Your 2-year-old's favorite word might be "No!" But underneath that sometimes stubborn exterior, her blossoming language skills are opening up a world of new ideas and increasing social and emotional complexity. She's more physically independent than ever too, running rather than toddling, opening containers and even walking up some steps.

You can help your munchkin master these emerging skills and have fun at the same time. Start with these simple, do-anywhere and anytime activities that make use of supplies you have right at home. 

What skills is your child developing at 24 months?

The new emotional and physical skills your sweetie is mastering are called developmental milestones. These markers can help you see how your little one is growing and changing, along with whether there are any areas she might need a hand with.

That said, keep in mind that milestones are meant to be guidelines. They're not set in stone, and every kid develops at her own pace. It's common for toddlers to check off certain skills at a slightly different rate than their peers.

Here's what most toddlers are working on around 24 months:[1]

Social and emotional skills

  • Notices when someone else is hurt or upset, like looking sad when someone is crying
  • Looks at your face in new situations to see how you're reacting

Language and communication skills

  • Points to things in a book when you ask questions like, "Where is the ball?"
  • Says at least two words together, like "More crackers"
  • Can point to at least two body parts when asked
  • Uses gestures beyond pointing and waving, like blowing a kiss or nodding yes

Cognitive skills

  • Holds something in one hand while using the other hand, like holding a container while taking the lid off
  • Tries to use knobs, buttons and switches on a toy
  • Plays with more than one item at the same time, like pushing a train on a toy track

Gross and fine motor skills 

Best activities for 24-month-olds

Need proof that simple, everyday activities can be seriously enriching? Here are five that you and your toddler can do together to help her practice those emerging skills — and get her started on some new ones.[2] 

Wash the toys

What you'll need: A basin of warm, soapy water, a squishy sponge, small toys like cars or animal figurines, and a towel.

How do to it: Set up the bucket, sponge and toys outside (or somewhere indoors where you don't mind the floor getting wet, like the kitchen). Show your toddler how to dip the sponge into the water and use the sponge to clean her toys, then set the clean toys on the towel to dry. 

Point out the color of one of the toys, and invite her to help you find another toy of the same color: "Here's a red car. Let's find another red car." 

Why it's helpful: Squishing the sponge and scrubbing strengthens your toddler's fine motor skills. Incorporating color recognition helps support language development and cognitive skills.  

Put together a puzzle

What you'll need: A few toddler-friendly puzzles with pieces that have large, easy-to-grasp knobs. 

How to do it: Set up the puzzles on the floor or at the table. Take turns putting pieces of the puzzle together. When it's your turn, say "My turn." When it's your toddler's turn, say "Your turn."

Why it's helpful: Solving puzzles strengthens your toddler's cognitive skills and attention span, and grabbing the knobs is a great fine motor activity. Alternating adding the puzzle pieces introduces your toddler to turn-taking, an important social-emotional skill. 

Find the prize

What you'll need: Three containers with easy-to-open lids and a toy that's small enough to fit inside.

How to do it: Without your toddler looking, place the toy in one of the containers and close the lid. Put the lids on the other two containers, too. Give your toddler all three containers and invite her to open each one to find where the prize is.  

Why it's helpful: Opening the lids of each container tests your toddler's problem-solving prowess while strengthening her fine motor skills. She's also working on following simple directions. 

Sculpt and shape playdough

What you'll need: Playdough and several cookie cutters with simple shapes, like a circle, heart, triangle or star. 

How to do it: Mold the playdough into simple forms (like a sphere or a log), and invite your toddler to do the same. 

You can also roll the playdough out, and use the cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. When you cut out a shape, name what it is. 

Why it's helpful: Molding the playdough strengthens your toddler's fine motor skills, while imitating and following your lead is a social-emotional activity. 

Calling out the shapes will help her learn to identify them over time (but she probably won't know them just yet!).    

Go for a treasure walk

What you'll need: Comfy, weather-appropriate clothes and a small basket or container that your toddler can carry outside.

How to do it: Take a walk through your neighborhood or park, and invite your toddler to look for interesting things to collect, like flowers, pebbles, leaves, etc. As she picks up the objects and puts them in her basket or container, name what they are. 

Why it's helpful: Your toddler is engaging her fine and gross motor skills as she bends, squats and grabs her treasures. Naming the objects helps her hone her language skills too. 

Whether it's sudsing up the toy cars or taking a walk to look for treasures, passing the time together with simple activities can go a long way towards enriching your 24-month-old's development. The only question is, what will you play with first?