A child’s 3-year-old crisis: how should parents behave in the “kingdom of stubbornness and whims”?

Before moms and dads had time to rejoice that the baby had learned to walk, talk and even eat on his own, suddenly amazing metamorphoses happened to the child. He’s capricious, doesn’t listen, throws hysterics, and the word “no” is an empty phrase for him! This is how parents can understand that their child is experiencing a 3-year-old crisis.

Today we will talk about how this period proceeds and what mothers and fathers should know in order not to harm their baby and help him get out of the crisis safely.

The essence

The main reason is the discrepancy between social and everyday circumstances and the child’s changing needs. He wants to be an adult, he even feels like one. However, a huge number of restrictions, rules and demands from parents do not allow him to fully demonstrate independence. This causes an internal protest, which results in emotional and behavioral deviations that frighten parents so much.

The three-year crisis is characterized by the following mental neoplasms:

• primary independence;
• a new level of self-awareness;
• establishing interpersonal contacts, building new, more complex social relationships;
• volitional regulation of activity.

Developmental psychology helps to understand what is happening to a child during this period. It allows you to understand the factors that aggravate or alleviate the crisis, and gives recommendations on how parents should behave in order to prevent negative consequences.

Educational program. You can learn in detail about this period from special literature on psychology: Vygotsky “The Crisis of Three Years”, Guskova “Features of the Crisis of 3 Years in the Mental Development of a Child”, Vasilkina “What to Do if a Child Has a Crisis of Three Years?”, Abrosimova “The Age of Obstinacy. About the crisis of three years”, Filicheva “The baby is three years old”.

Maturation of the personality of a three-year-old

Overcoming the crisis fits within the age range of 2-4 years. The peak moment occurs at age 3. The child needs to realize his own strengths. The first thing the baby does on this path is to explore the capabilities of his body: he jumps, climbs, takes different poses, manipulates objects in the adult world, actively learns about technology and electronics, and masters his first real (three-wheeled) bicycle.

Normally developing children experience pleasure from their expression of will. They contrast their own needs and the demands of adults openly and as if out of spite. Stubbornness is a negative but necessary form of behavior.

Having overcome the conflict of interests, little men learn their first compromises.

Causes

The main reason why children experience a crisis at age 3 is the desire for independence. By this age, they already speak well and can clearly and clearly express their desires and emotions verbally. It seems to them that this is enough to be the same as adults: eat what they eat, sit late at night watching TV, swear in bad words. Every action in this little domestic apocalypse will be aimed at achieving independence.

However, the 3-year-old crisis occurs differently for each child. Someone makes the existence of the family unbearable - endless hysterics, uncontrollable aggression, constant protests, complete depreciation of previous rules lead to serious problems. For others, the manifestations are not so vivid: isolated cases of obstinacy, sudden changes in mood, minor whims. It is noticeable that a crisis has arrived, but it is completely controllable. There are also children for whom everything goes smoothly and almost unnoticeably.

Psychologists identify a number of reasons for the intensity and brightness of the crisis of 3 years.

Authoritarian parenting style

If excessively strict norms are established in the family, unconditional submission is required, will and independence are suppressed, this results in prolonged hysterics.

Overprotection

Excessive parental care, like an authoritarian parenting style, suppresses will and independence. A child, even at 3 years old, is considered unintelligent, unviable and completely helpless. They do not allow him to take a single step without the permission of an adult. It is not surprising that the baby will prove the opposite, which will significantly complicate the problem period.

Society

The situation is often complicated due to the authoritarian parenting style or the elementary rudeness of the kindergarten teacher. The company of children with whom he plays in the yard or in kindergarten can have a bad influence on a child. Conflicts with other people force him to defend his independence even more zealously.

Intrafamily relations

The crisis is aggravated if there is a tense atmosphere within the family. Firstly, if the parents often fight or are in a state of divorce. The second psychotraumatic situation is that they are constantly busy at work and have no time to take care of the child. Problems may begin after the birth of the second baby. Childhood jealousy arises, which turns into uncontrollable outbursts of anger. In all these cases, there is a lack of attention.

But older children who participate in upbringing make the crisis easier.

Temperament

An unstable nervous system, excessive impressionability, choleric or melancholic type of temperament is another reason for the worsening crisis of 3 years.

