Making Distinctions
Terrific TWOs Online ®
DEVELOPMENTAL SPOTLIGHT
What’s Developing with Your Two?
Making Distinctions We see our Twos taking steps every day toward becoming more independent. Twos’ big balancing act is between their own wants and what the world expects. Twos need to live within society’s rules and at the same time see themselves as their own person. There are many important things about living in the world that Twos don’t know yet. They want to be independent and do things, but they often don’t know what others want or what is safe. So one big reason Twos get into trouble is that they are still learning all the important things they need to know. It can be very confusing for a child to sort out what makes a behavior ok in one situation (loud talk outside is ok) and not ok in another (loud talk in the library is not ok). Learning all of these distinctions is a big challenge throughout childhood. Children are learning to sort their behaviors into three categories: •Always ok •Never ok Always ok and never ok behaviors are often related to safety. These distinctions are very clear for children, and the easiest for parents to teach and be consistent with. The third category is much harder: •Sometimes ok The “sometimes ok” and “sometimes not ok” behaviors require finer distinctions. Whether these behaviors are ok or not ok depends on the situation: • Who is ok with it? (Everyone? Just Mom and Dad? No one?) • What is ok to do and not do? (Is it safe? Not safe?) • When can I do it or not do it? (6 a.m.? Noon? Before dinner?) • Where is it ok to do it? (Inside? Outside?) • How much can I do or not do it? (How loud can it be?) Twos will figure out the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how much” distinctions with practice, by testing their guesses over and over in different situations. As your Two’s best teacher and guide, you can help support your child’s healthy development and learning by staying on your child’s side, and by seeing discipline “problems” as opportunities to teach your Two what he or she does not yet know and needs to learn.
©2011 IRIS Educational Media
DEVELOPMENTAL SPOTLIGHT
What’s Developing with Your Two?
Making Distinctions We see our Twos taking steps every day toward becoming more independent. Twos’ big balancing act is between their own wants and what the world expects. Twos need to live within society’s rules and at the same time see themselves as their own person. There are many important things about living in the world that Twos don’t know yet. They want to be independent and do things, but they often don’t know what others want or what is safe. So one big reason Twos get into trouble is that they are still learning all the important things they need to know. It can be very confusing for a child to sort out what makes a behavior ok in one situation (loud talk outside is ok) and not ok in another (loud talk in the library is not ok). Learning all of these distinctions is a big challenge throughout childhood. Children are learning to sort their behaviors into three categories: •Always ok •Never ok Always ok and never ok behaviors are often related to safety. These distinctions are very clear for children, and the easiest for parents to teach and be consistent with. The third category is much harder: •Sometimes ok The “sometimes ok” and “sometimes not ok” behaviors require finer distinctions. Whether these behaviors are ok or not ok depends on the situation: • Who is ok with it? (Everyone? Just Mom and Dad? No one?) • What is ok to do and not do? (Is it safe? Not safe?) • When can I do it or not do it? (6 a.m.? Noon? Before dinner?) • Where is it ok to do it? (Inside? Outside?) • How much can I do or not do it? (How loud can it be?) Twos will figure out the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how much” distinctions with practice, by testing their guesses over and over in different situations. As your Two’s best teacher and guide, you can help support your child’s healthy development and learning by staying on your child’s side, and by seeing discipline “problems” as opportunities to teach your Two what he or she does not yet know and needs to learn.
©2011 IRIS Educational Media
