Teddy Says

Prep: None / Activity Time: 5-10 Minutes

A fun way to see that your toddler really is learning a lot of language is to play games where he can show off all of the words he understands but cannot yet say.

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Let Me Add to That

Prep: None / Activity Time: 3-4 Minutes

At this age, most babies say their first words. Expand his one-word responses by stretching it into a sentence. Go a step further by making up a story, rhyme or song that has to do with your baby’s new favorite word!

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What’s This? What’s That?

Prep: None / Activity Time: 4-5 Minutes

By about 12 to 14 months, your baby will begin to recognize the names of things she sees or experiences each day. Those words become part of her receptive vocabulary. In this activity, you and your baby will explore a room of your home while you name the items, describe them and talk about them.

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Turn up the Volume on Learning New Words!

Prep: None / Activity Time: 4-5 Minutes

Language can be presented to babies through talking or through singing. Some babies love to hear the same songs over and over again. In this activity, babies can become familiar with new vocabulary while listening to their favorite tunes.

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Touch the Page

Prep: 5 Minutes / Activity Time: 5-7 Minutes

Your child at this age may begin to isolate fingers to perform different tasks and finger isolation helps your child develop fine motor and eye-hand coordination and increases strength in fingers for drawing and writing.

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Crumple and Tear

Prep: 5 Minutes / Activity Time: 5-7 Minutes

Your child at this age may begin to isolate fingers to perform different tasks. A fun activity to help your child work on the fine motor muscles needed to use for writing and drawing is ripping and tearing up magazines and/or paper.

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Making Marks

Prep: 10 Minutes / Activity Time: 5-7 Minutes

Your child at this stage of beginning writing may be starting to favor the use of one hand. When offered markers or crayons, your toddler can begin to scribble or make marks, which will eventually turn into letters.

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Where’s Your Nose?

Prep: None / Activity Time: 4-5 Minutes

Your toddler is probably beginning to notice his facial features. Tap into this budding curiosity by creating quick games that encourage a focus on each facial feature and how together they create a whole face.

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Sorting Shapes

Prep: 10 Minutes / Activity Time: 4-5 Minutes

Playing with shapes prepares your baby for future letter learning. Discovering and exploring curves, lines, sticks and corners will pave the way for eventually recognizing and remembering letter shapes.

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