Around age three, children make rapid progress in thinking and problem solving.
The three-year old is much more capable of problem solving than the toddler. However, he
still does not think the same way that an adult does. Three-year olds are often called
"magical thinkers". This is because of the ways they try to reason and understand events
in their world. They are still somewhat self-centered. They can't always think of logical
explanations. Three-year olds often think they are the cause of events. They are very
concrete in their thinking. They are still very visual thinkers. Often they only pay
attention to one aspect of a problem at a time.
As a result, you will find your child comes up with very interesting explanations.
Your three-year old may believe that the moon follows her home, or that she makes thunder
happen when she is mad. He may think you are going to the grocery store when you get
into the car because that is where you went the last time! Three-year olds can sometimes
blame themselves when bad things happen, because that kind of thinking makes sense to them.
Adapted from Healthy Steps. Edited and Compiled by the Center for Promotion of Child Development Through Primary Care 2011
