Child's Age | Mastered Skills (most children can do) | Emerging Skills (half of children can do) | Advanced Skills (a few children can do) |
13 months | • Uses two words skillfully (e.g. "hello" and "bye") | • Enjoys gazing at his reflection | • Combines words and gestures to make needs known |
• Bends over and picks up an object | • Drinks from a cup | • Tries to lift heavy things | |
• Stands alone | • Plays "peekaboo" | • Rolls a ball back and forth | |
14 months | • Finger feeds | • Toddles well | • Uses spoon or fork |
• Empties containers of contents | • Initiates games | • Matches lids with appropriate containers (e.g. pots and pans) | |
• Imitates others | • Points to one body part when asked | • Pushes and pulls toys while walking | |
15 months | • Plays with ball | • Can draw a line | • Walks up stairs |
• Vocabulary increases up to five words | • Runs well | • "Helps" around the house | |
• Walks backward | • Adopts "no" as his favourite word | • Puts his fingers to his mouth and says "shhh" | |
16 months | • Turns the pages of a book | • Discovers joy of climbing | • Takes off one piece of clothing by himself |
• Has temper tantrums when frustrated | • Stacks three bricks | • Gets fussy about food | |
• Becomes attached to a soft toy or other object | • Learns the correct way to use common objects (e.g. the telephone) | • Switches from two daytime sleeps to one | |
17 months | • Uses a handful of words regularly | • Responds to directions (e.g. "Sit down") | • Dances to music |
• Enjoys pretend games | • Feeds doll | • Sorts toys by colour, shape, or size | |
• Likes riding toys | • Talks more clearly | • Kicks ball forward | |
18 months | • Will "read" board books on his own | • Strings words together in phrases | • Throws ball overhand |
• Can pedal when put on trike | • Brushes teeth with help | • Takes toys apart and puts them back together | |
• Scribbles well | • Builds a tower of four cubes | • Shows signs of toilet training readiness |
Child's Age | Mastered Skills (most children can do) | Emerging Skills (half of children can do) | Advanced Skills (a few children can do) |
13 months | • Uses two words skillfully (e.g. "hello" and "bye") | • Enjoys gazing at his reflection | • Combines words and gestures to make needs known |
• Bends over and picks up an object | • Drinks from a cup | • Tries to lift heavy things | |
• Stands alone | • Plays "peekaboo" | • Rolls a ball back and forth | |
14 months | • Finger feeds | • Toddles well | • Uses spoon or fork |
• Empties containers of contents | • Initiates games | • Matches lids with appropriate containers (e.g. pots and pans) | |
• Imitates others | • Points to one body part when asked | • Pushes and pulls toys while walking | |
15 months | • Plays with ball | • Can draw a line | • Walks up stairs |
• Vocabulary increases up to five words | • Runs well | • "Helps" around the house | |
• Walks backward | • Adopts "no" as his favourite word | • Puts his fingers to his mouth and says "shhh" | |
16 months | • Turns the pages of a book | • Discovers joy of climbing | • Takes off one piece of clothing by himself |
• Has temper tantrums when frustrated | • Stacks three bricks | • Gets fussy about food | |
• Becomes attached to a soft toy or other object | • Learns the correct way to use common objects (e.g. the telephone) | • Switches from two daytime sleeps to one | |
17 months | • Uses a handful of words regularly | • Responds to directions (e.g. "Sit down") | • Dances to music |
• Enjoys pretend games | • Feeds doll | • Sorts toys by colour, shape, or size | |
• Likes riding toys | • Talks more clearly | • Kicks ball forward | |
18 months | • Will "read" board books on his own | • Strings words together in phrases | • Throws ball overhand |
• Can pedal when put on trike | • Brushes teeth with help | • Takes toys apart and puts them back together | |
• Scribbles well | • Builds a tower of four cubes | • Shows signs of toilet training readiness |
![]() | 若 孩 子 把 玩 具 搶 到 了 手 , 你 便 要 立 即 介 入 : 「 那 是 小 朋 友 的 玩 具 , 不 能 搶 」 。 引 導 他 去 想 其 他 辦 法 : 「 你 想 玩 那 個 玩 具 , 應 該 怎 麼 辨 ? 」 「 對 了 , 你 可 以 去 向 小 朋 友 借 。 」 「 用 你 的 玩 具 與 小 朋 友 交 換 或 是 等 他 玩 夠 你 才 玩 , 都 是 好 主 意 。 」 |
