Once babies start moving, they don’t stop! We have designed our little crawlers class for children 12-18 months to encourage adventure in a safe and secure environment. We keep the surroundings safe so that as mobile infants begin to explore and walk they can do so with confidence.
During this time we continue to stimulate child’s brain and thought development. At this stage in their life, children begin forming words and eventually short sentences. We work with them through storytelling and music to establish a solid foundation in language and social skills.
During this time in your child’s development you begin to see more interaction among your child and others. Your child will begin to understand and control their own emotions. Some of the areas of development that you can expect to see are:
- Begin to say ‘no’ to bedtime and other requests
- Imitate adults’ actions and words
- Understand words and commands, and respond to them
- Hug and kiss parents, familiar people and pets
- Bring things to “show” other people
- Begin to feel jealousy when she is not the center of attention
- Show frustration easily
- Be able to play alone for a few minutes
- Develop a range of emotions
During this time children continue to develop gross and fine motor skills. Some of those skills include:
- Start walking independently
- Attempt to run, or runs with stiff posture
- Squat down to pick something up
- Seat self on small chair
- Point to pictures in books
- Build a tower using 2 blocks
- Use her hands together to hold a toy at the middle of her body
- Scribble with a crayon
- Point with his pointer finger
- Hold her own cup and drink, with some spilling
- Feed himself using a spoon, with some spilling
- Remove his own socks
- Put her hat on her head
Teachers at Learning Ladders aid in the development of these skills by storytelling and encouraging students to participate in classroom activities.
At this age children are becoming increasingly aware of their surroundings and want to explore them. As your child plays and interacts with the people and objects around him, he learns about his body, his home, and the world around him. Understanding language is far more important to your toddler than actually speaking it. Once they really understand, they will communicate with you.
At Learning Ladders teaching and play go hand in hand. Everything to the child is fun and a discovery. Learning to recognize letters of the alphabet in a colorful book is just as much fun as playing in a sandbox. Learning Ladders provides toys such as balls, building blocks, musical toys, and dolls to support the mental development of children.