| T |
TALK ALOT. Three year olds love to use words and are exploring the power of language. They can make sentences that sound like they understand, but their thinking is still very different from adults. |
| H |
HEART. Respect a child’s self-esteem. Criticism, teasing, impatience, and losing your temper can damage a child’s view of themselves. |
| R |
RESPECT their growing independence by giving them choices. Giving the child two acceptable choices will usually get a child to cooperate. |
| E |
EXPLORING the world is a major job of a three-year-old. They are very interested in the world and like to get into everything. Safety is still an issue for this age. They can follow simple directions when they want to, but can be stubborn and uncooperative. Choices work best. |
| E |
EXPECT children to move to their own view of the world. Three-year-olds dawdle and don’t like to be hurried. They have a very active imagination leading to fears which adults do not always understand. |
| S |
SKILLS for sharing, waiting, and sitting still are improving, but not at adult standards. These skills take several years to learn. |