Health status

In healthy children, the crisis period proceeds within normal limits. He is noticeable, but is kept under control by his parents. If a child develops mental abnormalities and disorders by the age of 3, the situation worsens, the manifestations are uncontrollable, vivid and explosive. In the presence of chronic diseases, genetic pathologies, or physical disabilities from birth, children are usually strongly attached to their mother and do not rebel against her. Therefore, they most often do not cause much trouble.

Adaptation to kindergarten is often cited as one of the main reasons for the 3-year-old crisis. Indeed, it is at this age that parents usually send their child to this preschool institution. But there are also children who are assigned there much earlier (from 1.5 or 2 years old). There are kids who don’t go there at all; they stay at home with their mother or grandparents. According to research, in all these cases, by the age of 3, an age crisis occurs, regardless of whether the child attends kindergarten or not and from what age.

We fight whims

The biggest problem in the 3-year-old crisis is the frequent whims and hysterics of stubborn little ones. To avoid hysterics and whims, you should discuss your actions with your children in advance. Just because you're shopping for dinner doesn't mean you have to buy a new toy. Talk to your child, explain where you are going, ask his opinion.

If the child has already started to become hysterical, do not start screaming and threatening, remain calm. Kids love to throw tantrums in a crowded place; take your capricious child to a quiet corner where there will be no spectators. Don't start lecturing and raising children in the presence of other people. The best thing to do is hug your baby. Tell your child how much you love him, and also how this fidgety behavior upsets you.

Under no circumstances resort to physical or corporal punishment. The little man will only become embittered, his stubbornness can only increase. The baby will begin to be afraid of its parents. Never insult your child, do not call him a bungler or a hooligan. Praise for all successes. Don't make fun of failures. At this age, many children develop new fears that the baby will not be able to cope with on their own. Children begin to be afraid of heights, darkness, fear of strangers and vast spaces.

How we survived the crisis

Olga, 28 years oldSon Makar, 4 years old

My son has been naughty since childhood, but until he was 2 years old, everything was limited to refusing soup and unwillingness to put away toys, I remember from myself that this is normal. And when we sent him to kindergarten, something unimaginable began. Screams and hysterics in the morning, teachers constantly complained that he did not go to play, offended other children, and did not eat at all. We were seriously scared then and took Makar home for several months, I took a vacation, and my husband and I took turns studying at home, trying to figure out how to overcome the crisis. Of course, at first I swore, screamed, could have spanked him, but the howling only became louder, and then we decided to act in two ways - an agreement and ignoring

It was possible to ignore the hysterics, Makar became calmer when he realized that he would not achieve anything in this way, he himself began to compromise. As a result, after three months we calmly returned to kindergarten, and by the age of 4 even whims became a rarity for us

Signs

Parents need to know how the 3-year-old crisis manifests itself in order to distinguish its symptoms from ordinary contextual situations. For example, if a child refuses to go to bed on time, this may be dictated by the fact that he was overexcited before bed, played too many noisy games, or sat in front of the TV for too long. Each case must be considered separately.

Psychologists call the complex of symptoms of a 3-year crisis “seven stars.”

Negativism - “I’m doing it out of spite!”

They give up their own desires that coincide with the demands of their parents. They don’t want to do something just because the initiative comes from an adult. A negative reaction is always targeted and directed not at the content of the request, but at a specific person. For example, a mother calls her child from the street for lunch. Despite the fact that he himself has been hungry for a long time and wants to go home, he refuses to do this just for the sake of confronting his mother.

Obstinacy - “I don’t want to obey!”

Unlike negativism, this manifestation of the crisis is impersonal. It is aimed at the everyday life and daily routine that parents try to accustom their baby to. He refuses to go to bed at the right time or put away his toys.

Stubbornness - “I decided so!”

"Don't want!" and I will not!" without any explanation - the most common signs of a 3-year crisis. Neither persuasion nor threats can overcome them.

Riot (protest) - “I’m tired of everything!”

Similar to previous manifestations of the crisis. However, rebellion is the most terrible of them. Firstly, it includes negativism, obstinacy, and stubbornness. Secondly, it is permanent. The child refuses breakfast or nap every day. Thirdly, it manifests itself most clearly. It comes to uncontrollable outbursts of anger and real hysteria. This is fraught with severe stress and auto-aggression.

Despotism - “Do as I want! I am the master and master!”

