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Your 12- to 24-month-old toddler is learning at an amazing rate. Sometime early in this year, if she isn't already walking, she will begin to walk. Then the world is truly open to her, and exists only for her gratification. So when she's running away from you in the grocery store to see and touch all the boxes and cans, please remember that right now, she is developmentally unable to see things from another's point of view. Just keep your eyes on her for safety.
She will begin to use words for the first time. She will also begin to imitate your actions and try to imitate your words. Her short- and long-term memory will improve dramatically during this period. She will begin to point to objects in her books when you name them.
She will sometimes respond to instructions with appropriate actions (example: "Go find your shoes."). She will be able to match two like objects and she will know the uses of many common household objects. She will learn by watching and by exploring and experimenting. Be patient with your one-year-old. This is sometimes a trying time, but it is also a fun, exciting time, watching your child progress.
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| 1. |
Try
to read to your child every day, even if only for
5 to 10 minutes. She is picking up words quickly
and she learns them by hearing you say them. Name
objects in the book and let her point to them. |
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| 2. |
Have
mini-conversations with your child and listen when
she talks, even if she says only a word or two. |
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| 3. |
Play
Peek-a-Boo with her. She loves the idea of you having
to
search for her and she truly believes that she is invisible when
she holds her hands over her eyes. |
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| 4. |
Ask
her to find objects for you. You will be surprised
at what she has noticed you doing. |
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| 5. |
Expand
on your child's words. If she says, "Block"
then you say, "Did you find your block?"
Do this kind of activity often to help your child
begin to combine words. |
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| 6. |
Put
pictures of grandparents in your child's room or
near the
phone so she can "see" the person who is talking to her. |
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| 7. |
Sing
simple songs with her. |
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| 8. |
Play
"name the body parts" with her. She will
love pointing to the part you name. |
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| 9. |
Invest
in some blocks for her to stack. Do activities that
show
cause and effect, like hitting a block tower and watching it fall. |
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| 10. |
Let
her experiment with paper and fat crayons with you.
You can put them away when you are not supervising
so they will not get eaten!
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