Category: 12 to 18 months

Baby’s Poem

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If your baby has older siblings, then he or she is likely eager for the day when a baby brother or sister can truly talk. Help keep things amusing in the meantime with this cute, family-friendly activity.

Make a list of the words your baby can say so far. For Veronika, this is a mix of vocalizations and baby signs, and she’s picked up some funny first ones. On our list we had:

  • diaper
  • cat
  • socks
  • tickle
  • bus
  • mama
  • dada

Big brother Travis loved brainstorming the list, adding the “ta ta” that she says for Travis.

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Now it was time to turn her words into a poem! Take turns as family members adding sentences. I started things off on a silly note with:

“The cat in socks likes to tickle the bus.”

Travis immediately latched on and added:

“The bus got to tickle the cat.”

Our poem ended with:

“Veronika put a diaper on ta ta

And mama and dada took it off.”

As you can see, there are no rules and no need to rhyme. But it had Travis laughing, had all of us marveling at the words she can say already, and now has us excited for what word comes next.

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What was your baby’s first word? Please share in the comments!

 

Who Says MOOO?

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Here’s an easy variation on teaching animal sounds to your little one. Print out brightly colored pictures of a few favorite animals (or cut them from children’s magazines) and have them laminated.

Now you have the perfect “flash cards” for having fun with sounds.

Veronika knows and copies two of these already: cat:meow and dog:woof, so I showed her these cards first.

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She loved the cat image so much she hugged it and didn’t want to put it down.

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The dog got her experimental “ffff” sound, plus silly play.

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When I showed her the cow and asked,”Who says moooooo?” in a loud imitation, she looked up at me in delight. She’d never heard such a long moo. I think she even tried to vocalize it back.

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We also went through a few common animals like horse:neigh, pig:oink and sheep:baa.

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The cards themselves were a delight to her, so we’ll keep these around for lots of play and learning!

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Give Me

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One great concept to work on with babies around age one is give and take. For this simple game, I just wanted to see if Veronika could mirror my action of handing over a toy when asked.

I thought it might be easiest to use toys all of one type, so picked a set of nesting boxes to start. Working with 1 box, I sat facing Veronika and said, “Mommy is giving you box.”

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Well, she was happy to take it! But these days she’s very proud of her nesting and stacking skills, so when I asked, “Can you give the box back to mama?” she was busily nesting it into another box instead.

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I tried several variations, first clearing the other boxes from the space. But then she only wanted to nest other toys inside a box. Next I tried a grocery food set. Again, she was happy to take a toy…

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…but now she wanted to helpfully put the fruits into their grocery basket. Can’t argue with teaching her to clean up!

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So this was a great reminder that Veronika isn’t yet understanding the directive to “please give me X”.  It’s one we’ll keep working on!

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Step on Texture

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Veronika is walking! Okay, maybe my girl can’t do so on her own yet, but holding on to her dolly stroller, nothing stands in her way.

To add some sensory fun to her new-found ability, I laid down a texture obstacle course for her today. Gather up a variety of different materials in your house and lay them in a line on the floor. Beginning walkers can simply toddle across. For Veronika, I set up her stroller at one end, and she instantly began pushing her way across.

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There was a soft fluffy blanket to start…

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…and then her little feet passed onto the nubby texture of a rubber floor mat.

I added in variety with cozy flannel and a velvet-like dress-up cape.

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Perhaps most surprising for her little feet was a sequined dress at the end.

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She sat down and let her little toes play on this one!

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If your child is already talking, encourage him or her to describe how each material feels. For Veronika, I simply narrated as she walked. Off she goes!

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Bathroom Exploration

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You might think of the bathroom as a fairly boring room, but for your baby, it’s fascinating. Just think of all the things to hear, touch, and see! Today, I set aside some time just to explore the room with Veronika.

We started with toothpaste of course, because that tube just begs to be squeezed. I set out a layer of paper towels so she could do this with no mess, and then we squeezed onto an old toothbrush. Let your baby smell the minty scent or feel the toothbrush bristles.

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Next I sat her on the counter. Of course there’s the fun of mirror reflections. She’s learning to wave, so loved saying hello to the baby in the mirror! I let her choose objects to touch, including soft tissues to pull from the box.

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Then I washed her hands under warm running water. Rub-a-dub-dub! Rinse off and towel dry for that nice sensation.

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Next up: the shower! Turn on the water, either in a shower or tub. We watched the water swirl down the drain together.

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And now the most splashy fun of all: flush the toilet a couple of times. She was entranced watching the water swirl down, even though the noise startled her a little.

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In sum, your baby will find delight in even the most mundane parts of the house. This turned out to be a great sensory experience.

Decorating Pancakes

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Anyone who follows this blog knows I love to cook with my kids, and I firmly believe in getting kids into the kitchen from the earliest age. It’s truly never too early; today Veronika helped me decorate pancakes, and she’s not quite 13 months old!

Okay, technically this was more of a sensory play activity than a real recipe, but we sure had fun. First, I whipped up a batch of pancakes. You can make some from scratch with your favorite recipe, but I took a shortcake with Cherrybrook Kitchen’s vegan and gluten-free mix. Veronika loved playing with extra measuring cups while I mixed the batter.

