Creative Adventures Learning Center

Look who’s walking and talking!

By Craig Ramey and Sharon Ramey

Look for your child to become more self-aware, to understand more fully the separateness of other people, and to exhibit a wider range of emotions. How you respond to her initiatives is increasingly important to her, and you will be guiding her behavior more visibly than before. This is a good time for her to understand what is expected of her. You can also support the emerging independence that comes as she begins to walk and talk. Some babies become perpetual motion machines at this stage!

Language is the other phenomenal achievement of this period. Most babies will speak their first real words soon after their first birthday.

With all these new skills, your baby will increasingly want to do things on her own. As this independent spirit and determination grow, so will your baby’s need for your reassurance that keeps her protected and connected.

Best toys and activities for your one-year-old

Your Baby’s Style
Your child’s temperamental style will show itself in some new ways in this period. Some children are more active, while others are quieter. Some are adventuresome and fearless, while others are more cautious.

But no matter what style your baby started out with in this period, you may be in for some surprises. Some infants try out new styles (in all age stages). You may also see changes in:
• how much sleep your child needs
• how often and how long he naps
• how willing he is to try new foods
• how much he likes different tastes, smells, and textures

Surprisingly, behavioral qualities in one area do not necessarily extend to others. For example, a child may be absolutely fearless in physical movement, but unwilling to try any new food.

Physical Growth and Movement
As the end of the first year approaches, physical growth will begin to slow down. Babies will gain about 5 or 6 pounds during all of the second year, compared with the average of 16 pounds in the first year. But there will be big changes in your baby’s body type. He will become leaner and more muscular from practicing new motor skills. Appetite often decreases in this period because your baby’s slower weight gain doesn’t require the calorie input of the first year’s growth spurt.

While most babies in the U.S. learn to walk between 12 and 14 months of age, the range of normal is very broad. Pressuring your baby to master any new skill will likely cause more frustration than success. While you can certainly encourage your baby’s first steps, don’t overdo it. It is much better to let each child develop at nature’s own pace. Remember that experimentation is integral to learning anything.

As your child’s arms and hands strengthen, his dexterity improves, giving him greater skill with everything from toys to spoons to large crayons or pencils. During this period he will gain a great deal of skill in manipulating multiple objects, able to do one thing at a time. Most children begin to prefer one hand (and foot) to the other around this time — but it’s too early to tell whether they’ll be right- or left-handed.

Cognitive and Language Development
As this period progresses, your baby will spend more time with physical objects and play. She will study objects intently for long periods of time. She will explore objects by touching and mouthing and perhaps by banging, dropping, and throwing. Whenever possible, she will figure out how to do something with them, and then proudly show you what she has learned. Simple puzzles may begin to hold her attention.

Imitation is an important learning tool. It is also a clear sign of your baby’s growing cognitive skills — it signals both observation and memory capabilities. Babies are keenly observant, and they will copy as much of your behavior as possible, good and bad. Throughout this period, imitation will become increasingly sophisticated and complex.

Imitation is also vital to learning language. By their first birthday, most babies understand a large and fast-growing number of words, even though they may say very little. They can point to many objects by name, including body parts, toys, and household items.

There are many good ways to support and promote your baby’s language development. When you speak to her, use simple sentences, and be clear and distinct in what you say. But be sure to include the rich and diverse components of language. Continue to read books, and talk together about the names of things and their qualities, the actions between objects and people, what happens when someone does something. Ask your child to tell you what’s happening, or to point things out to you. Repeat what she says. Recite rhymes. Act out poems and stories.

Emotional and Social Growth
Social contact continues to be important. But some babies may seem less interested, in part because they can do so many more things on their own. Most babies are remarkably friendly at this time, and openly show their love and affection.

Emotional development shows a big leap now. Your baby will seem much more tuned in to the feelings of others, and will show a range of emotions reflecting greater intellectual understanding of the world and what is happening. As babies acquire a more sophisticated awareness of cause-and-effect relationships, there are more things that contribute to feelings of joy, interest, disappointment, surprise, excitement, sadness, frustration, and confusion.

Around 11 months, two important developments occur. First, your infant will be able to understand “no.” Second, he will begin to test some of the limits you set. When you are watching, he may reach for an object or approach an area that is off-limits. This is a way of learning and checking out his understanding.

Activities and Toys
The range of games, toys, and activities that will interest your baby mushrooms during this stage. He is developing many new skills that are fun to practice and perfect. Activities that give him a sense of self-initiative and accomplishment will be high on the list of favorites. Try:
• word books and naming games to build vocabulary
• puzzles, stacking rings, and building blocks to teach spatial relationships, sorting, and ordering
• boxes and containers to empty and refill with objects
• chasing and hiding games
• balls and games with balls
• push-and-pull toys, especially those that make noise
• toys that encourage make-believe, such as dolls, puppets, play telephones
• crayons and markers

From Right From Birth: Building Your Child’s Foundation for Life by Craig T. Ramey, Ph.D., and Sharon L. Ramey, Ph.D. Available wherever books are sold. Copyright © 1999 by Goddard Press, Inc.