Child Development For A 15 Month Old Toddler

By Vicki Diaz


Living with a toddler in the house can be both fun and challenging. By the 15 month mark, three of four children have begun to develop a vocabulary. It normally includes such words as Mama, Dada, cookie, dog and ball. This is also the age the child learns to use the word No. Typically, at this age the baby will understand simple commands such as put a toy down or bring your shoes.

At this age, parents want to encourage children to continue developing their skills in communication. The parent should model listening and keep eye contact even if they do not understand what the toddler is saying. Acknowledgment can encourage children to keep trying.

This is also a good time to spend reading to one's child. Many are more interested at looking at picture books and pointing out familiar objects. Even though a word is mispronounced, the parent can help by saying, "yes that is a" and saying the word correctly instead of repeating the wrong version of the word.

While younger children often find it difficult to sit still and read books unless very sleepy, this is the age when interest peeks. They may want to look at books alone or with a parent. Textured picture books are an excellent choice at this age of tactile learning. Parents may need to be reminded that children can listen to a story from a book while playing on the floor.

At ages 12-13 months children just do not get a spoon. They might play with it, chew on it or bang it on a pan. However over the last 2-3 months in reaching this age they understand it is for stirring and eating. They may try to use it for eating on their own. In addition, when given a hair brush, they might attempt to brush the hair of a stuffed animal, doll or on their own head.

This is a good stage to encourage imaginative play. Provide him with a plastic bowl and spoon so they can pretend to make dinner. Let the child pretend to place dishes on the table. Take time to sit and enjoy playing with the child in a time that everyone enjoys.

Pretend is a big part of this developmental stage. Their imaginative play might include pretending to eat from a spoon. Another example is pretending to sleep on the parent's lap. This, like language development is using symbols to express ideas.

When 15 months children may not have the skills yet to pretend to be someone else, as this is more likely at the 24 month mark. Parents can still experiment with role playing. They might pretend being a dog and encourage the toddler to pretend he is a kitty. Everyone has fun with the barking and meowing. Try reversing roles so the parent is now the helpless kitty and the child the big strong dog. This helps to build satisfaction as well as confidence. At this age, children can be a lot of fun. By taking time to understand their developmental stages, parents can overcome many toddler challenges.




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