That’s fun!
As you continue your parenting adventure, some new principles of parenting come into play. These will help you in this new stage of mobility and exploration. While you can begin using these now, you will be able to adapt them as you go through your entire parenting career. For ease in remembering them, they are nicknamed as FREE.
- Fair, firm, and positive. Be fair by continually explaining to your toddler what you expect. Be firm as you continue to expect that behavior. Be positive as you continue to teach the behavior you seek.
- Respond. Continue to respond to your toddler’s needs. Now add responding appropriately to his or her wants. Explain the realities of time, money, and energy as you fill both wants and needs to the best of your ability.
- Enriched learning environment. Expose your toddler to as many new and educational experiences as possible.
- Enriched language environment. Implement the R, S, and T rule. Read, Sing, and Talk to your toddler as much as you can.
Toot Toot
Age Range: One year
Area Being Developed: Cognitive (Learning)
Trains are very exciting to children of all ages. You can buy pull-toy trains, but making them is even better. Creativity does amazing things! First you get the benefit of creativity by making the toy. Then you and your toddler experience it again when you both use it to play with your trains in a freeform open-ended way.
Believe it or not, you have an unlimited choice of materials, but here are a few suggestions: Brand new large hair rollers, empty spools of thread, children’s beads, small toy cars, and empty single serving cereal boxes. You probably have other items that will lend themselves as well. After you select your materials, string them together with a ribbon, string or shoelace, about a yard in length. Make two trains. That’s it! Then the game is yours. You and your toddler are free to pull your trains all around your house. Your destinations are limited only by safe open play spaces and your imaginations.
RELATED MILESTONES OF DEVELOPMENT
Uses trial and error approach
Uses one object to touch another
Follows an object even when it goes out of sight
Uses an object purposefully
Imitates body gestures
Imitates new actions
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