24–30 Months
I’m a big boy … sometimes. The brain doesn’t develop uniformly. By the time your child is 2, the regions associated with language and motor skills have matured significantly, but those responsible for memory, reasoning, and planning are just wiring up. What does this mean in practical terms? While your child’s vocabulary is exploding and he’s quick to scamper upstairs and rocks, he doesn’t anticipate that taking a toy away from a dog will cause her to bark, and possibly bite—even if he has done it before.
References:
Zero to Three on brain development. Available at: http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_brainFAQ
“Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5 (5th Ed)” by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Neurological bases of behavioral development in infancy” by Norbert Herschkowitz, Brain & Development (2000).
