Your 3-Year-Old
For some reason, when academic people talk about childhood, they talk a lot about buildings.
“She’s laying the foundation for future success,” they write. Or, “This stage is about constructing a skills framework.” You almost expect them to say next, “If your child's a skyscraper, she would now pour concrete for the future parking garage.”
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But your kid is no skyscraper. Just look at her. She moves a lot more than a building, for one thing. It's true, she is constantly building up new skills and ideas. She can match rocks that are the same shape, size or color. She can tell you what her body parts do. She can tell you about the parts of her neighborhood.
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But she doesn't add those skills in tidy little levels, one by one. Growing up is a messy process. Yesterday’s new addition may get knocked down to make room for a newer feature.
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In other words, she's not sticking closely to any “official” blueprint for learning. Though your kid grows in what seems like a random fashion, she’s still always doing just that: growing. And ultimately, she will be “grown up.” In whatever way she gets there. And probably before you know it.
Resources for Your 3-Year-Old
Your 3-Year-Old
Creative Arts
Your child is using her voice, body, and imagination in more and more expressive ways.
Your 3-Year-Old
Social Emotional
Your child’s selfhood starts at birth—but she is now just learning to express her idea of who she thinks she is.
Your 3-Year-Old
Math
Now he’s starting to understand more nuanced ideas—and he has the communication skills to talk about them with you.
Your 3-Year-Old
Play & Learning
Children, as they grow, continue to need routines and parameters.
Your 3-Year-Old
Science
The questions your child asks are pretty telling: they show his curiosity, his interest in how the world works, and his desire to dig deeper for the answers.
Your 3-Year-Old
Social Studies
As your child begins to realize the size and scope of the world, he also begins to realize where he fits into it.
Your 3-Year-Old
Physical Health & Growth
Your child is growing into a taller, bigger, stronger body that can do more new things every day.
Your 3-Year-Old
English & Language Arts
Whether you child is a natural chatty Cathy or more of a shy Violet, you’ve likely noticed her conversation skills are seriously improving.
Help paying for child care
Many Indiana families are eligible for financial help paying for early childhood programs. These programs have varying eligibility, but all help families give their children solid educational starts.
