 month old will jump from the bottom step with one foot leading. This means that it will almost look like a glorified step, but they are trying to figure out that jumping pattern!
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They will also walk on their toes with demonstration. You could have them try it by pretending to be a ballerina!
30 Months Old
Jumping in place: this means that your child will jump up off of the ground with both feet leaving the surface. Before this, you may see them bounce and attempt to jump with the inability to leave the surface or floor.
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Your child can also go up the stairs with alternating feet. This means they will put their right foot on the step, then their left foot on the NEXT step and alternate those legs until they get to the top!
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Is your 30 month old close to performing these skills?
Popular Toys at this Stage
Toddler Play Gym
A toddler play gym is awesome to work on lots of things, especially leg strength and coordination to climb up the ladder, and core strength to slide down the slide. These are essentials to running and stairs.
Foamnasium or Nugget
I have shared the Nugget in many previous posts, so please read my last milestone post for some more info why I love the Nugget!
This is a "budget friendly" Nugget, if you will. Foam-nasiums are great because they can work on some of the same things that you can do with the Nugget, but there aren't quite as many benefits and configurations with it. However, it is a good alternative, and you can make your own foam stairs to practice on, slide down the ramp, and practice sitting and standing balance on them.
Mini Trampoline
A mini trampoline is a good option to work on jumping, however not necessary if you are against trampolines. You can work on jumping just the same on a couch cushion, jumping off a step, and jumping in place. However, the trampoline gives your child proprioception and vestibular input that tells their body what it should be doing when they are jumping. This one is nice because it has a handle to hold onto. A lot of times children will bounce before they jump, which is typical with a trampoline as well!
Favorite Balls
I also touched on this in my last blog post for 13-18 month olds, but I will reiterate here since lots of ball skills start to emerge. Having playground sized balls around is going to be important as your child learns to throw, catch, and kick. Any old dodgeball will work, or you could head on over to Five Below and grab a Frozen or Superman kids ball. For beginners, I like to use textured balls such as the blue and purple one above because it allows for a little bit easier grip when learning to catch. Here's a little trick (some may have learned this from the NFL): if you release some air out of the ball, it's a little easier to catch too! I like to have multiple balls around, because you never know when one may pop, get lost, or go outside and never come back in.
Send me any questions you have about your 2 year old. Continue to play hard!
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