19-24 Months: Enhancing Toddler Skills

Introduction

Enhancing toddler skills during the 19-24 months stage is crucial for their development.

Key skills to focus on include language, motor, social, and cognitive skills.

This blog post provides an outline of the importance of enhancing toddler skills and what skills to focus on.

Importance of enhancing toddler skills during the 19-24 months stage

Enhancing toddler skills during this stage is essential for their overall development and future success.

Toddlers rapidly learn and acquire new skills, making it an opportune time to enhance their abilities.

By focusing on specific skills, parents and caregivers can foster a solid foundation for their child’s growth.

Key skills to focus on

1. Language skills: Encourage toddlers to expand their vocabulary by engaging in conversations, reading books, and singing songs together.
   
   
2. Motor skills: Support the development of fine motor skills through activities such as drawing, stacking blocks, and puzzles.
   
   
3. Social skills: Promote social interaction by facilitating playdates, encouraging sharing, and teaching empathy.
   
   
4. Cognitive skills: Stimulate cognitive abilities by introducing educational toys, problem-solving tasks, and imaginative play.

In essence, enhancing toddler skills during the 19-24 months stage is crucial for their development.

By focusing on key skills such as language, motor, social, and cognitive abilities, parents and caregivers can support their child’s growth and future success.

Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills development during this stage

This gross motor skills refer to the development of large muscle groups, allowing toddlers to perform physical activities such as walking, running, climbing, and jumping.

These skills are essential for their overall physical development.

Activities to enhance gross motor skills

1. Walking and balancing exercises: Encourage your toddler to practice walking and balancing by setting up safe walking spaces at home or outdoors.
   
   These exercises improve their coordination and strengthen leg muscles.
   
   
2. Climbing and crawling games: Set up a safe and supervised area where your toddler can climb over cushions, crawl through tunnels, and navigate low obstacles.
   
   These activities enhance their upper body strength and coordination.
   
   
3. Using ride-on toys and tricycles: Provide ride-on toys or tricycles suitable for their age and size.
   
   These toys help in improving their balance, coordination, and overall motor skills while having fun.

By engaging in these activities, your toddler can develop their gross motor skills to a greater extent.

Read: 13-18 Months: Toddler Growth Milestones

Fine Motor Skills

Explanation of fine motor skills development during this stage

Fine motor skills involve the coordination of small muscles in the hands and fingers.

Between the ages of 19-24 months, toddlers continue to refine and enhance their fine motor skills, enabling them to perform more precise and controlled movements.

During this stage, toddlers develop the ability to use their hands and fingers with increased dexterity and control.

They start gaining the skills necessary for activities such as drawing, stacking objects, and feeding themselves.

The development of fine motor skills is crucial as it lays the foundation for various essential tasks in the future, including writing, eating independently, and dressing themselves.

Activities to enhance fine motor skills

Practice with building blocks and puzzles

Building blocks and puzzles provide excellent opportunities for toddlers to refine their fine motor skills.

Encourage your toddler to stack blocks, fit puzzle pieces together, and manipulate smaller objects like Legos.

These activities help improve hand-eye coordination, finger strength, and problem-solving abilities.

Engaging in arts and crafts

Introduce your toddler to arts and crafts activities that promote fine motor skill development.

Provide them with age-appropriate materials like crayons, markers, and finger paints.

Encourage them to scribble, draw, and create simple artwork. This promotes hand control, precision, and creativity.

Encouraging self-feeding with utensils

Allow your toddler to practice self-feeding using utensils. Provide them with child-sized spoons and forks, and give them opportunities to feed themselves.

Although it might be messy at first, this activity helps improve hand-eye coordination, grip strength, and enhances their ability to manipulate objects in a controlled manner.

Stringing beads or pasta

Stringing beads or pasta onto a string is another activity that enhances fine motor skills.

It requires precise finger movements and hand-eye coordination. Provide your toddler with large beads or penne pasta and a string.

Demonstrate the process, and then let them explore and create their own patterns.

Playdough and clay

Provide your toddler with playdough or clay and let them squeeze, shape, and mold it. This activity strengthens hand muscles and improves hand control.

They can also use various tools, such as rolling pins and cookie cutters, to enhance their creativity and coordination.

Pincer grasp activities

Pincer grasp is an important fine motor skill that involves picking up objects using the thumb and index finger.

Encourage your toddler to practice this skill by providing activities like transferring small objects from one container to another using kitchen tongs or tweezers.

Water play with small cups and containers

Fill a basin or sink with water and provide your toddler with small cups and containers.

They can practice pouring water from one container to another, which helps in refining hand movements and hand-eye coordination.

