Motor Skills : Month 13
Gross Motor Skills
Your baby can start and stop when he walks and will step off witheither his right or left foot. He can comfortably bend to pick up objects using very little support. If he crawls or creeps he will use the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet rather than his knees. He can stand on his own and kneel on the floor or on stable pieces of furniture.
Fine Motor Skills
He holds up to 4 cubes in his hands and can place them on top of one another to create a vertical tower. He reaches for objects using continuous movements and is accurate with his direction and grasp. He voluntarily drops or throws an object and then will delight in retrieving it.
Language : Month 13
Your baby has auditory preferences and may have a favorite musical CD or educational video that he likes to watch. Allowing your child to listen to music and watch television can help to increase his vocabulary. However, don’t overexpose your child to TV - thirty minutes once a day or 15-20 minutes twice a day is fine. He can use avariety of tones and noises and enjoys making soundsfor his own amusement. He knows the names of his family members and tries to make himself understood.He copies any word that he hears and will either saythe word or make a similar sound. He knows the names of a number of objects that he regularly encounters like “chair”, “table”, and “cat”.
Emotion : Month 13
He has started to develop his own personality and style of relating to people. He demands your attention and will act in waysthat he knows will make you focus on him, such asthrowing and dropping toys, crawling towards you, and making noises with his body like clapping. He offershis toys when you ask for them but he may expect themto be returned immediately. He doesn’t like extended periods alone and may cry out for you in the morning. He may become afraid of the dark and continues to be fearful of strangers. He is more independent and wants to perform activities without your help and on his own.
Learning : Month 13
Your baby imitates familiar activities that he sees others do such as housework like dusting, cleaning, sweeping, mopping or washing up. He understands that his actions make things happen and he is curious asto what he can achieve. He draws more frequently and can use smaller pencils and pens. He is becoming aware of right and wrong and the consequences of actions. He is more assertiveand may throw tantrums and scream if he doesn’t get his own way. He sleeps without being disturbed by noise, and continues to become more independentin his feeding and dressing
What Your Baby Enjoys : Month 13
He loves physical games and he enjoys those that involve chasing and catching. He plays more aggressively anduses his body strength. He likes telephones and havingimaginary conversations, mimicking what he has seen, and then giving you the receiver for you to talk. He likes to play on his own and is happy to create his own games.
How Can You Help : Month 13
- Play games that involve him chasing you more and catching you less, and then chase and catch him.
- Play games where you move him through the air, and give him piggyback rides.
- During physical activities and games teach your child to be cautious and avoid injury
- Ask him to make choices as to his activities - such as the music he wants played, where he wants to go for a walk, and who he wants to play with.
- When you are away call him on the telephone and have conversations with him.
- Show him appropriate ways of getting your attention, and teach him that sometimes he will have to wait for you.
- Reprimand him when his behavior is inappropriate, but remember to praise and reward him as soon as he does well, and do not continue to punish him.Talk to him and show him that you understand him so he doesn’t get frustrated.
