Here is a child's eye view of being 3 years old based on solid evidence from child psychology but written from a child's perspective.
Being three years old is a lot of fun.
I can run, jump, climb and I am getting harder to catch if I head off after something.
I give my family a fright sometimes.
I am not just good at getting around, I have a lot to say for myself too.
I can use whole sentences and love to talk and talk.
I do get fed up if no one listen though, and I try hard to get my family's attention.
I am not so good at listening, especially if I am busy.
I can't do two things at once, so when I am absorbed in a game I don't hear people call me.
They sometimes think I do it on purpose, but I don't.
I really like to play with other kids, running around together is a lot of fun.
Playing proper games is hard and sharing is not easy either.
Grown ups expect me to share but they don't realise how hard it is for me.
When I want something, the feelings are so strong that I really can't help myself.
I want it now! Mostly, I like to play alongside other kids doing my own thing.
I like to watch what they do, and sometimes I do get some good ideas from what they are doing.
I learn a lot from watching people.
I can play on my own for longer now but I am easily distracted by something else that looks interesting.
I go to nursery, and they help me by making sure I only do one thing at a time.
At home it is harder to concentrate, because so much is going on.
I don't watch TV much, but the noise from the TV, radio and DVD's can sometimes put my head in a spin.
Because I can't concentrate easily I can get quite stressed when too much is going on.
I find it especially hard to talk to my family and listen to them when there are other words coming form the TV.
They are very clever to separate the two, I can't do that yet.
I have lots of toys now.
I like pretend play where I use my imagination but I also like building things too.
I have got lots of pencils and crayons and paints which are fun.
I like to use the colours and to scribble.
I can't draw anything yet but I did get told off for drawing on the wall.
Everyone was very cross.
People keep trying to get me to learn colours and to count.
I am not very interested yet.
The adults get very excited about it.
I wonder why? If people want to make my life really nice for me, here are my top 5 things to do: 1.
Let me run, jump and climb everyday.
Make sure I am safe but let me use my body to get strong and agile.
It is really exciting but helps me sleep at night too because I get properly tired out.
2.
Take me to play with other children but do help us to all get along.
If we are left together we can't work out how to share and take turns yet but we are getting better at it.
We still need your help.
3.
Talk to me Help me to learn how to have a proper conversation and take turns in speaking and listening.
I need lots of practice because there are so many things I want to learn about.
4.
Tell me when I get it right.
I love praise and I do like it when my family is pleased with me.
It is lovely to know when I have done something good, it makes me feel special.
There are so many things to learn that I need your encouragement.
5.
Don't expect me to sit still.
Some things are too hard for me still and sitting down for a long time is particularly tough.
It like it when grown ups find out what interests me rather than checking me on my colours and numbers.
I like to listen to stories but only short ones with pictures.