Your 3 Year Old Child

Your 3 year old child has likely accomplished the basic skills of movement and communication in an age appropriate way.

They should be able to walk and run and move at will, as well as communicate with you verbally using their budding vocabulary.

This should make your job easier especially if you are able to take advantage of their skills over time.

The one point I want to emphasize regarding this particular age group is the concept of individuality from your 3 year old's perspective. What does this mean for them?

Truly recognizing themselves as separate individuals is a gradual process that comes to fruition usually by this age group.

I have seen instances where younger kids at 1 and 2 years old still have the notion that they are physically tied to the mother and they will be reluctant to venture very far from her.

By age three, however, this perception has usually changed and the self-imposed limitation is no longer present or if it is, it has become a much weaker influence.

In fact, many toddlers go completely in the opposite direction and become little daredevils, thinking they should be allowed to do everything those around them are doing. Things like driving, climbing, running into the street, reaching into high places in the kitchen, etc., are all activities they will observe and assume that they should be able to do exactly like other people.

This is understandable if we put ourselves in their shoes.

It is further expected that frustration and protesting will occur with increasing frequency as your child's recognition of these limitations conflicts with their own perception of what they should be allowed to do.

If this can be seen for what it is; a natural stage of development that your 3 year old child must work through, then the process can be handled in a more accepting and non-confrontational way.

Next I want to explore the energetics of this age group in keeping with the philosophy and educational theme of this site.

Remember that your 3 year old child's growth and development happens at their own rate according to their own standard or blueprint.

This process must be balanced with the contributing factors coming from their environment and the family dynamics or what in the BodyTalk system is called the family matrix.

Here are some of the developmental milestones your 3 year old is likely to be working on and accomplishing.

As I have mentioned before, this list is very dynamic and changes constantly, even day to day.

By being aware of these concepts, I believe that you as parents can gain a unique and useful understanding of these motivating forces at work within your child. The energy expenditures required by your child are ongoing and automatic.

Nonetheless, I think it is important for you to be aware of these facts so that you can enhance, nourish and encourage your child's growth and development from a position of understanding.

This figure shows a typical 3 year old's priority list with percentages of energy distribution shown.

(Please note that this is only an example to illustrate how the energy system of a 3 year old seeks to take care of higher priority items first, followed by those functions lower down on the list.)

As you can see, the typical 3 year old is likely to be expending some energy on potty training and getting along with their peers in contrast to what was shown for 2 year olds.

Of course, it should be noted that these changes are not taking place just once a year, they are shifting and changing in a very dynamic way from day to day and hour to hour, based on what is going on in the child's experience in real time.

This concept of visualizing the energy requirements of your child is a valuable way to gain an understanding of what makes them unique and can help you to anticipate their upcoming needs.

This is a strategy I use every day in my practice and I want you to benefit from the awareness this brings to you for the benefit of your child.

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