![]() | 若 對 方 堅 決 不 讓 他 搶 走 玩 具 , 孩 子 不 開 心 地 退 下 來 , 你 可 向 孩 子 表 示 理 解 他 的 心 情 : 「 小 朋 友 不 讓 你 玩 , 你 不 開 心 是 嗎 ? 但 那 是 小 朋 友 的 玩 具 , 如 果 他 的 玩 具 被 人 搶 了 , 也 會 像 你 一 樣 不 開 心 。 」 引 導 他 去 想 其 他 辦 法 。 若 對 方 後 來 同 意 借 玩 具 給 他 , 教 他 說 聲 「 謝 謝 」 ; 不 然 , 就 要 嘗 試 用 別 的 玩 具 或 遊 戲 去 吸 引 他 了 。 |
![]() | 不 要 妄 下 判 斷 , 偏 袒 某 方 , 命 令 一 方 退 讓 。 孩 子 不 會 就 此 學 到 與 人 分 享 和 解 決 問 題 。 |
Toys for 12 to 18 months | Push and pull toys: Heavily weighted push toys can give your beginner something to lean on as she motors around your home. Pull toys are great for more advanced walkers who can look behind them as they move forward: ones that flap, bob up and down, squeak or in any other way catch attention are favourites. Find out more about walking and your toddler. |
Sorting and nesting toys: Toddlers love to sort, stack, unsort, unstack, and basically reorganise their lives. Sorting and nesting toys are great fun for those who are trying out their early problem-solving skills. | |
Climbing frame: A small climbing frame can give your toddler a safe place to climb, hide, slide, and practice all her emerging motor skills -- over and over again. But they can also be pricey and are quickly outgrown. | |
Balls: Any ball that's easy to grasp will be a hit with this group -- underinflated beach balls, tennis balls, cloth balls. Stay away from foam balls that could end up as a mouthful. This is the age at which you can introduce your child to "catch". Start slowly -- she'll begin to get the back-and-forth rhythm with some practice. | |
Washable crayons and paper: Let the scribbling begin! Hand your toddler no more than a couple of crayons at a time -- you don't want to overwhelm her -- and tape the paper to the floor so she can make her mark without dragging the paper along with her. | |
Ride-on vehicles: This mode of locomotion may be even more popular than walking. Many small ride-on toys have handles for an adult to push when the child gets tired. Avoid the electronic versions -- they're expensive and take away from the fun of getting around under your own power. | |
Tool bench or toy kitchen: Fix-it kids or aspiring chefs will get hours of play out of plastic or wooden models scaled to their size. Toys like these give a child a chance to emulate the things he sees adults doing, and they'll continue to hold his interest for several months as his play gets more sophisticated. | |
Picture books: Your toddler will enjoy more advanced picture books showing familiar objects and activities. She may also start to take pride in her own library and the chance to pick out a favourite for you to read. |
Toys for 18 to 24 months | Plastic tea set or playhouse: Your child will get a kick out of play eating and drinking. And in general, scaled-down toys, from rakes, brushes and shopping trolleys to miniature kitchens, give her a chance to do one of the things she loves best -- mimic what she sees the adults around her do and organise her world to her own satisfaction. |
Large and small blocks: Working with blocks lets your toddler build her handling skills by grabbing, stacking, and sorting. Large bricks easily add up to toddler-size forts and hiding spaces. Small wooden ones can be sorted and organised into any number of original designs. | |
Toy instruments: Children generally love music and the chance to create their own sound, no matter how cacophonous. Give her a toy guitar to strum or a keyboard to bang on and she'll treat you to lots of original compositions. Make sure whatever instrument you find has a volume dial you can turn down so that you -- and your neighbours -- can tolerate those early tunes. | |
Puzzles: Puzzles are a good way to give your young child little victories -- the simple satisfaction of putting something exactly in place is a wonderful thing. Choose puzzles that have very few pieces and are made of thick, easy-to-manipulate blocks of wood. | |
Illustrated books and cassette tapes: While recorded stories are no substitute for reading to your child, many toddlers do enjoy the novelty of hearing a voice come out of a machine and can appreciate that the voice is new and different. The regular patter of nursery rhymes is particularly pleasing to a toddler's ear. | |
