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IMITATING..

15-16 Months

SCRIBBLING….

...CURIOUS

...CRUISING

Oshkosh - 920-233-6630 Appleton- 920-831-1138

DEVELOPMENTS: This month your baby may… • Put two or three words together. • Drink from a cup. • Walk, bend over, and pick up an object. • Will begin to accept limits. Imitate activities of adults and other children. • Scribble on paper (or on walls – beware!). • Communicate pleasure, warmth and interest in new experiences. • Begin to use a spoon or fork to eat in addition to his or her hands.

ENCOURAGING ACTIVITIES • Make bedtime a pleasant experience for your toddler. Have your toddler change into cozy, comfortable

pajamas, give him a light snack (like a banana or yogurt) and have him brush his teeth. The two of you may want to “cuddle” for a little bit while listening to a calming tape or while you read to him. Talk about the day and what he did well and start saying good night. You may want to tuck him in with his favorite stuffed animals or blanket. The most important thing to remember is to make bedtime a loving and nurturing routine for you and your toddler to share.

• Toddlers love to use their five senses to satisfy their curiosity. Stress colors, smells, textures, and sounds when you go for walks. Quiz your child to see if she remembers what color the grass or sky is. These types of activities will help to further her development.

• Your toddler may begin to ask a lot of questions depending on her vocabulary. She may just point at an object and look to you for words. Foster her curiosity and development by accepting, encouraging, and answering her questions.

TODDLER HINTS • If your child tends to wake up throughout the night for a midnight feeding, you may want to adjust her

feeding schedule. A light snack, like a banana or apple, before bedtime may hold your child over until breakfast.

• If your toddler is fearful of people besides mom and dad, you may want to help your child become more comfortable around others. Comfort and support your child when an aunt or uncle approaches him with a hug or “hello”. It may take some time for him to get used to people, but with your support it will be an easier transition. The most important point to remember is to not push your child on a friend or relative your child doesn’t feel comfortable with.

• If your toddler is too friendly with complete strangers, you may need to start to go over some limits with your child. For example, always holding your hand, not running away from mom or dad in a store, or asking you if she can say “hello” to someone.

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Recognize the warning signs of stress

Dealing with a curious toddler can be stressful. Stress is defined as any physical or emotional demand that you feel unable to handle. Some warning signs of stress are; insomnia and other sleeping problems, appetite changes, fidgeting, nervousness, skin problems (such as psoriasis, eczema, hives and acne), back pain, cold sores, tension headaches, high blood pressure, trembling, shortness of breath, and inability to concentrate. Find some ways to cope with stress. Examples would be: taking a walk, taking a bubble bath, exercising, jour-naling, gardening, having alone time, reading or pampering yourself by getting a new hairdo, pedicure, mani-cure, massage, or facial.

There are different definitions on what a tantrum is. Some may feel that a tantrum is angry crying. Others may think that a tantrum is when a child is screaming, hitting and kicking. Why do children have tantrums? Tantrums usually occur when a child is frustrated and can not express himself/herself. Children that have tantrums are trying to find a way to express what they want. They are having troubles communicating in a proper manner. A child may also be trying to release his/her anger. Other reasons why a child may throw a tantrum is he/she is tired, overexcited over stimulated. How can a parent prevent a tantrum?

What is a tantrum? There are different definitions of a tantrum. Some may feel that a tantrum is angry crying. Others may think that a tantrum is when a child is screaming, hitting and kicking. Webster’s definition of a tantrum is: an outburst of anger, especially a childish display of rage. Why do children have tantrums? Tantrums usually occur when a child is frustrated and can not express himself. Children that have tantrums are trying to find a way to express what they want. They are having troubles communicating in a proper manner. A child may also be trying to release his anger. Other reasons why a child may throw a tantrum is he is tired, overexcited or over stimulated. How can a parent prevent a tantrum? • A child needs consistency. Try to have a daily routine so your child knows what is going to

happen throughout the day. • Write down the days and times, and the activity that your child was doing when her tantrum

occurred. You may start noticing a pattern. • Try to intersperse periods of increased activity with inactive activities. For example read a

story to your child after she has been playing outside. • Remove and adapt things from your child’s environment that make her frustrated. • Have developmentally appropriate demands and expectations of your child. Having too high or

too low demands may lead into a tantrum. For example, you probably can not expect your child to sit through a long mealtime.

