Approaches to learning

• email
• save PDF
• print

Two-year-olds enjoy using their senses to explore the world, and can solve simple problems with the ‘trial and error’ method. They will practise an activity many times to master it, and can complete short-term, concrete tasks. Their budding language skills and desire to learn prompt many ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions. This year typically marks the beginning of pretend play, where two-year-olds experiment with familiar objects and situations to process their experiences.

Initiative, engagement and persistence

• Makes choices (e.g. food, clothes, toys, activities) based on preferences, sometimes in opposition to adult choices; for example, child says, ‘No jacket. Want hat!’
• Increases ability to sustain attention, especially when it directly influences an activity (e.g. repeatedly stacks blocks and knocks them down).
• Completes self-chosen, short-term, concrete tasks. Practises an activity many times to gain mastery (e.g. repeatedly moves magnetic letters on and off the refrigerator).
• Has a growing interest in and ability to perform routine tasks independently (e.g. puts napkins on the table before dinner).

Curiosity and eagerness to learn

• Is able to participate in a broader array of experiences (e.g. exploring outdoor playground equipment, climbing on rocks, investigating contents of kitchen cabinets, paging through books), thanks to increased physical and cognitive skills.
• May ask many ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions about a variety of sights, sounds, and experiences. For example, child asks, ‘Why mummy cry?’
• Continues to show enthusiasm and pleasure in daily explorations. Enjoys solving simple problems (e.g. successfully puts on own hat after several tries, then happily jumps up and down).

Reasoning and problem-solving

• Becomes more systematic in using language and physical approaches to solve problems, but may become stuck on one solution (e.g. tries numerous strategies for nesting a set of cups of graduated sizes, but may keep pushing harder to get a large cup to fit into a smaller one).
• Continues to expand use of language to get help, but may refuse assistance even when needed. For example, may say, ‘I need help!’ when trying to get a little car into the toy garage, but then says, ‘Do it myself!’ when help arrives.
• Increasingly recognises and solves problems through active exploration, including trial and error (e.g. tries to get a large pillow into a small container by turning it this way and that; eventually folds up pillow so it fits).

Invention and imagination

• Engages in simple pretend play with familiar objects and situations (e.g. puts doll to bed and lays blanket over her).
• Expands use of objects, art materials, and toys in new and unexpected ways (e.g. takes bath towels out of a closet and drapes them over chairs, crumples up paper in interesting shapes when pasting onto cardboard).

• Rated4 ratingsRate this item
• FeedbackTell us what you think of this item