Parenting Guide for
Two-Year-Olds

Meet Elephant! His favorite thing about school is working together!

Meet Koala! She learns something new every day because she asks lots of questions!

Meet Parrot! She thinks the best thing about school is trying new things!

Fingerplays like Where Is Thumbkin? introduce new vocabulary and help infants and toddlers coordinate words with finger motions.

Count on this activity to get your toddler into the spirit of cleaning up.

Introduce your toddler to textures and texture words with this nature activity.

Our learning experts explain how to choose the best educational toys for your curious toddler.

How do you read to a squirmy toddler? LeapFrog Literacy Expert Dr. Carolyn James has help for parents of toddlers who won’t sit still!

This is a great opportunity to provide your toddler with printables and activities that challenge him to grasp early reading and math skills. Browse the Preschool and Pre-K printables and activities on Learning Path that focus on basic letter and number learning. Encourage your child to call out letters or words in books as you read together. Ask him if he would like to “read” on his own so he begins to understand this is something he will be doing soon. As your child gets older, he may enjoy LeapFrog’s Get Ready for Kindergarten suite of apps, perfect for 3-5 year old children. While you may feel pressure to challenge your precocious son, remember to keep the learning fun—especially in the early years!

Doctors and nutritionists often advise parents to think about getting complete nutrients over the course of the day, rather than at each meal. Yogurt is at least a healthy choice and a good place to start! What do you think your child likes about yogurt? If it's the taste, perhaps introduce fruits that match her favorite flavors. If it's the texture, try blending veggies until they are smooth. Some toddlers are too busy to sit and eat and instead like to graze; they will pick up finger foods if you leave them accessible near where you are playing together. If all else fails, sneak some whole grains (like baby oatmeal) and veggies (pureed sweet potato) into the yogurt. Remember that many toddlers exert their will through food. Adults control much of their lives but we cannot force them to eat! So try not to turn mealtime into a battle of wills—your toddler will eventually grow out of this phase. If you have concerns about your toddler's nutrition, make sure to ask your pediatrician to ensure she is getting everything she needs.

Because young children do not have the ability to regulate and control their emotions, once your child gets upset, she becomes flooded with emotion and it is difficult for her to calm down on her own. Being left alone in time-out to deal with her big emotions can also be scary for her. Once she is in flight or fight mode, it is difficult for you to reason with her, and the time-out will often turn into a struggle for you to get her to stay in time-out, rather than being a time to calm down. Instead of a “time-out”, try a “time-in”. Create a cozy, calming spot that that two of you can go to together to help her calm down and get in control of her body. While this may feel like you are rewarding her tantrums, what it does is teach your daughter the very important skill of how to regulate her emotions.

Is your child a looker, listener or mover? Researchers have observed that learning styles run in families and tend to differ between boys and girls.

Learn how to choose the right preschool program for your little one.

With three children in different stages of childhood, it’s a balancing act to ensure that each has their needs met—not to mention my own needs!