They try to manipulate parents with hysterics and tears. This especially affects mothers and grandmothers. They are capricious, scream and even roll demonstratively on the floor, just so that the desire is fulfilled (they bought a toy, let them go for a walk, gave them candy).

Devaluation - “I don’t love you! You are bad!

They are angry at what is dear to them, trying to get rid of addiction. A quiet, well-mannered child may start screaming and behave badly in front of strangers (in public transport, for example). They break their favorite toys. Mom becomes enemy No. 1, they stop listening to her and may even hit her.

Willfulness - “I can do it myself!”

This should not be confused with the desire for independence. It’s one thing when a child tries again and again to tie a shoelace or scramble an egg in a plate, but at the same time he listens to the advice of adults and does not refuse help. And it’s completely different when he gets angry, doesn’t listen to anyone, does everything wrong, pushes his parents’ hand away. This often ends in sad situations: household appliances are turned on without permission, valuables are damaged, a child goes far from home.

These are the main symptoms of the 3-year crisis, which manifest themselves regularly, quite clearly, and most often in a complex manner. They may be accompanied by other emotional and behavioral abnormalities. The latter are not observed in everyone and not always, but they can aggravate and prolong the course of the crisis. These include:

• distance from parents who lose the child’s trust and may even cease to be an authority for him;
• greed: like adults, children want to have something of their own, and they fiercely guard their property;
• harmfulness is the basis of obstinacy, stubbornness and negativism, often due to a hereditary character trait;
• jealousy: the child demands the attention of a loved one 24/7 and does not want to share it with anyone else;
• unreasonable aggression: at 3 years old, the baby still does not understand what is happening to him, and blames others for all his troubles, which leads to fights, scratching, biting.

Parents must understand that for each child the crisis manifests itself differently, but it happens anyway. For some it is smoother and more calm, for others - with daily violent protests and hysterics. If symptoms are not observed before age 4, it is necessary to consult a psychotherapist because this may indicate a developmental delay.

This is interesting. In psychology, a child experiencing a crisis period of 3 years is compared to a novice driver. At first, after passing the exams and obtaining a license, the newly minted driver is careful, follows all the rules, does not exceed the speed limit, and consults with experienced drivers. But he soon gets used to it, which dulls the feeling of fear: he begins to drive recklessly, tests the capabilities of his car, and tries to express himself as boldly as possible behind the wheel. The baby behaves exactly the same way. Until the age of 3, he watches and gets used to it. And then he tries to realize himself and assert himself through protests and violation of all requirements and rules.

Stubbornness

Stubbornness and perseverance are two different things that should not be confused with each other. Persistence is about the manifestation of will, which allows the child to achieve his goal. But a stubborn child will stand his ground only because he has already demanded it before.

Let's take a closer look at the difference between stubbornness and persistence:

• Persistence. The child flatly refuses to sit at the table because he has not completed the tower of blocks. And it keeps collapsing.
• Stubbornness. If a mother calls her child for breakfast, but he refuses. And before that he said that he was not hungry. In fact, he was hungry and wouldn’t mind having something to eat.

What to do in this case? You shouldn’t try to convince your baby and continue to persistently call him for breakfast. The right solution is to leave food on the table and tell your child that he can eat when he is hungry.

Deadlines

Parents faced with a 3-year crisis are primarily interested in how long it lasts and when it should normally end. However, this question is too individual to have a clear answer.

Firstly, it can begin at 2.5 years or at 3.5. Psychologists say that the sooner a child is sent to kindergarten, the sooner a crisis occurs. The main thing is that this happens before the age of 4 - then we can talk about the norm of mental development.

Secondly, it can end within 3 months, or it can last up to one year. This depends on the stability of the nervous system, the child’s temperament, the behavior of the parents and outside psychological help.

Thirdly, a short-term crisis period is most often accompanied by bright appearances, while a protracted period is accompanied by calmer ones. This is the norm. But if it lasts more than six months and uncontrollable hysterics occur annually, a consultation with a psychotherapist is mandatory.

What to do

Advice from a psychologist will help parents cope with the 3-year-old crisis.

The most important recommendation is to respect the child’s independence. Allow him to perform some basic actions himself. At the same time, prohibitions must also work, which are strictly forbidden to be violated (possing something into a socket, turning on the iron, taking money, biting). By the age of 3, he should already have feasible household responsibilities. He can clean up toys after himself, wipe off dust, and set the table. Yes, his participation will slow down the process, but believe me: it's worth it. This will make him feel independent and needed. This means that the need to prove your adulthood and independence will automatically disappear.