Train sets: Your toddler can use her new dexterity to link the coaches and zoom the whole train around the house. She'll love seeing how it can take corners, and the difference between running it over a carpet and across a bare floor. | |
Washable crayons and paper: Your child is becoming more interested in making her own mark -- on floors, walls, furniture. Clear a space for her to work, give her a big sheet of paper (tape it to the table) and a couple of crayons (you don't want to overwhelm her), and she'll get the idea that art has its place. Hang up whatever she makes for you. |
Games to play with your one-year-old | 12 to 16 months • Coming to life Pretend your baby's favourite teddy or doll is real -- make her walk, go to bed, jump across the room. Include her in everyday activities -- sitting her at the table for tea, for example, and putting a bib on her. Talking about what you are doing will help her understand language. Act out happy and sad times, too, so she can learn about feelings and emotions as well as developing her imagination. |
• Push me, pull you If your baby is pulling herself on to two feet and trying to walk, help her practise with a pushing and pulling game. Use a moveable object such as a child-size chair or plastic stacking box filled with soft toys. While she holds the edges for support you can hold the other side and keep it steady. Then slowly pull the box towards you side to encourage her to step forward. Soon she'll start to push while you gently pull. This will build her confidence ready for when she starts walking on her own. | |
• Clap happy By now your baby will be able to hold her hands open, but it may be a while before she claps independently. For now, clap them together with her, or let her hold your hands and pat them together. Sit her facing you on the floor, or on your lap, and sing clapping songs together like 'Pat-a-cake, pat-a cake'. These will boost her language skills as well as her hand-eye co-ordination. | |
• Who's hiding here? Just as she loved peek-a-boo as a baby, your toddler will love to play simple games of hide and seek. First thing in the morning take it in turns to hide under the bed sheets; at bath time, use a big towel to hide under, instead. For extra fun and giggles you can gently prod her as she hides, 'Is this a leg? Or is it an arm?' and so on. Games like this help teach your toddler that, just because she can't see something, it doesn't mean it isn't there. For a change, while she's wrapped up in the towel, carry her into another room. She'll be delighted when she's unveiled to discover she's moved location! |
16 to 20 months • Tea party On a sunny day take a child-sized plastic tea set outdoors and fill a large plastic bowl with water. Pretend you've 'come to tea' and encourage your toddler to fill the teapot and pour out the tea. This fun game will challenge your baby's co-ordination skills and help her learn about the properties of water -- for example, that it always flows down, not up. |
• Brick patterns This requires a bit of concentration so is best played when your toddler's feeling refreshed. Use her building blocks to make simple patterns, such as three in a row or 'two up, two down' to make a square. Encourage her to use other blocks so she can copy your pattern. Then let her have a go at making her own pattern, which you have to copy. Sorting objects like this into shapes will help encourage your toddler's problem-solving skills. |
• Roll it to me Balls are popular toys for one-year-olds. Bouncy balls are best kept outside, but soft, foam balls make great indoor toys. The best ball game to start playing with your toddler is this easy version of 'catch'. Both of you sit on the ground facing each other with your legs apart and toes touching. You can now roll the ball backwards and forwards to each other without it going out of bounds. Fun for building arm muscles and hand-eye co-ordination. |
• Young collector Go for a walk together and take a bucket with you. Collect small objects that interest your toddler -- stones, leaves, pine cones. Your toddler will want to carry the bucket, but don't be surprised if she also dumps its contents and starts again. Toddlers at this age love to fill containers just so then can empty them again! Meanwhile, she's practising her hand movements and developing dexterity. |