Last month we took a dive into the wonderful world of Two-year-olds, and learned that the second year of life isn’t so terrible after all! In fact, the year between turning two and three is pretty terrific! Your child is learning new skills, language is exploding, and they are finding their sense of self. With all this new growth on board, they are also experiencing increased independence. This probably has you joining your child in a happy dance as they begin to master potty training, dressing themselves and helping with clean-up time! If you thought raising a two-year-old was a wild and wonderful ride, it’s time to buckle up and get ready for year three!
Prepare for Blast Off!
I like to think of early childhood as a rocket launch. If your child is a rocket ship, year Two has them locked into the launch pad and starting to rumble. The countdown begins, “10, 9, 8…” There’s a whole lot of noise, smoke, and fire. It’s exciting and terrifying all at the same time! Year three, your child is ready to go! There is still rumbling and fire, but this time, “we have lift-off!” Much of what you experienced in the Terrific Two’s, you will experience with your three-year-old. But this time, they will do it with a little extra flare!
At Wishing Well, we love to engage with the BIG emotions, BIG imaginations, and emerging skills of three-year-olds, and we hope you do, too!
You can be prepared for Blast Off by embracing the unpredictability and imagination this year brings! Ready your patience, and enjoy the uniquely hilarious, deeply meaningful adventure that is life with a three-year-old. Here’s a little of what you can expect in year three.
Growing Indepence (with a hint of drama)
Three-year-olds adore saying, “I do it myself!”—whether it’s putting on shoes, stirring yogurt, or opening doors. Their burgeoning independence can lead to adorable achievements, and occasional standoffs when faced with a frustrating barrier. This phase is the perfect opportunity to continue offering small choices: “Do you want the red cup or the blue cup?” These options build confidence and empower three-year-olds to navigate autonomy safely.
Verbal Explosion
If your little one suddenly seems to have read every book ever written and cannot stop chattering, you’re not dreaming—they’re expanding their vocabulary at lightning speed. Most children are speaking in full sentences by age three, using 200–1,000 words, with grammar progressing from “Me want cookie” to “I want a cookie, please.”This explosion is why Wishing Well creates language-rich environments that include storytelling, puppet play and naming. These help to build your child’s linguistic muscles that will support everything from friendships to problem-solving.
Emotional Rollercoasters
Three-year-olds are emotional astronauts: soaring high with joy one moment, spinning down into tears the next. This range is typical and tied to their emotional development. Tantrums often arise when independence meets frustration, and “I can’t do it!” becomes the cry of emotional overwhelm.
Tools like “emotion charts” or simply saying “I see you’re upset; can I help?” helps your three-year-old start to label feelings, which is the first step toward emotional regulation.
Imagination on Full Blast
When imaginary friends join snack time and block towers become castles, you know creativity is on full blast. Pretend play is more sophisticated now than at age two. You will see your three-year-old role-play, narrate, assign characters, and even follow plotlines.
But imaginary friends aren’t the only kind of friends three-year-olds are making! While their imaginations are bursting, so are their social skills. Your two-year-old happily engaged in parallel play, but at three, your child will begin to experiment with empathy, cooperation, and taking turns. True sharing is emerging more often than self-centered grabs, and they are learning to use their words in social interactions. Research on peer interaction reveals that childcare environments like Wishing Well help three-year-olds develop cooperation skills, increasing positive interactions and reducing conflicts.
Why Structure is your Secret Weapon
If you are raising a three-year-old, structure is your secret weapon. The regular mealtimes, nap times, and tidy-up rituals we offer at Wishing Well give three-year-olds the safe predictability they crave. Slipping in a “cleanup race” or a silly song, can be a game-changer for your resistant imagineer! It’s also great to give kids a “five‑minute warning” to let them know they are transitioning from playtime, to snack time, for example. This limits resistance when children don’t want to stop what they are doing and move to the next activity.
Landing Gear
Now you know what to expect for this next year of life. Three-year-olds are a bundle of contradictions. They are fiercely independent, yet still learning self-control; chatty and imaginative one minute, and emotionally explosive the next. Teachers at Wishing Well know, like you, that this stage is rich with growth, challenges, laughter, and imagination. We’d love to go on the adventure with you as you launch your children into their next stage of life and learning!