Between her 2nd and 3rd years, her development seems to explode in combination after combination of previously acquired skills.  Her expanding imagination and your guidance thrust her to take not only more physical challenges, but also more imaginative choices.  

Where you once witnessed her sorting by size or color, you may now she her sorting by both size AND color.  Before, she may have grouped all rectangular, blue blocks together.  Now she may be creating separate piles for each:  one large pile for blue, rectangular blocks and one small pile for blue, rectangular blocks.  She still has an eye for vivid color, but can now discern subtler, pastel shades, so add more colorful blocks to the mix.

Her sorting skills may now extend beyond play to food or clothing.  She may not only be able to name and sort fruits and vegetables, but may also be able to discern which items go into the refrigerator.  If you’ve been playing in the kitchen with plastic containers and lids, she may now be able to accurately match lids to containers.  She will feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment when she sees that she has made sure that the containers have their proper lids in place.  She may also try this match game with pots and pans.

If she has begun naming objects, you may notice that she now is attempting to describe them.  Ice cream may taste yummy; oatmeal may be too hot; kitty or doggy may be nice; and dirty may be yucky.  Now is a good time to bring out the large, picture books and not only name the objects, but also help her describe colors, sizes, or textures, if included in the book.  In describing everyday things, you may also notice her understanding of opposites such as big and small, hot and cold, or rough and smooth.

During these months, she may increase the number of articles needed for dress-up play, asking for your shoes or handbag.  In addition to more complex or outrageous outfits, she may start role-playing familiar personalities:  a baby-sitter, an aunt, a grandmother, or even mom.  Her imagination will include familiar scenarios as well as possible creative departures from the norm.  She may include dolls or stuffed animals in her role-playing games.  Consider adding small, wooden, toy replicas of animals to her hodgepodge of toys.  By acting out various animals’ characteristics and their natural settings, she is learning about environments beyond her home.  

As she reaches the end of her 3rd year, she is also sharpening precise wrist and hand movements, which will help in more imaginative play.  These finer hand skills will help her be more successful in school, when she will be challenged to complete many tasks on her own: hanging her coat, tying or fastening her shoes, drawing or coloring, picking up toys after playtime, or turning pages in her books.  During snack or lunchtime, she will need to open her lunch container.  She may seem set on a particular repetitive motion, but worry not; this repetition helps her go from simply learning to mastering a new, finer motor skill. 

Always encourage her desires to expand her skills with colorful, sturdy, open-ended toys.  Allow her imagination to choose the function of non-descript toys during playtime.  Ordinary dolls made with easy to clean, natural materials are uncomplicated travel companions, with few, if any, poking and prodding parts, which may get caught entering or exiting the car.  Especially exceptional is a doll whose facial expression is pleasantly neutral, enabling her to ascribe the emotion that best suits her playtime mood or imagination.

She has come a long way through playtime, and she will continue to grow, taking lessons from playtime to other daily activities and vice versa.  Her creativity and your support combine to stimulate her development.  The materials chosen for toys make a difference in challenging or stifling her desire to explore.  A “good” toy is one that can withstand many years of dumping, dragging, banging, and even mouthing.  They are toys whose functions can differ each time she plays.  They are also toys that stimulate more imagination, develop concentration, and encourage cooperation and responsibility.