• Catch your child being good. Praise your child’s good behavior. An example is “I am so happy that you picked up your toys and put them away.”

• Ignore inappropriate behavior that can be tolerated. Ignoring the inappropriate behavior shows your child that her behavior is inappropriate.

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I AM FIFTEEN TO SIXTEEN MONTHS

Dear Mom and Dad, I am a very curious little person at this age. I will begin to notice things and won-der what they are. Please tell me all that you can about my surroundings, especially if I point at something.

During the next couple of months, you will notice that I will be more confident with walking; however, I may decide to go back to crawling every now and then. I will begin to learn to climb at this age, too. Please put things away, not just in high places. I will man-age to be very creative with my climbing and may fall. I will use chairs, books, shelves, or even my toys to reach things you don’t want me to get at. I would really enjoy it if you would read to me on a daily basis-maybe at bedtime. It will relax me and I love spending quality time with you. SPEECH & LANGUAGE: Don’t be surprised if I start using more words. I am very attentive and will repeat words that you say. Please don’t say “naughty” words around me because I may decide to say them. I may also go through a phase where I hardly talk at all, because I may be con-centrating on a new skill like walking. PLAYING: Play is still going to be taking up most of my time. You may notice that I do not so-cialize well with other toddlers. This is normal and will change as I grow. Please make me an active part of the family. If you teach me how to interact with family, it will be easier for me to learn how to play with other children. FEEDING: My eating habits may vary over the next couple months. I might eat a lot for a few days and then seem to eat nothing at all. As long as I am energetic and happy, please don’t push foods on me. As a toddler, I will eat what I need as long as you are supplying me with nourishing foods like fruits and vegetables. SLEEPING: You may notice that I will begin to sleep for longer periods of time during the night. If you notice that I am waking up because I want something to eat, you may want to try to give me a light snack before I go to bed. DISCIPLINE: Continue to set limits for me. Also remember that I need consistency with these limits, so this means both parents need to discuss how I will be disciplined.

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Playtime for Your 15-16 Month Old Here are some suggestions to add to your playtime activities with your child:

Toys that challenge their fine muscle control

Simple take apart toys, like the giant, colored snap together beads Oversized jigsaw puzzles Large peg boards with large, thick pegs

Pushing and pulling toys

Children at this age like to push and pull toys—even those toys that do not have wheels. Use extra caution with any toys that have strings on them—your child could get the string wrapped around some part of his body.

Large, oversized crayons

Give your child the large round or triangle shaped crayons and plenty of drawing space to draw. Please be sure to explain to her that there are certain areas to draw—otherwise she may decide to “redecorate” your walls or furniture with her own “artwork”.

***Remember to always supervise your child in any of these activities.

Benefits of Music

Recent research confirms the importance of music. Research shows that music is a con-structor of intelligence, a builder and organizer of the nervous system, as well as an ex-pressive language of emotion and spirituality. Listening to classical music also enhances creativity and coordination, assists your child in getting to sleep. It helps relax, stimu-late and develop musical interest. Try listening to some selections from these famous composers: • Mozart • Beethoven • J.S. Bach • Brahms • Chopin • Handel

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Praise

Praise is a way of saying, “I like what you did!” The message can be a word, a phrase, a gesture or a facial expression that makes another person feel pride, joy, or respected. Praise creates a sense of well-being in a person. When we see a child trying to do something that we want him to repeat as a regular part of his behavior, praise is called for. You might praise cooperative play, thoughtfulness, respect for others, handling pets gently, or doing a chore without being reminded. Whatever the event, praise should follow immediately.

