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The Play Experts weigh in!

Hello full-blown toddler! Your little one is 15 months, and life is getting more fun by the day! There has been so much growth and change in both your baby and you over the last year. Give yourself a huge pat on the back for everything you have done for your little one thus far! Now, your baby is still a baby; however, they are gaining more and more independence each day which is awesome, so it’s time to foster that independence while supporting them how they need it! Let's dive into some of the new and fun skills your little one will be learning and how you can foster these skills!

My toddler, Penelope, 15 months, playing with a dump truck and matching eggs.

15 Month Old Milestones

At 15 months old you should expect your little one to be:

Saying 5-10 single words/word approximations
Frequently imitating sounds during play
Using gestures, signs, and verbal communication for social interactions (greeting others, making requests and protest)
Following basic one-step directions
Rolling a ball while sitting or standing
Taking steps independently
Points with index finger
Stacking 2-3 objects (blocks)

The milestones listed above are just a select few of the milestones that would be expected of your little one at this age. It is important to remember every child is unique so your child’s development may look different…that’s okay! Since there are so many milestones to keep track of at each stage, the Eat Play Say Team of Play Experts made a comprehensive milestone checklist for speech and language, fine motor, and gross motor! You can download the FREE 0-24 months milestone checklist here!

Hello Independence!

Now by looking at just the milestones listed above, you can see why your little one is wanting to be so independent! They are starting to be able to move around by themselves, understand play concepts, and even communicate their wants and needs with words (and gestures)! Your little one is well aware of their new capabilities and they might be a bit resistant to any help…even when they need it!

So, this is a good time to talk about our coined phrase: “pause and wait”. This phrase is so very important for parents to remember as your child is gaining their independence. If you see your child is struggling to get their blocks stacked or a puzzle piece to work, don’t rush in to fix the problem for them. Instead “pause and wait. This allows for that independence to keep growing, and gives them time to try and communicate that they need help! Either they will figure it out on their own (yay for problem solving!) or ask for assistance (also yay for communication)!

We have a whole blog all about pausing, you can check it out here!

Building their vocabulary

Between the 12-15 month age stage, you are likely going to notice your little one’s expressive language increase a bit! These are their “first words” and that is exciting! I often get asked “What counts as a word?” or “My little one says “ba” for “bottle” does that count as a word?”.

Let me break it down for you!

Even though your child’s words might not sound exactly like the word they are trying to say, remember it is STILL a word if…

If you are hearing your child label a particular object consistently

They say “up” every time they see or are requesting a “cup”

If they are saying it independently

You are not providing a verbal model prior to your child saying it- they say it completely on their own

If your child is using the word intentionally

You asked your little one if they were thirsty and their response is “up”

If the sounds your little one is saying can be written down

Meaning that the word contains consonants and vowels (grunts or other squeals would not count)

My son, Paul, 14 months, playing with a chunky puzzle.

Now for some fun play activities!

Books, specifically pop books! Now if you have been following Eat Play Say for some time, you know book reading and exposure at any age is highly encouraged! But at this particular age, your little one is discovering how to point and isolate their finger movements so why not use these specific books to help develop that skill! There are a variety of themes to pick from on the farm to ocean animals! Using books without the “pop”? Have your little one point to a specific object on the book page to target isolating finger pointing!
Shape sorter! Shape sorters are a great toy because they grow with your child! At this age your little one won't be able to master getting all the shapes into the specific slots, but as they continue to grow in their skills they will! At 15 months, don’t focus on having your child label the shape names or the color of shapes. Instead focusing on having them imitate words like “in, out” or when all the shapes are inside the container “shake shake shake”! This is our favorite shape sorter and you can take it on the go!!
Learning tower! I love love love incorporating a learning tower at this age! Like I mentioned earlier, your little one is probably craving independence and this will give it to them! Place the learning tower at the kitchen counter right next to you while you are meal prepping and allow them to help stir, mix, pour, or even wash fruits or vegetables! Of course this is a great language learning opportunity, but it also fosters positive feeding development! This is so important for this age!
Puzzles! These big shape puzzles, especially this one that makes the animal noise, are a great motivator for your new little talker to imitate! Your little one can practice their pinching skills while they pinch the puzzle piece to hear the animal noise! Remember to PAUSE and WAIT to allow your child to imitate the sound or word!
Music time! What little one doesn’t love music? Especially when they get to make it! This music set has a variety of different instruments that your little one can elicit different sounds! Model words like “bang boom shake tap” while you and your little one are getting your groove on!

Keep playtime simple!

I know it can seem overwhelming trying to come up with “new” play ideas for each age. But remember you have already set a solid foundation during the first year of your child’s life for their milestone development! You do not have to reinvent the wheel every time they reach a new milestone! You are doing great and your child appreciates you so much!