Hi Elena!
What are some things I could/should be teaching my 18 month old? She is so active that is hard to get her to sit and pay attention, LOL.
Thank you!
That’s an interesting question. And the answer is simple NOTHING!
(Lexi at about 20 months)
You should not be “teaching” your 18 months old anything. You should be interacting and playing with her. At this age, everything should still go by her cues. What she is interested in and how she prefers doing things. She will get to learn alphabet when she is ready, or learn to count. Right now the biggest gift you could give her is your time. Talking to her and playing with her will teach her everything she needs, including language.
Obviously, you could totally insert small lessons into every day life, like washing hands, what letters and numbers are, animals, foods, but it should always be in a form of play and always led by her if that makes sense. At this age they are still very physical and learning a lot of skills and developing their bodies.
If you’re more or less just looking for activities to do with her, try seeing what she likes and go from there.
A great book of physical activities to do with a child is Active Baby, healthy Brain. It will give you a lot of ideas. Also if you’re looking for suggestions of other age appropriate games, a great book I was recommended is 2ooo Best Games & Activities.
At this age they learn by playing, and ONLY by child led play not parent directed, so if you just be an participant in her games, that’s all she needs.
