Look at Me, I'm 3!

You've survived the "terrible 2's" and now it's on to the "thrilling 3's"!   As you probably know by now, 3 year olds like to "do it myself" and are eager to try new tasks and improve their skills.  Parents often want to know what to expect as typical development for their child at all ages, so here are some 3 year old milestones to watch for:

• Scribbles
• Copies a circle and plus sign
• Feeds self
• Washes hands
• Undresses self and helps to dress self
• Drinks from a regular cup
• Completes a 6 piece puzzle independently
• Builds a 9 block tower with 1 inch blocks
• Begins to snip with scissors

This is a time for children to begin learning correct grasping patterns for prewriting tasks and a chance to get some gentle guidance from parents and teachers to form good habits for early writing.  This might include hand over hand assistance to "get started" with writing and coloring, or a verbal reminder to "use your helper hand to hold the paper when you color".   Allowing your 3 year old to "do" for herself might mean that you need a few extra minutes to get shoes on or wash hands, and it might mean cleaning up a mess when a cup gets spilled at dinner.  The payoff is worth the efforts as you'll have a Little One who begins to develop confidence and is motivated to try new skills. 

Jen