Additional recommendations:

1. Keep calm. Be patient.
2. At the moment of whims, switch attention to something else, interesting: watch your favorite cartoon, take a walk, treat yourself to candy. Use gaming techniques.
3. Sometimes give the right to choose in minor everyday situations: which cartoon to watch, which fairy tale to read, which juice to drink.
4. Scold and punish for some specific action done here and now.
5. Analyze what happened. Talk to your child about what he did wrong and why it was bad.
6. Adhere to a single parenting style. If mom doesn’t allow you to eat chocolate before dinner, but dad spoils his daughter and allows her to do it, negativity will manifest itself as clearly as possible.
7. Show correct behavior by example. Children aged 3 are prone to blind copying. You will achieve nothing if you yourself do what you forbid them to do.
8. Spend as much time together as possible.

“10 is not allowed”: a reminder for parents

1. You cannot insist on immediate fulfillment of a requirement (request). It is better to let the baby cool down and try again after some time.
2. You can't give in to manipulation. Don’t satisfy your child’s every whim just because he’s throwing tantrums—just ignore them.
3. You can’t hang “labels”: greedy, boring, harmful.
4. You can't physically punish.
5. You can't shout.
6. You cannot force your help.
7. You cannot compare a child with other children.
8. You can't give orders.
9. You cannot enter into arguments or bickering.
10. You cannot use complex terms and categories in a conversation that the child does not understand. For example, appeal to conscience or honor.

There is information about the 3-year crisis in the works of L. S. Vygotsky. But they are more scientific in nature, contain many terms and explain all phenomena from a purely psychological point of view. This period is presented more accessible by Dr. Komarovsky. His thematic videos can help parents overcome children's protests.

3 tips from Dr. Komarovsky

Minimum prohibitions

If a child hears the words “no” and “no” from adults too often, this greatly outrages him, and protest grows inside. He needs at least some partial freedom. Constant prohibitions from all sides infringe on him during such an important period of primary maturation and cause psychological trauma. “You can’t” should be said extremely rarely, but at the same time demand unquestioning compliance. This should be a safe word, a danger signal. This is the only way the baby will realize its importance.

Unified parenting style

Komarovsky pays close attention to this. "No!" All family members should tell the child about the same action: parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, older children. Otherwise, there will be no awareness of the ban, which will aggravate the crisis.

Persistence of prohibitions

The list of prohibitions should be permanent and not change. If today a child is allowed to stay out late, it is useless to demand that he go home on time tomorrow, according to the schedule.

Corrective role-playing games

"Shop"

The child is in the role of a seller. The parent controls the favorite doll, which in this situation is the buyer. She is capricious, throws everything around, cries, screams, rolls on the floor, demands to give her the goods without money. The child must not only see from the outside how terrible this behavior looks, but also recognize himself in the toy. It is allowed to conclude at the end of the game: “You behave the same way. Do you really think that's good?".

"Family"

Any number of people can play. The child is in the role of one of the parents. His task is to put his baby (this can be any toy or one of the adults) to sleep or feed him. If the game is played in the first half of the day, you can play out the same situation as in the “store”: whims, hysterics, tears. If it’s already late afternoon, everything should be quiet, peaceful, calm. Let him sing a lullaby, tell a fairy tale, shelter him, talk tenderly. As a result, this will have a calming effect on him. He himself will fall asleep faster when the time comes.

"Storytellers"

Parents and their children compose fairy tales, the plot of which is similar to what they live every day. For example, the princess refused to eat semolina porridge in the morning. Because of this, she quarreled with her father-king, he got angry and locked her in a high tower, in which she had to languish without walks and her favorite toys. Or a naughty bunny who ran far into the forest from his mother, got lost, and was almost eaten by a gray wolf. There is no need to draw specific analogies with the child; conclusions, as in the “shop” game, are not drawn. He himself must understand the meaning of the fairy tale and say why such misfortunes happened to its heroes.

Important tips for parents

Always remember that the behavior of a young man, his whims and rebellion do not come from character. All these are events necessary for the psyche, through which the child’s personality and its emotional-volitional sphere are formed.

