Recognises a familiar object when they can only see part of it
Your child has been combining information from their senses to learn about the world since they were a baby. Their vision is clear, and they have developed their cognitive skills and now have a clear understanding of many familiar objects. They know that objects maintain their shape and size even when they cannot see them and can think about familiar objects.
Looks around and can pick out a familiar person in a group of people
Your child’s vision will have had similar clarity to that of an adult for some time now, and they will have been noticing things that are further away for a while now. They are still developing the skills to process and think about what they see, and you might notice that they are able to find a familiar person amongst a group of people.
Recognises familiar logos and will remember what they represent
Your child has used one object to represent another in their play and has been able to match pictures and objects for some time. They are now noticing familiar logos and recognise what these represent. For example, they might see the logo of the supermarket you go to on an advert and make a comment about the name of the shop or going shopping.
Moves fingers individually during games or rhymes
Your toddler will have been using their fingers to carry out tasks for some time. It is likely that they will have been using isolated fingers to try to pop bubbles, or they may use all their fingers to grab objects.
Uses large linking bricks such as, Duplo bricks and can push these together and take them apart
The dexterity of your toddler’s hands is much improved and they may have been experimenting with taking lids off containers and moving objects such as sunglasses, a hat or scarf to their head or face. They have made much use of their increased skill of using two hands to perform tasks and this will have been seen when they have carried out tasks such as jigsaws and stirring ingredients in a bowl. They may have also been experimenting with building towers with their blocks.
Manipulates clay or playdough with hands to make a ball or snake
Your toddler’s hands are now becoming very useful tools. They have most likely been exploring all kinds of manipulation activities by using their whole hand and their fingers. You may have seen your toddler trying to pour using different containers, tear paper and use tools when they are playing with dough.
Responds to what you say when in a busy or noisy environment if you get their attention first
Your child has been able to recognise familiar sounds since they were born, and they might have noticed and looked towards the direction of a sound. They might have found it more difficult to identify specific sounds or words in a busy or noisy environment but now are beginning to do this as long as you gain their attention first.
Knows where their body starts and ends so bumps into stationary objects less often
Your child has become more confident as they move around different spaces. When they first started to walk and run you might have noticed they lost their balance when moving through small spaces or when running. Now, they are more aware of their body and have developed their balance so that they can adjust movements and will bump into objects less often.
Turns pages in a book with appropriate force so can now usually turn paper pages without tearing them
Your child has probably been interested in looking at books for a while and might have been turning pages. Now their proprioception is developing, and this means that as well as having more awareness of their body they are also more able to control the force they use for different tasks. You might notice that they turn pages more smoothly and can turn paper pages without tearing them.
Copies a three block bridge
Your child will have been exploring blocks and you may have seen them build towers using a variety of building resources. They may have been connecting some of them together and pulling them apart again. They may have started to take more of an interest in how to further develop the skills they have gained with their fine motor skills, in order to create new structures.
