Ages 15-18 Months

Communication Skills

• Points to pictures you name
• Can point to basic body parts and clothing items
• Finds familiar objects not in sight
• Says 4-6 simple words
• Uses words and gestures to meet needs/wants
• Asks for “more”

Fine Motor Skills

•  Holds crayon with whole hand, thumb up
• Turns knobs
• Turns pages in a book, a few at a time
• Carries objects in both hands, likes to try to carry
  large objects

Gross Motor Skills

•  Loves to climb stairs, on furniture, out of crib
• Throws a ball forward
• Can run a little and learning to walk backwards

Personal Social Skills

• Likes lots of attention, easily entertained
• Can be self-centered and often not friendly
• Can recognize self in mirror or photograph
• Expresses negative emotions (anger)
• Is becoming more social with others

Problem Solving Skills

• Likes to take things apart
• Tries a number of things to activate toy; turns,
  bangs, pushes buttons
• Completes simple 2-3 large piece puzzles
• Attention span is short—child will stay with
  activities for brief periods of time
• Helping with routine activities is increasing

Communication Activities

•  Repeat words your child says and add a little extra
• Listen to what your child is trying to say, treat what
  he/she says as an attempt to communicate
• Name items of clothing as you dress your child
• Make a word book with pictures of familiar people/
  items

Fine Motor Activities

• Use empty food boxes as blocks to stack, you can fill
  with paper and tape shut to make sturdy
• Provide blank drawing paper to explore with various
  sizes of crayons, pens, markers, and paints
• Make instant pudding together, allowing child to
  dump and pour, can be eaten and used for finger
  painting
• Teach blowing bubbles and popping with fingers
• Use a wide paint brush and a bowl of water to “paint”
  house, fence, porch

Gross Motor Activities

• Playground equipment is a great opportunity to
  practice and develop large muscles
• With your help, practice walking up and down steps
• Make your own bowling game using empty bottles
  and tennis balls
• Practice jumping up, getting both feet off the floor
• Provide laundry baskets and balls to throw ball into

Personal Social and Problem Solving Activities

• Trips to parks are good ways to begin practicing
  interacting with other children
• Playing “dress up” with clothes gives practice for
  dressing and undressing self
• Provide a variety of toys that require child to cause
  an action
• Encourage play with puzzles, may prefer the puzzles
  with knobs which are easier to grip
• Play “pretend” with a stuffed animal or doll, take
  turns feeding, rocking