The three-year-old rebel wants to be an adult, to participate in the life of the family on an equal basis with others. So that his self-esteem is formed in accordance with his age, and his character remains peaceful, learn to take his opinion into account: in choosing a dish for breakfast, clothes for a visit, a gift for a neighbor’s girl, toys for a walk. A reminder to parents on raising a 2.5-4 year old child consists of just a few points.

Memo for parents on raising children 2.5-4 years old

Reasonable prohibitions. Do not overload the space with many prohibitions. It is better to establish safety rules and establish any requirements from this position. “You can’t be the first to leave the entrance because something might fall from the roof (icicles)/someone will be knocked down (boys on bicycles)/the door is too heavy (it might hurt).

Calmness and resourcefulness. Stay calm and reasonable. Be resourceful. Learn to turn the situation to your advantage. Make truthful arguments. Make fun of minor problems

Switch the capricious person’s attention to something. Look for compromises.

Praise and Choice

Praise for independence in permitted situations. In all other cases, offer an imaginary choice: do not ask if he wants to bathe, ask what shampoo he will use today.

With the permission of your elders, anything is possible. Come up with games and activities in which prohibitions are broken at the request of adults: whatman paper for drawing on top of the wallpaper with your younger sister, a basin of warm water for launching boats with your dad. From time to time, allow harmless “mischief” and do it with your children.

Involvement in activities. Use role-playing games to engage in activities. Place the bear at the table and start feeding. Ask your daughter to help with this. You won’t notice how she will pull the spoon into her mouth.

Anticipating the situation. Anticipate tantrums and agree on behavior in advance. And never compare your children with others. The maximum is with them in the past. Comparison with others undermines the development of self-esteem. Learn yourself and teach your children how to make pleasant surprises. Receiving gratitude is much more pleasant than punishment.

No physical punishment. Extinguish attacks of anger! Deprivation of promised entertainment is also ineffective as punishment. This will only undermine trust in the parent. Punishment should not be directed from parent to child. The best punishment is one that comes from the situation and is aimed at behavior in this situation, that is, impersonal punishment (something broke, became unattainable, got lost, disappeared).

Know how to distinguish between intentional evasion of rules and accidental violation of them in cognitive courage. In every situation, have the restraint to figure it out and not scream. The child who broke the cup may end up having to be praised while at the same time expressing disappointment over the cup. Soften critical remarks as much as possible, and it is completely incorrect to insult a preschooler.

Another note relates to sudden changes in children's behavior. Sometimes it is not a psychologist, but a neurologist who comes to the aid of the family of a disobedient preschooler. When behavioral disorders arise from the physical quality of the nervous system, educational principles are supplemented by medical ones.

Disobedience is no longer seen as a problem, but as a symptom. A neurologist may recommend sedatives. You shouldn't neglect them.

Professional help

If parents are unable to cope with the manifestations of the crisis on their own, they should seek help from a specialized specialist. For starters, it could be a child psychologist. What warning signs indicate such a need:

• fear of independence and refusal of it;
• detachment from parents;
• tendency towards sadism;
• too frequent and prolonged tantrums;
• emotional and behavioral deviations characteristic of the 3-year-old crisis affect the physical condition.

In case of intense, frequently recurring hypobulic seizures (hysterics or convulsions), the child is referred to a neurologist who conducts a physical examination. It evaluates reflexes, sensitivity, coordination, muscle strength and tone. This is necessary for the differential diagnosis of a crisis with neurological diseases.

If a neurological or mental disorder is diagnosed, a course of treatment is prescribed with the use of pediatric sedatives and other treatment methods. In their absence, a psychocorrection program is implemented to overcome the crisis. It usually consists of the following steps:

1. Working with parents: explaining to them the essence of the 3-year-old crisis and recommendations on how to behave.
2. Working with factors that aggravate and alleviate the crisis. The former are eliminated whenever possible, and emphasis is placed on the latter.
3. Working directly with the child. This can be fairy tale therapy, dance movement therapy, isotherapy, symbol drama, role-playing games, etc.

Usually the matter is limited to 5-6 sessions, as a result of which the child becomes calmer, and parents acquire knowledge of how to behave correctly in critical situations.

How does a psychologist describe the manifestations?