Examples HOW NOT TO: The positive value of praise can be lost if negative comments or comparisons are part of or follow the praise statement: 1. “For such a little boy, you did very well.” (Child thinks: “ I really am skinny.”) 2. “I’m glad you remembered to feed the dog tonight. I hope you don’t forget to-

morrow.” (Child thinks: “gee I’m stupid.”) 3. “Well, now you look like a human being with your hair cut.” (Child thinks: “I’m a

dirty animal.”) HOW TO: Praise should be related to the event, not the child’s total character. Here are examples of praise that focus on an event; each is followed by a description of the good feeling the praise gives the child. 1. “I’m glad you remembered your school books this morning, that was good think-

ing.” (Child thinks: “I can think for myself.”) 2. “The yard looks great. You sure did a nice job cleaning up the trash and raking

the leaves. It looks like a different place.” (Child thinks: “I am strong. I am a hard worker.”)

3. (To child trying, but not managing to tie shoes.) “Boy, you sure gave those old laces a workout. Learning to tie your shoes is hard. I’m glad you tried them by yourself this morning.” (Child thinks: “I tried and I bet I can do better tomor-row.”)

4. “I see that you included Billy in your ball game. That’s nice. Sometimes younger children feel left out. I’ll bet you made him happy by asking him to join the game.” (Child thinks: “I can make people feel good.”)

Adapted from: Home and Community Treatment Project Mendota Mental Health Institute

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Ways to Compliment Children

Much Better That’s right Great How about that Fine You are 100 percent Beautiful Perfect You get a star today Wonderful

Congratulations I am pleased You’re sharp today I am proud of you Fantastic Outstanding Good Progress Good Thinking Bravo Splendid

You can be proud of yourself You’re on the right track Tremendous Lovely Superb That’s cool That’s neat I knew you could do it This is the greatest Your really used your brain

Specific

Good sharing your tricycle. You’re doing a good job of waiting in line. Nice waiting. Good walking. Good, you did what I asked you to do. You’re being very careful riding your bike. Excellent answer. You did that just right. I like that –it is well thought. You have been such a helpful worker. That deserves an A. That’s good planning for having a pet. You are a careful thinker. It looks like you are putting some thought and time on this Thank you for listening to my question. That is certainly so.

It’s nice to see you helping each other. You are good listeners. You are a nice class. We had a good day. I like the way you are working. Good work. I like it when you look at me while I talk. I like conversations with you. That’s good table manners to wipe your mouth with your napkin. You did a good job of handling your anger with that frustrating work. You really did a fine job of playing with the little kids. You remembered all the rules. Right you are.

Adapted from: Home and Com-munity Treatment Project Mendota Health Institute

General

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Your Child’s Senses

Toddlers learn by using all five senses. Providing sensory experiences for your child will help her gain an understanding of the world around her. Let your child explore. Sight Your child’s sight will improve dramatically. If there is a lot going on at once, she will not focus on an individual thing. Take your toddler on frequent outings, for example: the park, the grocery store, or for a walk outside. Point out and explain things that are going on around her. Read books with simple pictures and ask your child to point out specific objects. Sound Your child should be able to respond to simple commands and should be aware of the names of familiar objects, and family members. This tells you that her hearing is functioning well and it helps to develop her language skills. Play a variety of music for your child and encourage her to make her own music. Smell Help your child build his sense of smell by sniffing things around the house like flowers, foods, spices, perfume, and unlit candles. Taste Encourage your child to taste a variety of foods. Place small amounts of food on a plate and let your child pick and choose. Help her identify taste and texture such as, smooth, rough, hard, soft, and bitter. Touch Children learn a lot about their world by using their fingers. Create a touch box by collecting materials such as: cotton balls, sand paper, carpet, and fabric. Introduce words like smooth, rough, hard, soft, scratchy, and silky as your child touches the materials. Its important for your child to develop her senses through stimulating activities, but you have to keep in mind that it could be overwhelming for her. Children need time to think about things and make discoveries on their own.

