This is an important step forward for her. One way in which it will be obvious is when, between the ages of 18 months and two years, she starts sorting objects as a form of play: she might sort her building blocks out from her other toys, for example, or the different animals in a toy farmyard. You’ll notice, too, that she’s begun to understand how things are grouped: she knows, for instance, that her toy ball and an apple are similar an shape and that they roll; that sparrows and crows are alike because they have feathers and fly; that animals that bark and have four legs are dogs.
Some time before her third birthday, your toddler will begin to give these concepts names – round, bird, dog. She will use the names in all cases where they are appropriate – whether the dog in question, for instance, is a family pet, a dog she sees on television or in a book, or a toy dog. By the time she is three years old, she will describe things in a way that shows she also understandings their differences: “Our dog,” “toy dog.”
COLORS: To help your child grasp the notion of color, always mention the color of something that you are using or wanting.
- Household items: “I am looking for the green package”; “Where’s that red can gone?”; “Oh, I’ve found the jar with the blue label”
- Your child’s clothes; “ That’s a pretty pink dress“; “What a nice red sweater”
- Flowers, animals, and especially birds: “Can you see the robin’s red breast?”
- Show your child how colors are made: “Look, if we mix a little bit of red with this white we will get pink; yellow mixed with blue will make green”
- Teach your child the colors of the rainbow and get her to pick them out if you see a real rainbow
Concept of roundness: A toddler can begin to deal with sophisticated ideas. She will understand that roundness, for example, is a property of different objects.
