Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
Two-year-olds are ready to start exploring more of the big world around them. As they grow, they start learning how to feed themselves, get dressed, socialize with others, and play in more mature ways. Occupational therapists (OTs) help toddlers meet developmental milestones related to fine motor, social, cognitive, sensory, and self-care skills. Here’s what to watch for in these core areas of development once your child turns 2.
Key takeaways
Occupational therapists can support toddlers’ fine motor and visual skills, social and play skills, regulatory and sensory skills, cognitive abilities, and self-care skills.
Fine motor skills for 2-year-olds allow them to use their hands in new ways, such as using buttons, turning pages in a book, or scribbling and drawing lines.
Social and play milestones are important as kids form relationships. These skills include calming down more easily or participating in parallel play.
Regulatory and sensory milestones relate to how well a child tolerates different sensations or emotions.
Cognitive milestones show how your 2-year-old is learning, such as understanding cause-and-effect.
Self-care skills are important for growing independence. These include skills such as self-feeding and learning to dress.
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Occupational therapy can help with several areas of childhood development:
Fine motor and visual motor skills
Social and play skills
Cognitive development
Regulatory and sensory organization
Self-care
Fine motor and visual development is how toddlers use their hands and eyes together to interact with items and their environment. This might include manipulating and handling toys, or using a spoon with more coordination.
Social and play skills are how kids learn to engage with others, such as through early, simple games like playing “chase” or noticing others’ emotions.
Cognitive growth includes problem-solving skills, matching and sorting abilities, and cause-and-effect understanding. Cognitive skills enable your child to keep learning.
Regulatory and sensory organization is how toddlers respond to sensory input like touch, sound, movement, or visual stimuli. It also includes how well they deal with different emotions. Strong regulatory skills help kids handle transitions, new experiences, and day-to-day routines more easily.
Self-care relates to skills toddlers develop in order to take care of themselves as they become more independent. They may start washing their hands or helping in routines like teethbrushing.
See our other developmental milestone checklists for toddlers:
Learn the communication milestones typical for 2-year-olds. This will help you determine if your toddler needs speech and language support.
2-year-old fine motor and visual milestones
When a child turns 2, their hand movements (fine motor skills) and visual motor skills are growing regularly. You will see your child start to do more tasks such as:
Holding an object in one hand while manipulating another object with the other hand—for example, holding a container while taking off the lid (shows improving strength and dexterity)
More easily turning knobs, using switches, or pushing buttons on toys
Building a tower several blocks high
Scribbling with crayons or markers
Beginning to imitate drawing vertical lines
Turning pages in a book
Placing pieces in a simple puzzle
Beginning to use a spoon with better coordination
Using both sides of the body at the same time, such as holding a baby doll with one hand or arm while feeding it a bottle with the other hand
Beginning to string large beads, such as for a craft, or place items on a peg board (around 30 months)
How do babies and toddlers learn to play? Learn the milestones and stages of play development in early childhood.
2-year-old social and play milestones
Two-year-olds are growing more social and playful everyday. Whether they’re playing with cars and trucks, racing around a playground, or working on a puzzle, you may notice the following types of play skills:
Engages in parallel play near other children
Begins simple pretend or symbolic play (feeding doll, pretending to cook)
Enjoys simple social games, such as chasing or turn-taking games
Toddlers' interactive skills grow fast. You may see some of these social skills emerging:
Notices when others are hurt or upset and may react (example: pausing or looking concerned)
Looks to their parent or caregiver to decide how to react in unfamiliar situations (example: what to do if a friend takes a toy)
Imitates others during play
Shows more interest in interacting with other children
Keep your 2-year-old busy, entertained, and learning with these top toys recommended by speech therapists.
2-year-old regulatory and sensory milestones
Two-year-olds are learning how to participate in daily routines and try new things. This all takes some strong regulatory skills! Big emotions are normal, but you should see 2-year-olds begin to calm and regulate their emotions better than they used to when they have support from an adult. Similarly, they may use a comfort item like a stuffed animal or a blanket to help them manage their emotions.
Kids this age should also start following simple, predictable routines during their day. This might include the morning routine before daycare, their bedtime routine, or set tasks like washing hands or brushing teeth.