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Guidelines For Watching TV

Children in the U.S. view an average of 3-5 hours of television daily. Research indicates that television viewing may be linked to violent or aggressive behavior, obesity, poor academic performance, precocious sexuality, and the use of drugs or alcohol. Thus, it is important that parents help their children use television as a positive, creative force, and help them avoid television’s negative influences. 1. Time spent watching television: When children spend 3-5 hours a day watching

television, time for other activities is severely limited. Childhood is a period of growth and development, and children need to play, alone and with other children. Children need to read and talk with other children and adults.

2. Violence on television: A recent report from the National Institute of Mental Health indicates that television violence can be harmful to young children. Children can become frightened, worried or suspicious from watching violence on TV. Re searchers have also found that children who watch many violent programs tend to be more aggressive than other children on the playground and in class. Parents also need to keep in mind that television often portrays sexual behavior and the use of alcohol or drugs in realistic or inviting terms. 3. TV and learning: Many recent studies indicate that excessive television viewing may have a detrimental effect on learning and school performance. The hours spent viewing television interfere with homework and limit the time available for other ways of learning. 4. Commercials: The average child sees more than 20,000 commercials a year. Advertisers spend roughly $700 million annually to make sure that their sales pitches reach large numbers of children. The majority of food advertising is for heavily sugared products such as candy and pre-sweetened cereal. This emphasis can give children a distorted picture of how they ought to eat.

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Fine Motor Development and Activities

At this time your baby may have a strong interest to explore different objects around your home using both his hands and eyes. You can encourage him to do this by providing a safe place to roam. It is important for your child to pick up different objects and realize there are different textures, sizes, and shapes. Below are ways to help encourage this develop-mental stage.

Offer your baby a few crayons and a large piece of paper. Sit next to her with your own piece of paper making lines or scribbles she may be able to copy. At first your baby may try to put the crayons in her mouth or just scribble for a few seconds and want to move on to something else. Be patient and try again, offering her large pieces of paper and crayons every few days. This activity promotes hand and arm muscle control and hand-eye coordina-tion. This activity may also promote self-esteem by giving your baby a sense of accomplish-ment.

While childproofing your kitchen, leave one lower cupboard open. Fill it with Tupperware, plastic lids, containers, or wooden spoons. Show your baby that he can use this space and en-courage him to open and close the cupboard, bang lids together, or make towers with similar objects.

In the bathtub offer your child different containers so she can fill them with water and pour it out again. Out of the bathtub you can also use sand, rice, or dried beans.

Several household objects can be used as learning tools. Save an empty coffee can. Make sure that there are no sharp edges and cover the can with wrapping paper or construction pa-per. Collect several lids and cut out different shapes in the lids such as a ball shape or a block shape. Encourage your baby to put the ball in the hole or the block in the square cut out.

Within the next few months, your baby may begin to stack objects. You can encourage this development by playing with stacking rings, showing him how to remove the rings, and then stacking them on the base again. You can also use Mega Blocks (very large legos) and show him how to take them apart or put them together. Let your baby play with these objects.

Printing of this curriculum is courtesy of the Affinity Health system

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Gross Motor activities Throwing a ball Throwing underhand while sitting: Start with a larger ball that your child can learn to roll forward with both hands. You can start to decrease the size. Your child will learn how to roll a ball small enough to hold in one hand. You can use a tennis ball, sponge, plastic ball, crumpled paper, rolled up socks, bean bags, or yarn balls. • Hold a small ball with an overhand grasp when you offer a ball to your child. Your child is more likely

to take it with an underhand grasp. • Have your child throw balls from different sitting positions. Examples are sitting on a chair, your

lap, crossed legs, and straight legs. • Offer your child balls to his left hand and right hand. This will allow the child to practice with both

hands. • If your child is having difficulty with throwing the ball forward, try guiding his arm through the movements. • Set up a close “target” for your child to throw toward. Some examples are to set up blocks or milk

cartons to knock over. Take turns with your child throwing the ball. This will keep the activity interesting. Trying to Run Your child will run using alternating feet. One foot will always be on the ground. As a parent you will notice that your child’s body is upright and stiff. Your child may also have her eyes fixed on the ground. Activities • You can hold your child’s hands and help her run. • To encourage running you can play chasing games. For example you can say “I’m gonna get you!” and

