How does a 12-18 month old child develop?
Between the ages of one and one and a half, the child is very mobile, very curious and loves to learn. He expresses himself, maintains continuous communication with adults. He imitates in speech, actions, even laughter, and his sense of humor begins to develop.
It perceives distances, depths, and heights in space
Their vision develops even more intensively with movement. Almost every baby tries out what it's like to look upside down or to turn the pages of a book by themselves. Being close to nature means a lot to them. Children get to know natural materials, leaves, fruits very early on, and they enjoy moving around outside in the fresh air. Not only the built playground can be suitable for leisure activities, we do well to walk with them in a park and let them explore, or we can go on a hike anywhere in nature.
Towards the age of one and a half, the child is already happy to discover small, familiar details and objects in the storybook . He often draws our attention to them again and again when we take out the same book. Most of them can already patiently listen to a story, which they can watch with a slide projector, and in the meantime they enjoy the storyteller's voice as he changes it for the sake of each character. This is actually a role-playing game that the adult shows the child.
In the mirror, the baby perceives space. He likes to look at himself, or rather at the “other child” who is there.
Looking for where the sound is coming from
Auditory attention develops a lot around the age of one. He tries to distinguish between individual sounds, with great success. He searches for the source of the sound and also asks for feedback from adults. At this time, we should listen to him and tell him what he heard.
It is important that our speech to the child is clear and well understood. Because he hears not only us, but also himself, but he cannot hear himself as accurately as our speech. Finer hearing continues to develop, this is necessary for understanding and starting to speak . Between the ages of 15 and 18 months, he already says words and loves songs and music very much.
We can increasingly recognize the words he uses.
Babies are so excited when they start repeating what adults say! They often imitate the last or loudest words in sentences. The active vocabulary is the set of words that we use frequently, while the passive vocabulary contains words that we do not use or use very rarely. A child's passive vocabulary expands rapidly, but for this to happen, it is important that he is in an environment where there is rich communication.
These are the words he understands, but does not use. He “collects” them in his mind, and then one day he brings them out in an explosive way. Some children try to speak earlier, repeating one syllable of the words. Others wait and wait until they have accumulated a huge vocabulary, which they can pronounce beautifully and clearly. Finally, at 15 months, words take the place of babbling.
During this period, he already understands at least 100 words. A one and a half year old child often tries to express a complete thought with a single word. For example, when saying “ball”, he asks for his ball.
Our communication should be simple and easy to understand, so that he can easily understand and learn. After all, at 15 months old, he is already able to listen to, understand, and do what adults ask him.
Source: Középsuli.hu , Early Childhood Program
At 12 months, walks holding on and sideways
We have arrived at the first steps , which at first are still done while holding on, with uncertain movements and balance swings. When they stand holding on , they often do not consciously let go of the furniture with one hand, but because they want to grab a toy with it. Thus, they hold on more and more often with only one hand, for longer and longer periods of time. And we parents should watch for the moment when they let go of the support with both hands.
He doesn't just want to stand up by holding on, he's actually practicing standing up in the middle of the room without any help. He stands up, balances, and then sits down. He stands for longer and longer. From there, it's just a few moments before he takes his first step. He realizes that when he loses his balance, he can lean forward and lean on his hands or sit down. With this sense of security, he's more confident in moving from one piece of furniture or from one parent to another. The development of independent walking can occur over a wide range of time.
As the months pass, his coordination of movements becomes more refined, and his sense of balance continues to develop. He can now throw a ball while maintaining his balance. While at first he walks with a wide stride, swaying slightly from side to side, by the age of one and a half he walks with a smaller stride and takes larger steps.
Try to remove obstacles from your child's sight, because he doesn't really notice them yet! Just as he stumbles over a threshold because he doesn't look ahead, he can fall over any object in front of him. He's still crawling , because sometimes he feels safer on all fours.
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A baby's fine movements are characterized by grasping, releasing, and placing objects on them. They enjoy practicing these things the most. They walk around the entire space. They climb and cling, so be careful!
The use of tools is developing, he already knows what to do with certain objects. After the age of one, he likes to play ball. The time for creativity has also arrived, drawing, doodling, salt and flour modeling are all activities that bring great joy and a sense of success.
He packs, builds, molds, unpacks, he is interested in everything and can do many things on his own.
Source: Early Childhood Program , Early Childhood Program
How does socialization develop at this age?
If he wants something, he points to it with his finger. He similarly points to familiar figures in books. His sense of humor is starting to appear, he laughs at situations that do not happen to him, but he sees as an outside observer.
He clings to his parents and toys, and likes to sleep with his favorite stuffed animal. It is important that the child can meet other family members and friends in addition to his parents on a regular basis.
At 15 months, separation anxiety , which is the fear of being separated from a parent, may reappear. The little one likes to imitate simple actions that he learned from adults, such as stirring food in a small bowl with a wooden spoon or combing his hair.
He has a great desire for independence , he likes to take off his clothes by himself, and he is very cooperative when it comes to dressing. He tries to eat on his own, which requires a lot of patient help from his parents.
The child is in the age of problem solving.
He is always moving, packing, moving, carrying, building, taking apart, creating. Give him tools from the kitchen, for example, that he can play with, push around, and stack as he pleases. The time for the shape-throwing game has come, it is still difficult at first, but over time he will get a feel for sizes, shapes, and colors. If there is a toy storage box in the room, he will be happy to put his toys in it.
We present child development by stage in our blog articles, and if you are looking for a more comprehensive article about baby development , you can find it here!
