Nursery World - Positive Relationships: Behaviour

Physical exuberance needs to be encouraged, not limited, in
two-year-olds, says Julia Manning-Morton.

Physicality is at the centre of two-year-olds' experiences; they are 'on the go', 'into everything' and express themselves and communicate through physical action as much, if not more, than through verbal language.

In a social culture that sets great store by language and rational thought and behaviour such as ours, each of these characteristics mean that a two-year-old's physical behaviours can be interpreted negatively and seen as undesirable by adults who are not experienced or knowledgeable about this age group.

The development of many physical accomplishments means that adult expectations of a two-year-old's ability to regulate their physical actions are raised. Neuromuscular control, which gradually progresses from the head downwards (cephalocaudal development) and from the trunk outwards to fingertips and toes (proximodistal development), develops rapidly in the first two years. However, practitioners should remember that physical skills are still being refined in the third year of life and beyond.

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