Development at 19 Months
Click for more details:
Activity 1
Age Appropriate Social Development
Experiences a Strong Sense of Self Importance
 I am rather ego-centric at this age. You will see me try to be the center of attention because it makes me feel good about myself. While I may appear spoiled and selfish, I need to go through this stage to know my place in this world. So please be patient with me. Let me find my own ways in solving the problems. But also draw some limits with me. You will notice this "me" stage emerge when I am 18 to 24 months old. |
Steps
Feedback 1
It is perfectly fine for your child to behave like this. In fact, this is an important stage in developing into an independent and confident person later on in life.
Here are some guidelines in drawing limits with your child and in managing his independence:
|
-
Decide which situations you can or cannot allow the child to control. E.g. Wanting his way in the playground is OK. But insisting his way out of regular eating and bath times are not, unless for exceptional reasons
-
Give him creative choices for something he does not like doing. E.g. "Does Sammy want to bathe with Winnie The Pooh or bathe with Barney". But he will still have to bathe.
-
Allow independence and control in the way he plays. E.g. if he makes his robot machines fight, it's OK. He may be replaying scenes from the television.
-
Acknowledge his feelings even when he has difficulty accepting your rules. E.g. "Sammy is angry. Sammy still has to bathe".
-
Distract your child out of his foul mood by kidding him out of it. You can use some distracters like toys.
-
If your child purposely throws a lasting tantrum (more than 30 min) to control his environment and there are no tears, he may be trying to manipulate your response to him. You should ignore him and the behavior, i.e. don't talk, look, smile or try to comfort him. Look calm and emotionless, and maybe leave the room for a while. You can approach him when he calms down. Behave as if nothing has happened and DO NOT give him whatever he threw the tantrum for. Consistently doing this will teach him the appropriate behaviors.
|
|
Feedback 2
On the other hand, if your child appears to be quite easy going and does not seem to assert his will on too many situations, that is wonderful too! Even though his personality seems good natured, try to encourage his confidence in some areas and to decrease his despendence on you. An over protected environment may not be healthy as he does not learn to master what is around him. Do give him opportunities to gain mastery of his environment and development of self confidence appropriately. Look at some of the ideas in helping your child assert himself appropriately.
|
-
To give your child an appropriate sense of self-importance, set aside a place for him to place his property. Now, he has a place to call his own and this may help him develop good habits of tidying up after play, etc. By respecting his toys, clothes, shoes, and setting aside a physical space for them, your child will learn that he can start taking care of his own things.
-
If your child is engaging in play with his peer, initiate by suggesting that he gives another toy, unused or old, to the other child. Praise any positive responses.
-
Facilitate his gesturing to a peer whenever he wants a toy. Help him to persist in asking by tapping the peer or pointing, etc. Initially he may need your help but eventually you should decrease your assistance and let him get something he wants by himself.
|
|
Activity 2
Age Appropriate Gross Motor Development
Uses Feet to Move a Toy Vehicle
 I am learning how to 'drive'! Observe if I am able to sit on a toy vehicle with wheels and push myself around on it using my feet. I usually develop this ability when I am between 18 and 24 months old |
Steps
Feedback
Your child is developing good motor coordination and planning skills in this task! As your child learns to steer himself around, he will also be developing his spatial awareness and judgment abilities. You may look at the suggested activities for more ideas with this task.
|
-
Provide your child with lots of opportunities to play on toy vehicles. Bring him to a park so that he will need to learn to stay on a designated path. This will challenge his steering skills!
-
You may also make his 'vehicle riding' more challenging by going over uneven surfaces such as grass or sand.
-
You may also let him ferry some toys which will add weight to his vehicle and make it more challenging!
-
If your child has difficulty maintaining his balance during this activity, try adding some back support and a strap around his waist to provide more stability for his trunk. Gradually reduce these supports as his balance improves.
-
You may need to demonstrate the movement pattern of the feet for your child to imitate. Encourage your child to use his feet together to move the vehicle. If he is able to do so, gradually progress to alternate feet movement.
|
|
|
