Development at 22 Months
Click for more details:
Activity 1
Age Appropriate Cognitive Development
Names Three Outline Pictures Of Familiar Objects
 Daddy and mummy, I can now recognize outline drawings of familiar objects. Even though they are drawn in black and white, I know that these symbols represent real things that I know. You will see me point to outline drawings of things I recognize when I am 21 to 30 months old. |
Steps
-
Show your child 3 outline picture cards. Premium members : You can login and print out the pictures under the "Tools" section.
-
Observe if he can recognize the objects in the pictures by pointing/naming.
Feedback
Your child's picture concept is progressing at this stage. From being able to recognize photos and colored pictures, he is now able to recognize line drawings. You can see how he moves along this picture concept when he recognizes himself in photographs, matches objects to colored pictures, and now even identifying objects/people in black and white outline format! This is a great achievement as this skill usually develops between 21 and 30 months.
Do not fret if your child shows some difficulty in this task now, give him and yourself more time to develop this skill in perceiving outline drawings. Do not be anxious about forcing him to rote learn outline drawings. Remember, it is very developmentally appropriate for children to see and learn from real objects, photographs and large colored pictures!
It is more important for them to make sense of the environment in order for you to encourage a healthy curiosity and learning. Pushing the child prematurely to outline drawings for most things is something the child is not ready for until a couple of years later. It may actually cause the child to lose interest in pictures altogether. Take a look at the suggested activities to encourage this skill.
|
-
Start from your child's interest. If he is fascinated with animals, make use of them to draw big black and white outline pictures. Let him color the pictures with sponge and paint and have loads of fun doing this activity.
-
Draw outlines of everyday things and let him match the colored drawing on top of it.
-
Trace the outline of objects with a paint sponge on an easel board. Have fun making and labeling what these outlines are after 2-3 tracings.
-
Bring your child to the Zoo or Bird Park. Make use of the black and white outline pictures to teach him the animals. Point out the real animals to enhance his learning.
-
Buy age appropriate sticker books that are sold in bookshops. Choose large sticker books with not more than 2 outlines a page. In these books, you may remove the pictures of animals/people/objects and paste them back into the outline. Your child can learn to recognize the item by identifying the outline.
|
|
Activity 2
Age Appropriate Fine Motor Development
Imitates Circular Scribbles
 I am learning to imitate circular scribbles! Sit beside me at the table with a piece of blank paper and some crayons. Draw some circles on the paper and observe if I am able to imitate circular scribbles. I usually develop this skill when I am between 20 and 30 months old. |
Steps
-
Sit beside your child at the table.
-
Place one sheet of blank paper and at least two crayons on the table.
-
Let your child hold a crayon and allow him to scribble for a while.
-
When you have his attention, draw a few circles on the paper.
-
Observe if he is able to imitate circular scribbles.
Feedback
Your child is developing well in his pre-writing skills, which is essential at this stage. Your child will learn to imitate simple lines and circular scribbles first. As he matures, he will learn to imitate more complex line patterns. Gradually, he will progress to copying pictures of different line patterns! These are essential foundation skills for learning to write later! You may look at the suggested activities for more ideas with this task.
|
-
Encourage your child to scribble and make circles of different sizes and color on the paper.
-
After you have drawn a circular stroke, place your hand over your child's hand as he holds the crayon. Physically guide his hand to make several circular strokes. Slowly release your guiding hand and observe if your child is able to repeat the imitation of a circular stroke. If he is still unable to do that, guide him again as you have just done.
-
If your child has difficulty grasping the crayon, thicker (fatter) crayons may make it easier for his little hands.
-
Place a flat circular object (e.g. the lid of a tin) on a sheet of paper. Encourage your child to draw circles around the object.
-
Let your child imitate making circular strokes with his fingers in flour or rice grains, etc.
-
Encourage finger painting.
|
|
|
