• 
  
  holding head up
• rolling over
• sitting up without tipping
• crawling
• walking

• mastery of walking
• running
• marching
• jumping, hopping
• climbing

• skipping
• hopping
• catching
• throwing
• This is also when other related factors begin to emerge and become new skills for children to master such as:  
• coordination
• strength
• balance
• endurance
• flexibility
  

• batting at a mobile
• grasping/grabbing for objects
• holding objects
• transferring objects from one hand to the other.
• pincher grips (using the index finger and thumb to grab that Cheerio)
• pushing buttons
• working on turning pages of a board book

• stacking small blocks
• eating with utensils
• beginning to hold writing utensils to make marks on paper (which, they also love to tear and rip…another great muscle builder)

• writing
• drawing
• cutting (in any form)
• playing with Playdoh
• building with Legos

Create your baby’s first book using photographs of recognizable people and objects in your baby’s life. Photos could include siblings, caregivers, a favorite stuffed toy, etc.

1. Place photographs between sheets of clear contact paper.
2. Round the corners to make them smooth and safe.
3. Punch a hole in the corner and bind pages together with yarn.

Not surprisingly, the number one thing that parents can do to help their children become good readers is reading to them!  Here are some other ways you can help your child acquire reading skills.

• Take time to listen to your child and answer his/her questions.
• Sing and recite nursery songs and rhymes together. 
• Read something to yourself every day, showing your child that reading is important. 
• Get library cards for you and your child.  Take your child to the library regularly and pick out books for both of you. 
• Look at books and magazines together, talking about what you see and read. 
• Ask your child to tell you a story or to describe something he/she has done or seen. 
• Write down what your child tells you and read back the “story” exactly as it was dictated. 
• Give your child his/her own bookshelf (or a box or a drawer) to hold books.
• Carefully select the TV programs your child watches, and limit TV viewing so that there is at least equal time for reading. 
• Praise your child’s efforts and accomplishments so that he or she will have self-confidence and zest for new learning experiences. 
  
  
  
  Esther Schak
  Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE 

At Minnesota Children's Museum, we believe that early learning is the foundation for lifelong learning. No matter how young your child is, you can participate in activities that can help form skills in language and reading.

Newborn to 3 Months: Listen and talk to your baby throughout the day. While feeding, diapering and bathing your baby, sing songs, nursery rhymes, and smile and coo in response to your baby’s smiles and coos.

4 to 8 Months: Talk and play with your baby. Use words and actions when talking. Play games, such as peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake, which teach your baby about taking turns when communicating.

9 to 12 Months: Read and tell stories with your baby. Make reading a shared experience. Point to pictures and name the objects. Use puppets, dolls and other toys as props. When reading, hold your baby on your lap and the book so your baby can see the pictures.

1 to 1 1/2 Years: Provide play materials that match your child’s skill level and interest. Let your child play with pots, pans, wooden spoons, plastic containers and other safe household items. Talk about what they’re doing. This will help your child learn new words. The more words your child knows, the easier it will be when he or she starts reading.

1 1/2 to 2 Years: To build your toddler’s vocabulary, say what you or your child is doing. If you are shopping with your child, say, “Let’s buy some apples. What color apples should we buy? Green or red?” Use as many words as you can when you talk with your child. If your child is building with blocks, say, “Look at how big your tower is! It’s almost as tall as you are! Wow, now you’re adding even more blocks to your tower. It’s going to be huge.”

2 to 3 Years: Read books and do activities that let toddlers join in. Arrange a special time for reading and read some of the same books again and again. Encourage your toddler to help you read the book by joining in with the words or repeated phrases he or she knows. Begin pointing out letters in your child’s name wherever there is print.