Towards
three years, the child becomes inquisitive and nothing escapes them. The
imagination of the child takes them everywhere since they don’t know the
difference between reality and fiction. They may tell stories mixed with truth
and fiction. The child makes reference more to him/herself than anyone else because
he/she has just realized that she is a functional human being.
Three
year old's easily change their minds for no good reason. The parent should lead
the child through rather than waiting for the child to decide.
This
is what to expect:
i.
Between two and two-and
-half years, children cannot directly respond to questions and instructions,
“NO” is their preferred answer even if they do not mean it. They like repeating
familiar stories, mainly about themselves, familiar people, animals, children
and other familiar objects. The child may be able to sing a few simple songs.
They like playing with clay and mud and also know where they want to go and how
to get there. The child has no sense of time, does not like changes or new
routines and may have a stubborn sense of possession.
ii.
At three years, the
child vocabulary may have anything between 100 and 1000 words. The child shows
interest in new stories of imaginations as well as those including familiar
experiences. They can now differentiate between day and night but still have a
small sense of time. They can be absorbed in an activity such that it becomes
difficult to stop them.
Read
or tell stories to the baby, try not to cause anxiety therefore avoid
over-stimulating stories especially before bedtime. Give the child anything
that enables them to increase their imagination, this may include crayons,
blocks, toys, etc. Let the child learn to do things by doing them. Most
children are anxious about where babies come from, tell them the truth than
telling them fairy stories which you will deny later. If the child learns that
you lied, they may think it is convenient to lie sometimes. Allow the child to
interact with others if available, or enroll in a nursery school.
Do
NOT expect too much from the child even if he/she seems fast and bright. Do not
however be satisfied with too little progress either. Encourage the child in a
gentle manner. NEVER compare the child with others especially in his/her
presence, whether with praises or anything negative.