catch her for a hug. • Have your child go up inclines and run down. This will encourage your child to use a rapid walk/run. • You can have your child run after a wind-up toy or a remote control car. Encouraging Balance Having your child practice balance helps prevent falls. Balance reactions allow children to carry objects while walking. Activities • Put some music on and dance with your child. Help your child by supporting his hips and gently rock

him from side to side. This will enable him to shift his weight from one leg to another. • Let your child try standing and walking on a waterbed, air mattress or other soft mattress. Note: al-

ways stay near your child to catch him. • Encourage your child to throw a ball to you while standing up. • While holding your child’s hand, have him attempt walking along a wide curb or board. • Have your child try to kick a large ball to practice his balance. • Show your child how to squat. Hold his hands and show him how to squat down. While you are moving up and down chant; “Bend our knees and down we go All the way to the floor. Up, up, up, we stand up tall, And now we squat some more.”

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1. Set limits: Know how many hours of television your children watch. Don’t be afraid to reduce the number of hours your children watch TV. Television is se-ductive.

Establishing good habits for your children is worth the effort. Television watching is often more habit than choice. Encourage alternative activities such as sports, games, chores, reading, conversation, or hobbies. You can help by joining your children in these activities. 2. Plan which programs your child will watch: Select programs that feature children in your child’s age range. Try to balance action, comedy, fine arts, and sports. Don’t reward or withhold television in order to punish. Such practices make television viewing seem even more important. 3. Participate: Watch with your children and talk about the programs. Follow up interesting programs with library books. By discussing the violence shown on TV parents can lessen its impact. You can keep track of the television shows that your child watches. Name of show length of show Mon. Tue. Wed. Thur. Fri. Sat. Sun.

Guidelines For Parents

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Finger-and Water painting: What to paint with: Your child can use her hands. You can have your child use flat bristled brushes (5-6 inches long), that have nylon hairs and thick stubby handles. You can also have your child use empty deodorant bottles and rollers, squeeze bottles, dishwashing pompoms, rollers, spray bottles, and cotton swabs. What to paint on: Get different shapes and sizes of paper. Big paper allows your child to make broad pumping motions. Papers you may use are newsprint, computer paper, paper grocery bags, paper towels, wallpaper, paper plates and plastic doilies. Make sure you cover the table with a table cloth or a big piece of paper. Your child probably will prefer to paint sitting on the floor or standing at a table. What to draw with: Collect jumbo crayons, jumbo chalk, water-based markers, soap crayons, and scrib-ble wafers. What to draw on: Get papers that are different sizes and shapes. The paper can be wrinkled, smooth, dry and wet. Your child can use chalk on sidewalks and blacktop outside. Your child can also draw on construction paper, oatmeal paper, and sandpaper. What to mold with: Have your child mold with oily and easy squeeze dough. You can introduce other materials and textures as the child gets used to the oily dough. There are many recipes for children who put everything in their mouth.

Finger paint for one 3 cups liquid starch such as Vano 1 tablespoon powdered tempera (any color) Use a tongue depressor to mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Transfer to a squeezable bottle Soap Crayons 1 cup soap flakes such as Ivory Flakes 1/8 cup water 3 drops food coloring of choice Grease plastic ice cube tray or Popsicle molds With shortening or Pam. Mix ingre- dients together in a bowl. Pour into tray or molds. Allow time to harden. Pop out.

Scribble Wafers Ingredients: Stubs of old crayons 1. Preheat oven to 350 and then turn off. 2. Sort crayon stubs by color. 3. Remove papers. 4. Place crayons by color in separate sections of a muffin

tin. 5. Place muffin tin in oven. 6. When wax is completely melted, remove pan from oven

and let cool. 7. Release shiny, waxed wafers. Cloud Dough 6 cups flour 1 cup salad oil Water to bind (approximately 1 cup) Knead ingredients together. Final product will feel oily and very smooth. Store in an airtight container.

Information adapted by The Creative Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers; Authors Amy Laura Dombro, Laura J. Colker and Diane Trister Dodge