The crisis of 3 years in the concept of L.S. Vygotsky is worked out in the smallest detail. The psychologist identifies 3 common properties of such periods:

1. The boundaries characterizing the beginning and end of the crisis from adjacent ages are unclear - it is difficult to establish the date of the onset and end of the crisis period. But in most cases, closer to the middle of the age stage, a sudden exacerbation of the crisis begins; one can notice striking differences in relation to the stable stages of life.
2. Most of the children who are going through a three-year-old crisis are difficult to educate. Children seem to fall out of the system of influence of adults (parents and educators), which previously seemed normal in the development process. During critical years, the evolution of the child’s psyche is accompanied by aggravation of relationships with people around him, as well as painful internal conflicts within the little personality.
3. Development during the crisis of three years of age, in contrast to stable periods of growth, is more destructive. The progressive formation of personality fades, and the first place is occupied by the processes of withering away of what was formed at the previous stage of development.

The Seven Star of Symptoms or the First Belt

Vygotsky identified the so-called “seven stars of symptoms,” which, in his opinion, indicated the onset of a three-year crisis:

1. The first symptom is negativism . Every action of the child takes place contrary to the demands of the elders. A negative reaction differs from ordinary disobedience in two factors: firstly, the social attitude comes to the fore, i.e. the focus of negativism on a person. Secondly, the ability to act contrary to one’s own affect develops - the baby acts contrary to his tendency.
2. Stubbornness (it is important not to confuse it with persistence) . This is a childish reaction of demanding something, not because there is a strong desire, but because there is a demand. The motive of stubbornness is the child’s reluctance to deviate from the initial decision. Stubbornness differs from perseverance in the ability to demand what you really don’t want, as well as a new attitude towards yourself.
3. Obstinacy is one of the key symptoms, which is oriented against educational principles, lifestyle, and not a person or direction.
4. The fourth symptom is self-will , expressed in the desire for independence. From now on, the baby shows a sincere desire to do everything and solve everything on his own, even if this desire does not correspond to his abilities and, as a result, provokes conflict situations with his parents.

Secondary signs of seven stars

Among the symptoms of secondary importance, Vygotsky identifies:

1. The fifth symptom is protest-rebellion , which is expressed through constant conflict with adults. Children enter a phase of disobedience, a state of a kind of war with people who are nearby. Frequent children's quarrels during this period are commonplace, this is an integral part of the symptoms.
2. Sixth – depreciation. The kid devalues ​​everything that was significant and interesting some time ago. These could be behavioral rules, previous habits, etc. Young preschoolers change their attitude towards other people in general and towards themselves in particular.

   There is a psychological separation from relatives. The manifestation of this secondary symptom can be observed in cases where a boy or girl, raised in a good family, begins to call people names, swear, and say bad words. In addition, the baby may refuse favorite toys and often use negative verbal language, especially without reason.

3. The dual symptom that completes the seven is relevant , which can be expressed in different ways, depending on family circumstances, for example, through the desire for despotism in relationships with loved ones. The child seeks to dominate his own family members by setting personal demands.

Phenomena of the second belt

The child enters into a combination of external and internal conflicts, so one can observe neurotic reactions that are very painful in nature.
This could be enuresis, i.e. bed-wetting. The second zone of crisis is:

• night terrors,
• sleep problems,
• speech difficulties, such as stuttering.

Negativism, stubbornness, and “hypobulic seizures” are possible, when the child shakes, rolls on the floor, waves his arms and legs, demonstrating protest.

Gender characteristics

When overcoming the crisis period of this age, parents should take into account the gender characteristics of their children.

Girls

By the age of 3, they speak much better than boys, so during a crisis they use their verbal abilities for manipulation. In this they must be immediately limited: clearly define what is permissible to say and what is not.

Girls have well-developed auditory perception, so she needs to say all requests loudly and clearly.

Girls are more emotional, which is why they are the ones who most often throw tantrums and act up during a crisis. Given this psychological feature, parents need to direct their overwhelming emotions in the right direction. For example, delegate some of the household chores, get involved in modeling or drawing.

Boys

By the age of 3, boys cannot always express their overwhelming emotions in words. Therefore, they result in aggression and isolation. To prevent this, talk to your baby every day about what happened, what he feels and what he wants.

Boys have well-developed visual perception, and they ignore half the information. Therefore, it is better to show him everything clearly. Don’t waste time saying “Put the toys away!”, but bring them to them and show them where to put them.

By the age of 3, boys already develop a need to explore the world around them. Therefore, they run around a lot, look into every basement and open hatch, climb trees and fences, put something in sockets, disassemble (= break) household appliances. To avoid injury, parents must clearly define territorial restrictions for them.