AT 18 MONTHS OLD

At 18 months your child might be:

• walking and starting to run
• saying words and understanding a lot more
• feeding themselves using a spoon or cup
• recognising himself or herself in the mirror
• playing alone, but still liking to be around familiar people.

Here are some ideas to help you support your child’s development at 18 months:

• Take your toddler outside and look around you and talk about what you see.
• Try out new experiences with your toddler to help them build their confident – take a ride on a bus or tram or visit a new park together.
• Play together with books, sand, music, paint – talk to them as you go.
• Figure out what sort of games your child likes to play – help them to explore these games.
• Read lots of books and have conversations with your child about them. You should try to read to your child every day.
• Praise your child when you learn a new skill, like when children feed themselves.
• Encourage your child to meet other children at playgroup or at the playground.