“Ba!” When your baby points to a picture of a ball (or a book or a baby …) and says, “Ba!” it means that he has been listening to you talk and read aloud for a year now, and he’s ready to join in the fun!
When he says “Ba” he’s beginning the process of reading—he’s making sense of the picture, much the way he will later on when he learns to look at letters and match them to the sounds they make.
Not sure just what to expect when you read with your toddler? Our Begin Smart experts can clue you in to some key toddler developments, and help you find books that are just right to share during this stage.
How Your Baby’s Developing
Your toddler loves language.
You may wish you had a translator to figure out what your toddler is trying to tell you! You might not know what she means when she waves her arms and babbles, but she does. Her vocabulary is growing, slowly but steadily, and will probably explode once she can say about 50 words.
Babies enjoy connecting with familiar daily routines, like breakfast or bath time, in the pages of a book.
Let your toddler show off! She can demonstrate her fine motor skills by lifting the flaps in a book.
Your toddler is on the move.
Whether he’s scooting across the floor or running around the playground, your toddler is exploring many ways to move his body. Fun to a toddler usually involves pushing, pulling, throwing, and knocking things down—your job is to provide lots of good things to push and throw!
Your toddler is full of contradictions.
Your toddler’s moods may change from moment to moment. Once she’s taken her first steps away from you, she may feel the pangs of separation anxiety more strongly than ever. One minute she’s asserting her independence, and the next she’s fearful and wants to be held tightly in your arms. It’s all helping her figure out who she is and what she can do.
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