Stimulating Emotions Through Play

When your baby turns one, there are suddenly a lot of simple activities you can do together that will allow her to improve her social and emotional development. Here are just a few ideas to try out.

• Snuggle. It’s fun. You love it. She loves it. Human contact will work wonders for both of you.
• Play games. Toss a ball around, for example. This will help her learn to take turns.
• Name her emotions. Help her express herself by giving names for things like anger, fear, or hunger. It will make things less scary and easier to identify.
• Take her out into the world. Day trips to the mall, parks, or museums is a great way to get her to interact with people. Or just take her along on your regular errands.
• Act silly. Spark their imagination by doing silly things together. Make funny noises, dance around like a chicken, wear socks on your hands. This will make her laugh and make her feel liberated.
• Be positive. Acknowledge progress and good behavior. If you only give her attention when she’s being bad, then she will associate being bad with getting attention.

Whenever you can, just play with your child. It will help her become more social and will improve her emotional capacity.

Reference: http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/12-18-months-activities-for-social-development/?slideId=46413