Playtime Activity: 12-18 Months

At this age, your child isn't too young for very simple puzzles! Puzzles are a great way to work on small muscle control and problem solving skills. At this age, you can introduce basic puzzles with no more than 4 pieces. Hand your child one piece at a time. As you do, talk about what you are giving her (e.g., "Here is a circle. Where does it go?"). If she puts the piece in correctly, praise her while giving her a bit more information about the puzzle piece (e.g., "Yes, you put the yellow circle in!"). Also be sure to provide positive encouragement when she does not properly place the pieces in the puzzle.

Possible Intervention Strategies & Supports

• You may have to model for your child how to put the puzzle piece in. Remember, this is a new activity for her! Be sure to talk about what you’re doing (e.g., “Mommy has the circle and she’s putting it in the circle hole on the puzzle. Hooray!”).

• If your child has difficulty staying engaged with puzzles, consider putting the pieces in a bag and have her take one piece out at a time. Act surprised and show excitement when describing the piece that has been taken out.

• Simple shape sorters are good for practicing shape recognition. You can start by only giving your child the round shapes and covering the other holes with your hand as she puts them it in. Then, add each shape one at a time as she improves.

• This is an important time to practice small fingertip-to-fingertip pinch skills so that your child learns how to use her thumb and index finger together for securing small objects. This is best done with small food items that they can safely eat (e.g., cereal pieces, small fruit pieces). When practicing with small foods, just place a few items on the highchair tray at a time. This will require her to work more on improving her control than if you she had a tray full of food that she could just grab a handful!

Tips

Start with simple puzzles, such as shape puzzles that include only a large circle, square, triangle, rectangle. Note that the circle will always be the easiest, so you may want to start with this shape first so that your child has the best chance of being successful. Puzzles with knobs are great for beginners or look for pieces that are very thick and easy for your child to hold. Your child will not be ready for puzzles that interlock until much later.

Family Handout

Click here to download an editable one-page handout of this age range's mealtime activity, interventions, and tips.