Sticker play

Peeling stickers and placing them on a surface is an enjoyable fine motor activity for toddlers.

It requires finger control and precision. Provide your toddler with sticker sheets and let them explore sticking them onto paper or other appropriate surfaces.

Finger painting

Engage your toddler in finger painting activities using non-toxic paints. This helps refine finger movements, hand-eye coordination, and creativity.

Let them experiment with different colors and movements to create their own masterpieces.

Remember that every child develops at their own pace, so it is important to provide a variety of activities and materials to support their fine motor skill development.

Encouragement and patience are key as they navigate through this exciting stage of growth.

Read: Safe Baby Cribs for Nigerian Homes

Communication Skills

Communication skills development during this stage

Toddlers between 19 to 24 months experience significant growth in their communication skills.

At this stage, they begin to understand and use more words, and their ability to express themselves improves.

During this period, toddlers become more aware of their surroundings and start recognizing objects, people, and actions.

They also develop a better understanding of simple instructions and can follow them.

Furthermore, their vocabulary expands rapidly, and they begin to combine words to form short phrases or simple sentences.

They start to comprehend basic questions and respond with appropriate answers.

Activities to enhance communication skills

Encouraging vocabulary expansion through conversations and reading

Talking to your toddler frequently and using a variety of words helps them learn new words and understand their meanings.

Engage in conversations about their day, naming objects, describing actions, and discussing simple concepts.

Reading books is another effective way to enhance your toddler’s vocabulary. Choose age-appropriate books with colorful pictures and simple texts.

Point out objects and name them while reading. Ask questions about the story and encourage your toddler to participate.

Playing interactive games that involve naming objects and actions

Engage your toddler in games where they have to name objects and actions.

For example, play “I Spy” by taking turns to choose an object in the room and giving hints for them to guess.

This game promotes their observational skills and expands their vocabulary.

You can also play games like “Simon Says” to encourage following instructions and improve their listening skills.

Use simple commands such as “touch your nose” or “clap your hands.” This activity helps them understand and respond to different actions.

Using gestures and simple sign language for effective communication

Teaching your toddler simple gestures or signs can enhance their communication abilities. For instance, teach them the sign for “more,” “please,” and “thank you.”

This empowers them to express their needs and manners effectively, even before they acquire full verbal skills.

Using gestures like pointing and nodding also helps toddlers communicate their desires or preferences.

Encourage them to point at objects they want or nod for approval. Respond positively when they correctly convey their intentions, reinforcing their communication efforts.

Overall, during the 19-24 months stage, toddlers go through significant development in their communication skills.

By engaging in activities that focus on vocabulary expansion, interactive naming games, and incorporating gestures and signs, parents can play a crucial role in enhancing their toddler’s communication abilities.

Read: Baby’s First Year: Vaccination Guide in Nigeria

Cognitive Skills

Cognitive skills development during this stage

1. Toddlers between 19-24 months are rapidly developing their cognitive skills.
   
   
2. They become more curious and interested in exploring their surroundings.
   
   
3. Their memory and attention span start to improve.
   
   
4. They begin to understand and follow simple instructions.
   
   
5. Problem-solving abilities also start to develop at this stage.

Activities to enhance cognitive skills

Introducing sorting and matching activities

1. Provide your toddler with different objects or toys and teach them to sort them based on color, shape, or size.
   
   
2. Encourage them to match similar objects together to develop their categorization skills.

Playing memory games and puzzles

1. Engage your toddler in memory games by showing them a set of objects and asking them to recall them.
   
   
2. Introduce simple puzzles with larger pieces to improve their problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination.

Engaging in pretend play and imaginative activities

1. Provide your toddler with dolls, stuffed animals, or kitchen sets to encourage pretend play.
   
   
2. Let them use their imagination and creativity to act out different scenarios or roles.
   
   
3. Through pretend play, toddlers develop their cognitive skills, language abilities, and social interaction.

These activities promote cognitive development by stimulating critical thinking, memory retention, and problem-solving abilities in toddlers.

By introducing sorting and matching activities, toddlers learn to categorize objects and understand various attributes, which enhances their cognitive abilities.

Memory games and puzzles help improve their memory retention and concentration, allowing them to recall information and solve problems.

Pretend play and imaginative activities foster creativity and critical thinking as toddlers engage in role-playing and create their own narratives.

During this developmental stage, parents and caregivers play a crucial role in providing the necessary tools and opportunities for cognitive development.

Engaging in interactive activities with toddlers not only enhances their cognitive skills but also strengthens the parent-child bond.

It is important to choose age-appropriate activities that are challenging yet achievable for toddlers.