When it comes to sensory milestones for 2-year-olds, they are starting to become more active and explore new things
Seeks movement and active play, like running and climbing
Participates in sensory play such as playing with sand or water, or tolerating textures such as the grass while playing outside
It’s common for young children to struggle with transitions. Try these expert tips to help things go more smoothly.
2-year-old cognitive milestones
Simply watching your child while they play or participate in everyday routines can give you a clue as to how much cognitive growth is happening. When you see your child completing simple puzzles, or trying to figure out how buttons or knobs work, that’s an excellent sign of cognitive growth!
Understanding cause-and-effect is a big cognitive milestone at age 2. You may see your toddler push a button on a toy so it makes a sound. Or maybe they drop a toy over and over just to watch what happens when they let go!
Sorting and matching are other important cognitive milestones that tend to develop closer to 30 months. They include:
Sorting objects by shape or color
Beginning to match objects to pictures
2-year-old self-care milestones
One important area of growth for toddlers is their ability to learn age-appropriate self-care skills. These include tasks related to eating, dressing, and other grooming activities. Your 2-year-old should begin to:
Eat with a spoon
Drink from an open cup (it’s OK if they spill a little!)
Remove simple clothing items, like socks or pants that come off easily
Help with dressing (such as pushing arms through sleeves or stepping into pants)
Wash hands or brush teeth with help
Your 2-year-old may also begin to show signs that they’re ready for toilet training.
Toddler refuses to eat? Learn why it happens, what to do when a toddler won’t eat, and when to get help, including expert feeding tips.
What if your child isn’t meeting developmental milestones?
If you notice that your 2-year-old is missing some of these milestones, talk with your pediatrician or an occupational therapist. Early intervention is key, and starting occupational therapy sooner actually leads to faster progress!
Here at Expressable, we provide personalized, virtual occupational therapy designed to fit your child’s needs. Reach out to us to schedule an OT evaluation and get your questions answered.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
When it comes to developmental milestones, 2-year-olds are starting to scribble with crayons and try pretend play. They’re beginning to open simple containers, understand simple matching, and may start using a spoon or open cup themselves. They’re learning new words all the time and starting to put words together in phrases, like “more milk.” These are just a few examples! You’ll see lots of growth in language, fine motor, cognitive, social, and self-care skills as a whole. Learn more about what to expect from your 2-year-old.
Fine motor activities for 2-year-olds focus on building muscles in the hands. These include simple activities like coloring with crayons, or rolling or squeezing Play-Doh into different shapes. You can even place small toys inside the Play-Doh for your child to dig out. Stacking blocks is a fun way to practice fine motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination. Another fine motor activity involves having your child pick up small items with their fingers, like pieces of cereal or little pom-poms. (Just make sure to supervise your child with any small items!)
Two-year-olds typically know how to say about 50 words. They should start using two-word phrases such as “hi, Mommy,” or “more please.” They may also begin to answer simple questions, such as “Where are your shoes?” or “What do you want to eat?” Check out this guide to learn more about what a 2-year-old should be saying.
Toddlers love to play! When you’re interacting with your 2-year-old, focus on having fun and following their lead. Two-year-olds usually like activities where they get to move, like playing outside or on a playground. They’re starting to enjoy new types of imaginative toys like dolls, pretend food, or dress-up clothes. Puzzles are another engaging activity as toddlers begin to understand shapes and matching concepts better. Here are more fun activities to try with your 2-year-old.
Sensory play activities for 2-year-olds can be both fun and supportive for their regulation skills. Playing with shaving cream on a table, doing finger painting, playing in sand, or using sensory bins with items like dry rice or beans helps kids experience new textures in a safe, playful way.
How Expressable Can Help
Concerned your child isn't reaching age-expected milestones? Looking for communication support from a professional? Expressable is a national online speech and occupational therapy practice serving children and adults. We treat all major areas of communication, feeding, and developmental skills, offer flexible hours including evenings and weekends, and accept most major health insurance plans. We’re proud to have earned more than 4,500 5-star reviews from our clients (4.83/5 average).
Our therapy model is centered on parent and caregiver involvement. Research proves that empowering caregivers to participate in their loved one’s therapy leads to better outcomes. That’s why we combine live, 1-on-1 speech and occupational therapy with personalized education and home practice activities for faster progress.
