Games to Play: 12 to 16 Months

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

28 Jun 2006 09:12 AM

Do you love playing with your one year old? Baby games are a great way to spend time, teach and frankly, just to laugh and enjoy. Besides, toddler games help your baby's development as well as fostering a closer relationship between you and your toddler.

Patty Cake and Clapping

By 12 to 16 months, your baby can hold their hands open. He or she may clap them together spontaneously, hold your baby's hands and clap them together. You can lay on the floor in front of him or her or hold the in your lap - sing the clapping songs as you clap together. Patty-cakes is a great one and it helps develop your child's language skills. Eventually they will be clapping their hands and waiting for you to say Patty-cakes or will clap when you say patty-cakes.

Coming to Life

Animate one of your baby's toys - i.e walk a teddy bear or doll across the floor and have it talk to the baby and play pretend tickle games back and forth. You can also use the toy to sit at the table with your baby, putting a bib on it and pretending to change its diapers and to feed it. Be sure to narrate what you are doing. This helps baby learn the different names for things as well as helping to teach her about emotions, feelings as well as helping him or her develop their imagination.

Hide & Seek

Your baby most likely enjoyed peek-a-boo when she was a little younger and he or she may still enjoy it now - so take the game to a bit of a higher plane with some simple hide and seek. Hide a toy beneath a blanket and ask them where is the toy? Encourage them to find it. You can also hide the toddler under a blanket or a towel and play find the baby! You'll get lots of giggles and one of my daughter's favorite games was when we curled up in a chair together, I'd pull the blanket over my head and say come and find me - she would giggle hysterically when she yanked the blanket down to 'find me.'

What games do you play with your toddler?

Related Articles:

Gifts for Toddlers

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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