Unschool the Teacher: 13 Months

What's My Toddler Doing?

I decided to start a new series of posts with observations of my toddler. (Toddler??!! Can that be right??) She is 13 months now, and is a little ball of energy. She is gaining new skills every day, so I will use these posts to record pictures and observations of what she has been up to for the past month.

Gross Motor

Opening and closing cabinets and drawers (including pulling things out, and occasionally putting things in)
Walking on all different surfaces - indoor and outdoor (looking for challenges)
Sitting in chairs (climbing on and off)
Climbing (step ladders, stairs, piles of gravel, moving boxes to assist in climbing onto the bed)

Fine Motor

Putting objects in containers
Picking up small objects (many of which go into the mouth)
Turning pages of books (finally not purposely destroying them)
Opening and closing containers
Inserting one object into another (egg in cup, object permanence box, knobbed cylinders, puzzles)
Tracing shapes with finger (knobbed cylinder)

Language

Words - dada, mama, dog, hi
Signs - more, eat, all done
Starting to look at pictures in books
"Asks" questions - holding up objects, pointing

Practical Life

Interest in clothes - pulling clothes out of the drawer, attempting to put on clothes, helping to get undressed, tries to put on shoes, undoes velcro
Eating - sits at the table (child-sized), eats mainly finger foods, attempting to use a spoon, drinks from a sippy cup or straw
Hygiene - rubs hands together to wash hands, holds (and bites on) toothbrush, attempts to brush hair, enjoys baths and showers
Potty - introduced potty seat, learning to sit on it, talking about potty and teaching sign, peed and pooped once (purely accidental, I'm sure, but it saved a diaper!)
Sleep - sleeps on a toddler bed that she can climb in and out of on her own