Pregnancy And Baby Care Toddler Development Toddler Social Development

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...faces around them. They stop crying when they see a face or hear a sound, and begin to smile at others. They also gurgle, babble, coo and laugh aloud.

• From 4 to 6 months, babies are able to follow objects with their eyes. They learn to distinguish where sounds are coming from and turn their heads to locate it. They reach out their hands to grasp objects, and begin to grasp their feet and bring them to their mouth.
• From 6 to 12 months, babies learn to recognize familiar people and show fear of strangers or strange places. They react to social disapproval by pouting or crying and to approval by smiling or laughing. They can now play simple social games like ‘bye-bye’ or ‘peek-a-boo’.
• From 12 to 18 months, they recognize and respond to their own names. They can obey simple commands like ‘sit’, ‘look’ or ‘come here’. They can point to body parts or a few common objects around them. They can also play games involving rocking, bouncing or rolling.
• From 18 to 24 months, they like to look at picture books and listen to stories. They begin to play with toys and have certain favorite dolls or soft toys. They still relate better to adults than to children and begin to play a few interactive games like tag, but they still prefer solitary play.
• From 24 to 36 months, they indulge in what is termed ‘parallel play’, that is, they may sit next to other children of their own age, and play with the same toys, but they will actually play on their own. They also watch the other baby and sometimes imitate what they are doing. This is because they still don’t have the social skills which are needed for interactive play. Parallel play is an important part of growing up, since it is a bridge for getting into interactive group play.
• By 36 months, they like to listen to stories, acquire more language skills and can express their needs and desires better. They also learn the concept of sharing and cooperation, and engage in group play and activities.
• Between the age of 1 and 3, some toddlers have temper tantrums. This is usually a display of strong emotions, mostly because children of that age still cannot express what they want. It is best to be firm with them, and either ignore the tantrum or distract their attention.