Your 2-Year-Old​: His First Collection

Your big preschooler now identifies certain possessions as his and his alone: a favorite cup, his lovey, certain toys.小馨對於物品的所有權非常清楚，這個是媽媽的、這個是小馨的，有時還會故意說錯，如果我隨便回應，她還會再問一次，然後糾正說馬麻說錯啦！ He may think of his room as truly "his" special space, and his cubby at daycare in a similar way. 很遺憾，到現在還沒讓小馨自己一個人睡，因此她的房間就是我跟她的房間，而把拔並不屬於這個房間。Later, when your child learns to identify his name, he'll love to see it on clothes and books.現在的小馨就會指著巧虎書，說這是她的名字，我們也會在她的茶杯、奶瓶等物品貼上她的姓名貼紙，她都會指著姓名條說這是她的名字喔。 Keeping a collection is another way your child distinguishes himself, plus it helps him learn to categorize, compare, and sort objects.

Your 2-year-old now
Older preschoolers are as passionate about collecting things as adults. They may be trading in rocks instead of oil paintings, but the idea is the same. Developmentally, your preschooler is working hard to classify the world around him into groups and subgroups (mammals, cats, pet cats, white and yellow cats). Collecting suits this kind of mental function perfectly (big rocks, little rocks, white rocks, shiny rocks). Toy collections are fun, but a grown-up has to purchase them — your child can't do it himself. That's why so many starter collections tend to involve natural items (sticks, shells, feathers), because the child can be in control.

Give your child a special place to store her collection, such as a box or shelf. Encourage her to talk with you about it, which helps her articulate what she's thinking. Ask, "Why did you pick that one?" and "Which are your favorites?"

Your life now
As the need to discipline your child increases, Mom and Dad have ever more opportunities to disagree on an appropriate response. (Sometimes couples who thought they knew one another so well are surprised by the degree to which they disagree about how to raise a child.) Some pointers if it happens to you