3-min read
2025-08-26
3-min read
Development isn’t a race. It’s a flow.
Every child—and parent—is figuring it out at their own pace.
Instead of milestones, we encourage you to focus on this amazing moment.
Your child’s brain makes more than one million neural connections per second in these first three years. Simple, consistent interactions with them today can have profound, lifelong benefits.
Here’s how little one’s brain is developing this month, and how you can support their progress.
Developmental Highlight
Little one’s growing more curious about the world and more confident in their speech, and this manifests in LOTS of questions—specifically, “who,” “where,” and “when” questions. Little one wants names, explanations, and details.
The toddler inquisition can be exhilarating and exasperating. Responding patiently helps little one feel heard and supported. You’re their first teacher, and your answers help them create new and deeper understanding. Answer questions as they come. Keep responses simple and follow little one’s lead—some kids process in small doses, others seek repetition for reassurance. If timing isn’t ideal, acknowledge the question and promise to answer shortly.
Asking little one questions back can strengthen your connection and better reveal their thinking process. You can prompt more thinking and sharing with a simple “What do you think?”
Brain-Building Activity
The Question Game
Routine: Playtime
Engaging thoughtfully with little one shows them that their ideas are valued. Working on conversation skills through play supports cognitive and social development, which will serve little one for the rest of their life.
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Sit down together and say, “Let’s play a game of questions.” You’re going to ask the first question and then encourage little one to ask their own.
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Start with a “who” question. You can use photos or point to a person or object to ask the questions. For example, “Who is this person in the picture?” or “Who does this shoe belong to?” When little one answers, respond, “Okay, now you ask me a who question.”
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Do the same with a “where” question. For example, “Where is your bed?” or “Where did we go today after naptime?”
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Finish with a “when” question, keeping in mind that time is still a new concept for little one, as we explored in months 27 and 29. For example, “When do we brush our teeth?” or “When are we going to have lunch?”
You’ve Got This
As little one’s temperament and interests emerge, avoid labeling them based on behaviors or preferences. Just because they like soccer now doesn’t mean they’re athletic. Throwing a tantrum doesn’t mean they have a short temper. These are developmental moments, not lifelong traits.
Even positive labels can box little one in. How parents perceive their child influences their parenting, which shapes how the child develops. Keep an open mind, avoid generalizations, and prioritize little one’s health and happiness.
