2–3 years

Somewhere around two, "me do it" becomes the soundtrack of your home — and it deserves to be taken seriously. A two-year-old isn't being difficult; she is working on independence, on caring for herself and her space, on the small hand movements that will one day hold a pencil, and on putting a disorderly world in order. Everything below serves that work — and since most of it will be mastered in eight to twelve weeks, a few honest materials rotated thoughtfully will always beat a closet of outgrown ones.

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