At this age, a child begins to walk, and soon after, to run, which expands the environment with which they interact. The way they see and experience the world changes—they are increasingly included as active participants in the structure of daily routines. They communicate more clearly with their surroundings, expressing their wishes and some needs. However, keep in mind that they are still a very small child in a big world. For the first time, they are encountering emotions such as separation anxiety, sadness, and anger—even though they neither know how to name them nor understand why they feel them.
While the previous period was important for getting to know the environment, parents, extended family, food, and their own body, this stage is crucial for helping the child get to know their inner world—emotions, thoughts, and reactions.
The father's role in teaching the child how to cope with emotions is extremely important, whether the child is a boy or a girl.
Mothers and fathers often react differently to the same situations. A mother may respond with withdrawal and silence, while a father may raise his voice (or vice versa), even though both are feeling anger. Explain to your child which emotion you are experiencing, what triggered it, and how you're responding. This helps your child learn that there are multiple possible reactions to the same emotion.
Continue explaining the world around them and use as many different words as possible to describe one object—this will help expand the child’s vocabulary (even if the words are not yet spoken, they are being stored). Fathers may offer different words and perspectives on everyday things—share your own view of the environment, objects, and events with your child.
Stay involved in your child’s everyday care—changing diapers, choosing clothes for going out—and don’t be afraid to tie a ponytail or create your daughter’s first hairstyle.
Children at this age still need your closeness, cuddles, love, and patience. At times, it may seem like they are defiant or argumentative. You might even become the target of early hits—or, very typically for this stage, bites. Don’t think they are acting out of naughtiness—they are experiencing emotions that feel huge and completely inexpressible to them. They have no control over their daily lives or schedules—everything is decided for them. Ask yourself: how would you feel? For behaviours like tantrums, hitting, or breaking things, the child should not be punished, nor do you need to enforce strict discipline. Instead, explain to the child that you understand how they feel, name the emotion, show empathy, tell them which behaviour is not acceptable and why, and stop the behaviour. Give them space and time to cry, shout, and protest. Reassure them that you are there and that you love them. Every emotion—and every outburst—has a beginning, a peak, and an end, even if it seems like it will never pass. If you are overwhelmed by your own feelings of anger in response to your child’s behaviour, remind yourself that you are an adult and capable of managing your emotions—your child is not there yet.
How to play with your child during the second year
At this stage, children start stacking and knocking over blocks and cups. They enjoy taking items out of bowls or cabinets and putting them back in. Pots, noise, and physical play continue to be favourites. Toy cars and anything with wheels become especially interesting.
Educational toys such as stacking rings, shape sorters, and wooden puzzles are excellent for developing motor and cognitive skills. Play with your child by naming and describing the toys in as many ways as possible—but don’t solve problems for them. If they get frustrated and throw a block because it doesn’t fit, name the emotion and show them how you do it, then offer them a chance to try again.
Ball play—rolling and kicking—is becoming more frequent.
Children begin to enjoy social play. In the previous stage, they were focused mostly on the shape and texture of the ball and how it moved in relation to them. Now, they look for play partners and share joy in the interaction.
Imagination has no limits!
Boxes, large containers, or basins can become vehicles to ride in around the house. Make sounds, race, cheer, and don’t be afraid of sudden changes in direction, speed, or gentle crashes. Your child will let you know how much they’re enjoying it.
Keep throwing them up in the air, turning them upside down, bouncing on the bed, tickling, wrestling, and engaging in generally rougher play. Rough play is important for teaching boundaries, how to play with others, respect, and how to regulate aggression.
Mothers can be protective and may inhibit the physical aspect of play to the point where it stops being fun and the child quits. This is understandable in both evolutionary and social contexts, but it is exactly where fathers’ roles are crucial.
Don’t hold back but stop if your child signals that they no longer want to play.
Children at this age love flipping switches, plugging and unplugging cords, pulling, pushing, and moving beads along wires. If you are skilled with tools and crafts, spend time making your child a sensory activity board. Even better—include them in the process! You can add: light switches, power outlets and plugs, nuts and bolts, dials, magnets, gears, small doors, even LED lights that can be turned on and off. This kind of board can be updated and expanded over time, and your child will enjoy playing with it while developing motor skills, both fine and gross, problem-solving abilities, eye-hand coordination, and many other important skills.
Extract from the brochure “Be a Dad and Grow with Your Child”, RODA 2018.
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