DEVELOPMENT
Home >Development >Toddler Development
Toddler Development
Toddlers develop at their own pace and with different strengths. Contrary to the belief of many parents, toddler development is a non-linear journey of growth spurts and learning. And with a little knowledge and understanding, you can play an active role in your child’s development.
Given that your child is born with a growing body and a mind geared for learning, the best way to help their development is to encourage lots of looking, listening, touching, feeling, playing and social interaction.
Development Milestones
Although children will develop at varying rates, there are a few milestones on the way that you can look forward to and that will help you track your child’s development. Following is a list of development milestones at each age bracket
12 – 15 Months
At 12-15 months of age a toddler is likely to be:
- Pulling herself up and taking those first few wobbly steps. She will be holding on at first and will slowly grow in confidence to walk unassisted.
- Trying to climb or will see the stairs as their own personal Everest.
- Self-feeding easy finger foods such as crackers and fruit and beginning to use a cup and spoon.
- Stacking blocks and objects and knocking them down.
- Increasing their coordination. Manual dexterity allows them to pick up things however they will continue to frequently drop or fumble objects.
- Picking up, and occasionally throwing, a small ball.
- Turning pages in a book, often several at a time.
You can help by:
- Encouraging your child to walk and climb by providing a safe, child-friendly environment where they can experiment with their newfound skills.
- Providing safe, easy-to-use eating utensils so your child can practice self-feeding.
- Providing activity-related toys that encourage your child to push, pull, twist and turn. These may include toy lawn mowers, soft balls, building blocks and large coloured crayons.
- Giving your child one clear, simple direction at a time.
- Playing a variety of games and activities with your child and talking to them about the environment they are in at that moment.
15 – 18 Months
At 15-18 months of age a toddler is likely to be:
- Walking unassisted and able to stop, turn and negotiate obstacles.
- Starting to run, albeit unsteadily. Falls may still occur but will lessen as confidence grows.
- Eagerly trying to climb many obstacles and can manage stairs with some assistance. Supervision is required at all times and it is advised that a gate is used when unsupervised.
- Throwing and kicking balls.
- Scribbling randomly with crayons.
- Imitating simple actions such as waving, dancing, clapping, reading and talking.
- Responding to music and movement with both voice and body.
- Able to play alone or for longer periods of time.
- Pointing to and naming a range of day-to-day objects and using a limited vocabulary of 10 – 25 words.
- Assisting with simple dressing such as putting an arm through a sleeve or a foot in a shoe.
You can help by:
- Taking your child for walks and allowing them to negotiate easy obstacles.
- Playing in open spaces where they are encouraged to run and chase a ball.
- Providing safe, large, coloured crayons and paper for scribbling and drawing.
- Playing music and dancing with your child and allowing him to create music with simple instruments.
- Reading to your child often and asking her to point to objects she can identify.
- Allowing your child to help with basic household tasks such as sweeping or watering the garden.
- Encouraging your child to perform easy task
|