Child Development, 12 months
Watching a child grow and develop is a unique and unforgettable experience. Most children develop skills and abilities in roughly the same order, but the timeframes involved aren’t exact. Milestones are things that a child can do at a certain age. Different organizations may have slightly different ways of describing milestones. Familiarity with milestones can help shape the experiences provided to a child or alert us if there are any concerns.
As children grow, they develop skills they different developmental areas. These include fine and gross motor, language, social-emotional and cognitive areas.
Your Developing Baby: 12 Months
- Able to sit up from lying down.
- Pulls up to standing position at furniture and lowers back down safely to floor.
- Walks while holding on to furniture or wall.
- Grasp a pencil and may scribble.
- Shows interest in pictures.
- Points at interesting objects or activities with pointer finger.
- Understands “no” (pauses briefly or stops when you say it).
- Gives an adult a toy when asked.
- Laughs and tries to make sounds like you.
- Imitates actions of another child while playing.
- Turns pages of a book, several at a time.
- Beginning to hold out arms or foot to help with dressing.
- Finger-feeds using thumb and fore-finger (pincer grasp).
- Beginning to drink from a cup and use a spoon.
There are many ways you can help your child’s development.
Play is a learning experience for children. Play is a universal and vital process for the healthy development of every child. Play is the living work of children and allows an opportunity to develop and explore the world.
If you have any concerns about your child’s development, talk to your public health nurse or family doctor.
Services related to this information:
- Contact your Public Health Nurse
- 811 HealthLine (Newfoundland & Labrador) – Call 811 or 1-888-709-2929 / TTY 1-888-709-3555