Playfulness, curiosity and a readiness to experiment are the qualities that can make a 1-year-old a delightful companion. Give your child time to explore by herself, and take time to play new and old games with her.
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Instructions
Physical Development
Normal development of gross motor skills enables 12-month-old babies to crawl successfully on hands and knees and sit upright, unaided. They use furniture to pull themselves to a standing position, perhaps using one hand to cruise around it, and lower themselves gently to the floor. They walk along with support from someone’s hands, or a wheeled toy. A baby at 12 months old continues to teethe and is awake for about 11 hours each day, with only one or two short daytime naps. A Kids Health article reviewed by Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD, emphasizes the need to keep babies this age in a "safe environment for exploration" as they become increasingly curious and mobile.
Hand-Eye Coordination
Normal development of fine motor skills means that at 12 months, babies display hand preference (left or right-handed) and hold crayons in their palm (palmar grip) to make marks. At this age, babies build towers with stacking cups and put shapes into a shape sorter. They enjoy hand coordination games such as "Pat-a-Cake" and pouring into containers at bath time. Most 12-month-old babies like to feed themselves, but this is still quite messy. They have control of their thumb and index finger (pincer grip) when feeding themselves pieces of food.
Cognitive Development
Babies at 12 months old are curious and their improved concentration enables them to play with toys, simple puzzles or board books for a least a few minutes. According to child psychologist, Dr. Richard C. Woolfson, normal infant development between the ages of 10 and 12 months enables babies to spend approximately one-fifth of the time "staring and observing." Woolfson also explains how 12-month-old babies like to watch and imitate the actions of their caregivers, and, due to improved memory skills, "attempt the next action in a familiar routine that you have begun."
Language Development
A 12-month-old baby responds to his or her name when it is called, and recognizes the names of other family members. They follow simple instructions such as, "Wave bye-bye," or "Give me the cup, please." They point to objects in picture books, when asked, for example, "Point to the sheep." They try to repeat different sounds, such as animal noises, (for example, "Baa" for the sheep). Their chatter has the rhythm of speech, using combinations of different syllables, for example, "loy-lum", "mah-bah." By the age of 12 months, babies have usually spoken their first recognizable word, such as "Dada" or "Bye-Bye."
Emotional Development
A 12-month-old baby shows affection to family and familiar caregivers. Part of normal infant development for 12-month-old babies is to show "separation anxiety" if their primary caregiver (such as Mom) leaves them with a friend or family member. They interact with adults and older children who play with them and provide songs, stories and cuddles. They engage in solitary play and parallel play alongside other children of the same age, watching and sometimes copying what other children do. Although babies at 12 months like to receive praise from their caregivers, they quickly show their dislike or temper if they do not wish to cooperate with something.
