Month 36 (3 years old)

This from Gurgle.com: As your toddler turns three he probably doesn’t seem like a toddler anymore as he runs, jumps, hops, skips, balances and probably rides a tricycle - Jamie rides his bike with stabilisers! He can hold a conversation and most of the words he says are understood. He is developing a sense of independence and can understand fairly complex concepts, like why he feels hot or cold. Or that he wants his milk Hot rather than just Warm!

Saying No
You may notice your toddler starting to say NO back to you (and probably stems from hearing you say no too often!). There are some children of this age who are really beginning to assert themselves and therefore say No to pretty much everything! For children, saying no is a power trip and once they have discovered they can use it, it can become very frustrating for you. Try to limit situations where your child can answer with a no, for example, don’t ask, ‘do you want to get dressed?’ instead ask, ‘what would you like to wear your red top or blue one?’ Changing how you phrase sentences can also help, so instead of saying ‘go and put your shoes on’ say, ‘lets see who can put their shoes on the fastest, mummy or Oscar?’
http://www.gurgle.com/stages/toddler/your-toddler-is-thirty-six-months-old/107


Mumsnet.com say:
Your Child at Three Years
Three is the age at which your child will throw himself into being like you. You will hear him talking to his toys just as you talk to him. Jamie often chatters away to his toys. Treat it as useful feedback and modify your behaviour accordingly. Now is the time he may outgrow his afternoon nap (although you might not have outgrown yours). His nap changes day to day but it is certainly easier to get him to sleep at night if he hasn't had a nap in the day - although sometimes we both need the nap. It all depends on our activity levels!

How he behaves: He now laughs at verbal jokes, not so much the traditional 'you should see my mother-in-law' but when you repeat well-known phrases that sound funny to him. He loves funny noises and the bear at Nanna Grace's that burps then says 'Pardon Me!' He will devote his days to trying to be like you, copying how you go to work or look after the house or talk to your friends on the phone. This is the process of identification by which he will pick up all your bad habits and retain them, so your inadequacies can be revisited on the next generation. There is certainly a lot of copying but it usually doesn't last too long as his attention span is still very small! He will be incredibly curious (a rude person would say nosy) wanting to know everything, "What's that?"; "Will I ever go to the moon?"; "What are clouds made of?". The degree of difficulty reached by these questions can make University Challenge seem a doddle. Jamie is very curious and always asking questions which can sometimes be a bit of a problem if I am in the middle of something - like having a shower!!

He will make up stories, which aren't exactly true but may have shred of reality in them mixed up with a healthy dollop of wishful thinking. You don't have to point out the holes in his stories; he is trying to work out the difference between reality and unreality.

What he thinks: He may have imaginary fears, which can be really upsetting for you, as you can't immediately make them better. You'll be too wise of course to laugh at him and tell him he's a silly billy to think there's a monster behind his curtain that will run off with him. Being told to stop being silly isn't a psychologically approved way of dealing with anyone's fears. He will be able to talk about his fears and you can work out strategies, while not saying there is a monster, you can give him a torch to shine round the room and tell him to say out loud, "You are not a real monster, go away".

At some stage your child will hear about dying and anxiously ask if this condition will apply to them one day? Death is a truly terrifying concept for kids and a "not for a very, very long time etc." can be helpful. Most of us can't cope with talking about death and so it's tricky to address the topic with a chirpy child. He will understand time now, but only in terms of the past. He knows there's a night and day but cannot work out morning from afternoon.

About two-thirds of three year olds can count from 2-5 and will decide correctly four out of six times which is the highest tower when comparing towers of three and 5 blocks. He will know how old he is and be able to count three objects correctly and repeat three numbers. Jamie doing well - on occasion he has counted further than 5!

How he speaks: Unfortunately he now understands 60-80% of adult speech. Do not slag off his Uncle Harry as he may well report back to him with childlike innocence. He can make sentences of 3-4 words with surprisingly good grammar. He knows between 800-1000 words and can tell simple stories. He will recite nursery rhymes and may sing recognisable songs depending on whether tone deafness runs in your family. Jamie often sings Baa Baa Pink Sheep (which they sing at nursery) but he often tells mummy and daddy to stop singing!

He will also carry out two-part requests, such as "Pick up the paintbrush and do a big picture." Importantly he can say me, I and mine. This leads him on to say "this is mine, get off it", sometimes with a degree of aggression. Yes! He also understands the concepts of big, small and lots (of sweets). Although he recognises who is a stranger to him, he may talk to anyone, just because he can. He can remember things over the past two to three months that have happened to him and can tell you about them. Every time we pass the church hall he says that's where his party was when Santa came! He also notices inaccuracies in stories other people tell and will correct and argue with you. He can also begin to categorise, as in a cat is an animal.

What he likes to play: He loves being told stories and will make up words and songs of his own which are sometimes unbearable to listen to as they go on and on and on. He will do jigsaws, play on toy musical instruments and generally spend a little concentrated activity on some things before getting bored. He enjoys messy play with sand, dough, water and paints and joy of joy will start watching children's television. He will also love clambering on climbing frames and bouncing on trampolines. He will now interact more in play with other children by talking and sharing activities, but it remains a Herculean task for him to share his favourite toy - best not to ask him. Jamie loves his books and his television - although we need to have less TV and more books! He loves messy play and painting and got a number of jigsaws for his birthday which he loves! He still loves dancing and is a very lucky boy as he has his own play park in the garden with a climbing frame, swings and a trampoline as well as a sandpit and little house. Most of it is second hand but Jamie doesn't care! He certainly plays better than before, but when Will came to play for the day the other week there were a few 'episodes' where each of them refused to share!!

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