{"id":102523,"date":"2019-05-03T04:41:40","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T08:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.oviahealth.com\/guide\/102523\/18-month-old-baby\/"},"modified":"2021-11-16T18:14:15","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T23:14:15","slug":"18-month-old-baby","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/102523\/18-month-old-baby\/","title":{"rendered":"18 months old"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t look now, but at 18 months old, many children move out of the slow-and-steady tortoise phase of learning to speak, and instead start racing ahead like the hare. Children whose language skills take a great leap forward around this time, or a little after it, may start picking up as much as a new word every week, and may be about ready to start stringing two or more words together into phrases or even questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can help encourage them<\/span> along the marathon of learning to speak not just by talking to them<\/span>, but by engaging them<\/span> in conversations, and by waiting to hear their<\/span> response. The more chances Baby<\/span> gets to try their<\/span> language skills out, the more chances they has<\/span> to improve their<\/span> understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Children who are learning to speak two languages at once can have a slower start, as their minds begin to file away and process more information about languages, but bilingual children also often experience a big lurch forward into significantly more language skills. This surge may not always happen at the same time, but can follow the same pattern of slow-and-steady language growth suddenly moving into a significantly faster phase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their<\/span> spoken words aren\u2019t the only communication skill Baby<\/span> is improving, though. They\u2019s<\/span> also working on their<\/span> skills in the universal language of art, and moving towards being able to learn written language one of these days. These advances still might not be very obvious, since when you hand them<\/span> a crayon and paper, the image that appears on the page still pretty much just looks like scribbles.<\/span><\/p>\n

These scribbles are definitely a sign of progress, though, as their<\/span> fine motor control improves, and they moves<\/span> from gripping a crayon, marker, or pencil in their<\/span> fist to holding it between their<\/span> thumb and first three fingers. As they starts<\/span> to be able to use a tripod position to hold a writing implement, they inches<\/span> their<\/span> way to being able to write words a few years down the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

Baby<\/span>\u2019s scribbles are just one more example of the way that play is how Baby<\/span> learns, and how they prepares<\/span> to learn even more later as they grows<\/span>. Giving them<\/span> plenty of opportunities for open-ended, creative play, including imaginary play, running-around-and-throwing-or-climbing-things play, or arts-and-crafts play, can only help them<\/span> make new discoveries as they grows<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Milestones<\/strong><\/h4>\n