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As your baby grows into an active 1-year-old, they’ll start to become more independent and curious about the world around them. You may be wondering what exactly you can do to help nurture their growing minds. Fortunately, there are simple and effective strategies you can use to help teach your 1-year-old and encourage healthy development. To help you navigate the possibilities, we’ve answered a few of the most common questions that folks have about what you can do to educate your 1-year-old.
Steps
Question 1 of 9:
What should I start teaching my 1-year-old?
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Start with simple activities to stimulate their minds. Your 1-year-old is quickly developing into a little person and starting to do things on their own. As they actively engage in their environment, they’ll learn how things work through cause and effect. The best thing you can do to start teaching them is to have fun and let them play and interact with their environment. Play house, pretend to make a phone call, play in the mirror, have them bring a toy to you—the possibilities are endless! [1] X Research source
- You don’t need to break out a ton of toys or even spend a ton of cash on fancy ones. Sometimes just playing with simple blocks or banging on pots with spoons will be enough to delight and stimulate your little one.
- If you do give them toys, make sure they’re age-appropriate and safe for 1-year-olds.
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2Play games to encourage social development. As your sweet baby grows, they’ll also become more social with you and other children. Let them learn about and actively explore their environments through play. Fun social games like peekaboo, pat-a-cake, and chase allow them to interact with you as well as other people, which will help develop their mental and social abilities. [2] X Research source
- Encourage them to play with other children as well.
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Question 3 of 9:
How can I teach my 1-year-old words?
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Look for cues and give them words to help them identify things. If you catch your toddler looking at a ceiling fan, light fixture, or reaching for something on your plate, help them out by identifying what it is. Use simple terms to identify the item and mix in fun little chats about what you’re doing to help encourage them to start talking.
- For instance, if your baby is looking at your coffee, you can say, “You see my coffee? It’s coffee, mmm. I’m just drinking my coffee.”
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2Read to your child and have them follow along with you. Even though your kiddo can’t read yet, they still love storytime with you! Read children’s books with them and point out words and objects on the pages so they can learn what they are. [4] X Research source Ask questions about the story and wait for them to reply so they have to think about it. If they guess incorrectly, simply state the right answer. Over time, their vocabulary and knowledge will expand. [5] X Research source
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Question 4 of 9:
How do I teach my 1-year-old the alphabet?
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Read alphabet books with them. There are a ton of children’s books that are focused on the alphabet. Read them with your 1-year-old and identify each of the letters. Ask them to repeat the letters back to you, but keep it fun and be super patient. You’ll find that your little one actually loves guessing which letters are which. Through repetition, they’ll start to get their ABCs down. [6] X Research source
- You can read along and say things like, “Ok, now what’s that? That’s right! It’s A!”
- If they guess incorrectly, no problem. Keep it fun and gently correct them with something like, “Close! That’s F!”
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2Sing the alphabet song out loud to make it fun. You know the classic song, “A, B, C, D, E, F, G,” right? It’s a classic because it works! Try singing the song as often as you can and have your 1-year-old try to sing along with you. Sure, it may sound like gibberish at first, and they may struggle to pronounce the letters. But in time, they’ll get it down and will be able to sing it on their own. [7] X Research source
- Singing is a great way to keep things light and fun.
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Question 7 of 9:
What should a 1-year-old be able to do?
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Respond to simple requests and use gestures. Your 1-year-old should understand when you’re trying to talk to them and be able to comprehend simple spoken requests like, “Are you thirsty?” or “Do you need to potty?” They should also know how to use gestures such as shaking their head or waving goodbye. [10] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source
- If your child isn’t able to do any of these things, it doesn’t necessarily mean that something is wrong. Every child is different. Talk to their pediatrician if you have concerns.
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2Know a few words and phrases. Your 1-year-old may not know a ton of words but they should say things like “mama,” “dada” and simple phrases like, “uh-oh!” They may know how to say a few things and most children may know about 50 words by the time they’re 2. They may also make sounds or try to mimic you, which are good signs that their speech is developing. [11] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source
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3Stand up and maybe take a few steps. Sure, some kids are up and running right around age 1. But if your 1-year-old isn’t walking yet, it doesn’t mean something is wrong. Most 1-year-olds should be able to sit up on their own and pull themselves up to standing. They may also be able to walk while holding onto furniture or take a few steps on their own. [12] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source
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Tips
- Kids also learn a lot by interacting with other kids. Try taking your 1-year-old to a neighborhood park or playground and let them play with some of the other children there.Thanks
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Warnings
- Make sure any toys you give your 1-year-old are safe for them and don’t have any small pieces that could be potential choking hazards.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/activities/indoor/11-fun-activities-for-1-year-olds/
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/learn12yr.html
- ↑ https://www.parents.com/baby/development/talking/help-your-baby-learn-to-talk/
- ↑ https://justsimplymom.com/simple-activities-you-should-be-doing-with-your-1-year-old/
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/learn12yr.html
- ↑ https://www.abcacademyjackson.com/7-interesting-ways-teach-toddler-abcs/
- ↑ https://www.abcacademyjackson.com/7-interesting-ways-teach-toddler-abcs/
- ↑ https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/activities/indoor/11-fun-activities-for-1-year-olds/
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/c12yr.html
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-1yr.html
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-1yr.html
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-1yr.html
- ↑ https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/discipline/tips/secrets-to-toddler-discipline/
- ↑ https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/discipline/tips/secrets-to-toddler-discipline/
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