Beth Stewart is a married Canadian freelance writer with three grown children and a granddaughter Isabelle whom she adores. She lives on a river, watches soaps, goes camping, loves to dance, collects Mickey Sorcerers' and is in the proce...
Yes, a 'threenager' is a thing — here's how to make it through that really intense third year
If you're the parent of a 3-year-old, you're probably reading this with one eye open — because your other eye has been poked with a pencil or spat in by that tiny little monster running around your house. Yes, the struggle is real, and the fun hardly ends after you make it through the baby years. For many parents, the terrible twos are a walk in the park compared to the 3-year-old horror show that is to come.
You look at your beautiful child and realize he's become a smarter but more demanding (and probably impolite and self-centered) little person. You might ask yourself these questions: Am I too lenient? Too strict? Is my child doing what he should be at doing this age? If you are aware of what to expect from your 3-year-old as far as development, milestones and normal behavior go, you'll both enjoy that journey to 4.
Social skills, both fine and gross motor skills and language skills have improved. Far different than your 2-year-old, kids who are 3 are easier to understand and have a better grasp of communicating their needs. Here are some of the milestones to expect from this age group.
3-year-old developmental milestones
3-year-old social skills
no longer a toddler
has become more independent
less selfish than 2-year-olds and exhibits less aggressive behavior
more aware of and sensitive to the feelings of others
more responsive to other children and able to develop friendships
capable of taking turns and sharing toys
will begin to identify with his own sex and traditionally gender-related activities
more interested in structured games
spends much of his time in fantasy activity and will have imaginary friends (This is actually a very creative way for your child to sample different activities, behaviors and emotions.)
sense of time has become clearer and he'll know his daily routine and will try to figure out the routines of others
will have a capacity to understand his own place spatially amongst the family and is able to view you as a separate person
wants to please you — will be less dependent on you because his sense of identity is growing stronger
will exhibit a feisty attitude on occasion and resist your requests
3-year-old motor skills
losing his baby fat, developing more muscle control and gaining in height
is quite agile and can catch a ball with arms extended
jumps down from object 18-inches high using two-footed takeoff and landing
will be interested in tools such as scissors, paper, fingerpaint and crayons
can walk up and down stairs while alternating feet
can bend over and not fall down
draws a circle
cuts paper into two pieces
concentration is required when learning to master precision finger and hand movements
3-year-old language skills
will have mastered the basic rules of language and should have an active vocabulary of 600 or more words with 80 percent intelligibility
should be able to say her name
answers the question, "How old are you?"
able to talk in sentences of three or fours words and imitate most speech sounds but still has thoughts and emotions that can't be conveyed through language
uses plurals and pronouns
may mispronounce words and will become extremely frustrated when he is not understood