Development at 18 Months
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Activity 1
Age Appropriate Gross Motor Development
Walks While Pushing Or Pulling Large Object
I am learning to push and pull large objects around! Get a large object, such as a large picture book or an empty box about 50-60cm long. Observe if I am able to push or pull the object a short distance to the other end of the room. I usually develop this ability between 17 and 19 months.
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Steps
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Present your child with a large object, such as a large picture book or an empty box, about 50-60cm long.
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Encourage him to push or pull the object to the other end of the room.
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Observe if he is able to move the object a short distance.
Feedback
Your child is developing good coordination, strength and balance in this activity! Such activities that require your child to exert physical effort actually help him to develop good body and joint awareness senses. These senses will help him in many learning tasks later. You may look at the suggested activities for more ideas with this task.
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Provide your child with many opportunities to explore and problem-solve through various activities that require him to plan his body positions and exert physical strength.
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Hide a few of your child's favorite toys in the living room and give him a box or toy cart to push around and collect his toys as he finds them. Use a smaller box to begin with and gradually progress to a larger box.
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Hide several toys again and this time, get your child to pull the box or a large plastic or paper bag with a handle to make it easier for her to grasp. Don't forget to let her change the hand she uses to pull with. Do ensure constant supervision if you are using large bags.
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Activity 2
Age Appropriate Cognitive Development
Solves Simple Problem Using Tools
Uh-oh! My toy ball rolled under the sofa again! But don't worry, I know how to get it out. I will take another toy with a long handle and reach under the sofa with it to get the ball out. Aren't I clever? You will see me solve simple problems with tools when I am 17 to 24 months old.
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Steps
Feedback
Your child has demonstrated that he is able to use simple tools as a means to achieve an end when he succeeds in this activity. This is great as this problem-solving skill usually develops between 17 and 24 months old!
Your child is now growing in his thinking skills and his interest in what various things can do and how they can be used. You can start to describe and show him the various functions of the tools around the house, e.g. the pen, crayon, spoon and fork. You will be amazed at the things that he learns about the various tools just by watching you describe and use them. Allow him to use some of these tools that are safe. His problem-solving skills will continue to develop as you introduce more complex tools to him. See the suggested activities for more fun ideas in playing and developing this skill with him.
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Show your child how to use tools by playing fun games. E.g. Use toys that have a string tied to them and when pulled along, the toy makes a sound. Place the toy out of your child's reach and the string near the hands. If the child has poor grasp, attach a large ring at the string's end to make grasping much easier.
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Put a favorite food item (i.e. gummy bear, cereal or biscuit) into a transparent drinking bottle while the child is watching. Encourage your child to explore or invert the bottle to get the object.
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When you are going shopping, let the child use a child-sized bag or push a small cart to carry the several items that he wants to buy. Ask him what he can do to carry all the items and facilitate a solution. This will expose him to more natural situations of how we can solve problems in everyday life.
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Play "Think of and act the many ways we can use a tool". E.g. use a racket to play "hit the balloon", to reach out for unreachable things, to hit a tennis ball and to dance round it. This thinking and playing helps to expose him to the many different ways tools can be used.
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Exposure to different ways of using our hands will be useful for him. So bring him along on field trips where he can observe how things are made with our hands. E.g. a visit to the farm will show him that we can use our hands to squeeze milk from the goat.
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