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For extra learning, I cooked the pancakes in heart- and star-shaped molds so I could talk about shapes with Veronika. Regular circles are just fine too, though!

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I set the pancakes down on the floor on paper plates along with a few pouches of baby food. Look for bright colors like pinks and reds for this activity.

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Veronika only needed me to demonstrate once before she was eagerly “decorating” her pancakes. She proudly pressed the spout of the pouch down on the pancakes, and I think even tried to say “squeeeeze” back to me.

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Of course there was the necessary tasting, too. Veronika: meet pancake.

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And the pouch itself got a sip or two.

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I had fun decorating right alongside her, creating a make-believe bakery game.

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When you’re done, you have breakfast or snack built right in to your day. Or if the pancakes get very mushy from all that baby food on top, just consider this a sensory play activity and it’s still a win-win.

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Even the wax paper we had on the floor for easy clean-up was fun!

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You’ll notice that I had Veronika do the activity without a shirt, which seemed the safest way to avoid stains. Plus, I love that little buddha belly these days!

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Do I Have a Story For You

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Veronika will not sit still for storytime, despite enticements like forts and cozy nooks; if your one-year-old is anything like mine, then you probably end up reading a book out loud while he or she scoots off to play!

So I’ve been looking for creative ways to weave storyteling into our day; it’s been a fantastic reminder that stories aren’t just in book. There is oral storytelling, too.

Take a day and practice using the moments around you as prompts for stories. Chances are you have lots of them stored in your memory, of things that have happened to you, whether factual or embellished. The more you dig, the easier this activity gets.

For example, the rain this morning had me remembering the time I ran through the streets of a French town in a warm summer rain to make it back to my hotel.

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I told her the story as we drove, and she soon was babbling back. The point isn’t for your baby to understand the words, but to share these experiences and practice listening to language.

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At the library, we paused before a mini diorama. I could use this to start a make-believe story of what was happening in the room… and also tell her the story of how I remembered looking at the same diorama as a little girl.

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Quilts have stories that will stir your memories…

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….and toys have stories that will stir your memories. How about that time I had a party at a pizza parlor when I was six!

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In fact after a day of consciously doing this activity I loved it so much that I hope to make it a ritual as we drive in the car!

 

Make Sunrise Special

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I’m an extreme early bird, and yet even I want to pull the covers over my head sometimes on cold mornings when my kids are up before sunrise. Those covers sure look inviting for just a little extra snuggle time!

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But I want to start the day on the right foot for my little ones, so I have a few tricks to make sunrise special. These little routines not only help me wake up, but also help them start the day on the proverbial right side of the bed.

Step 1: Open the curtains. Let in the light, even if it’s a tiny bit! Watch the light change from deep blue to pale gray, until pink and orange are in the sky. Plus, curtains are fun; Veronika never tires of running her hands up and down the slats, so that has become part of our morning ritual.

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Step 2: Have a dance party. You can’t go wrong with a light-up speaker and music while mommy puts in her contact lenses.

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Step 3: Listen to a sunrise chant. Tune in to a beautiful Native American sunrise prayer on YouTube and have these sounds in the background as the room moves from dark to light.

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Step 4: Have a special breakfast. “Special” doesn’t mean a complicated recipe (here’s Veronika having some almond milk yogurt and waffles); it just means sitting down together and taking a pause, even when you have to get everyone dressed and ready for the day.

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Step 5: Get moving! If it’s warm enough, go outside for a stroll. If it’s cold, be silly and have a sunrise stroll indoors!

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Older kids may also love reading stories or myths about the sun, which you can weave into breakfast time.

How do you make sunrise special? Please share in the comments!

String of Floaters

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It’s never too early to introduce a little science at tub time! Older toddlers will love experimenting with what sinks and what floats, and perhaps understanding a little bit of why. But for my one-year-old tonight, this activity was more about delighting with the visual of flotation!

Gather items around the house that float: corks, Styrofoam, and wooden beads are all perfect. I strung these items together in one big line. Now it was ready to be a boat!

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Veronika loved towing the items along, running her fingers over each of the different materials and dragging them through the water.

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I also cut a sponge into a few different shapes, like rectangles, diamonds, and triangles, and added these pieces to the tub.

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Veronika loved grabbing the sponges and discovering she could squeeze them. Then she began scrubbing at the Styrofoam with the sponge pieces; cleaning and learning, what a double win!

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We will definitely get good mileage out of this homemade tub toy. As always, make sure water play is 100% supervised.

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Walk Like a Wheelbarrow

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If you’re from a certain generation, chances are you remember wheelbarrow races in the backyard as a kid! It’s a classic that never grows old, even with little babies.

Back when she was learning to crawl, I propped Veronika up slightly with a towel for a sort of modified wheelbarrow. Now, she can fully support herself on her arms, and I turned it into a silly game to reach her stuffed animals.

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Those stuffed animals had her motivated! It took her a moment of hesitation, but once I had her palms on the ground and her ankles in my hands, she began walking her little hands forward. What a great strength-training exercise!

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And she had three soft friends waiting to play at the end of the race.

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