Observe your child’s interests and preferences to tailor the activities to their specific needs and optimize their cognitive growth.

Remember to provide a safe and supportive environment where toddlers can freely explore and experiment.

Positive reinforcement and praise are vital to boost their confidence and motivation during these cognitive development activities.

By actively participating in these activities, parents and caregivers promote holistic development and ensure toddlers reach their cognitive milestones.

Cognitive skills play a significant role in a child’s overall development, supporting their academic achievements and future cognitive abilities.

Through consistent engagement in stimulating activities, toddlers are empowered to become confident learners, problem solvers, and critical thinkers.

Read: 10-12 Months: Preparing for Baby’s First Steps

Social Skills

Social skills development during this stage

During 19-24 months, toddlers begin to develop important social skills that will lay the foundation for their future interactions.

They become more aware of others and start to engage in basic social exchanges.

Activities to enhance social skills

To help toddlers enhance their social skills, various activities can be implemented.

These activities promote social interaction and encourage cooperation and communication.

1. Encouraging parallel play with peers: Parallel play is when toddlers play alongside each other, but not necessarily together.
   
   This helps them observe and learn from their peers, developing social awareness and the ability to share space.
   
   
2. Teaching sharing and turn-taking: Sharing and turn-taking are crucial skills for toddlers to learn.
   
   Encourage them to take turns with toys or engage in activities that require sharing, teaching them patience and cooperation.
   
   
3. Engaging in group activities and classes: Participating in group activities and classes allows toddlers to interact with other children their age, promoting socialization, teamwork, and the ability to follow instructions.

By engaging in these activities, toddlers can enhance their social skills by learning to communicate, share, and cooperate with others.

It is important to provide them with ample opportunities to practice and reinforce these skills.

During the 19-24 month stage, toddlers start to develop important social skills that will shape their interactions with others.

By encouraging parallel play, teaching sharing and turn-taking, and engaging in group activities, parents and caregivers can support the development of these skills.

Providing a nurturing and stimulating social environment is essential for toddlers to thrive socially.

Emotional Skills

Emotional skills development during this stage

At 19-24 months, toddlers start to develop their emotional skills.

They become more aware of their own emotions and begin to recognize and understand emotions in others.

They also begin to learn how to regulate their emotions and express them in appropriate ways.

Activities to enhance emotional skills

1. Promoting self-regulation and emotional expression: Provide toddlers with opportunities to practice self-regulation by giving them choices and allowing them to have some control over their environment.
   
   Encourage them to express their emotions through words, gestures, or other non-verbal cues.
   
   
2. Teaching empathy and understanding emotions in others: Engage toddlers in activities that help them recognize and understand different emotions.
   
   Use picture books or puppets to demonstrate various emotions and discuss them with the toddlers. Encourage them to identify emotions in themselves and others.
   
   
3. Creating a safe and supportive environment for emotional development: Ensure that the environment is safe and predictable for toddlers.
   
   Provide a consistent daily routine and establish clear rules and boundaries. Create a nurturing and supportive atmosphere where toddlers feel secure to explore and express their emotions freely.

By engaging in these activities, toddlers can develop their emotional skills, which are crucial for their overall well-being and future social interactions.

Conclusion

Recap of key points covered in the blog post

1. Toddlers aged 19-24 months are going through a critical period of development.
   
   
2. Language skills are rapidly improving during this stage, with a vocabulary growth of up to 200 words.
   
   
3. Toddlers begin to show an interest in pretend play and imitating the actions of others.
   
   
4. Gross motor skills, such as running, climbing, and jumping, are developing at a fast pace.
   
   
5. Fine motor skills, such as using utensils, turning pages, and stacking blocks, are improving.
   
   
6. Social skills are emerging, as toddlers start to show empathy, share toys, and interact with peers.
   
   
7. It’s important for parents to provide a supportive environment that encourages exploration and learning.

Encouragement to engage in various activities to enhance toddler skills during the 19-24 months stage

Encourage language development by talking, singing, and reading to your toddler every day.

Provide opportunities for pretend play, such as using toy kitchen sets or dress-up costumes.

Engage in physical activities together, like going to the playground or dancing to music.

Offer a variety of toys that promote fine motor skills, such as puzzles or shape sorters.

Arrange playdates with other toddlers to foster social interaction and sharing.

Final thoughts and considerations for parents

Every child develops at their own pace, so don’t compare your toddler to others.

Be patient and supportive as they navigate new skills and challenges.

Remember that the most important thing is to create a loving and nurturing environment for your toddler.

By providing the right stimulation and encouragement, you can help your toddler thrive during this crucial stage of development.