Uses simple gestures

Your Child can now use simple gestures to express themself — shaking head to express “no” and clapping or waving to express “bye-bye”.

By around 12 months, children master enough motor and communication skills to make simple gestures. You may notice that what seems to be a meaningless movement of the little one’s wrists has turned into one of the most recognizable social gestures like waving to say hello or goodbye. 

Some children can also now imitate some of their parents’ gestures, such as shaking their heads to say no or nodding to say yes.

How to support this development
Always pair action with verbal cues so Your Child can also learn to gasp meaning behind certain gestures. You can also start using simple gestures to greet your neighbors or wave goodbye to the seller at the supermarket every time you’re leaving. You may also model non-verbal gestures in other social settings.

Note: All children develop differently and at their own pace. For children born preterm, the referred timeframe for achieving the various developmental milestones might be incorrect.

Source: The information and graphs about when children reach specific milestones are taken from various sources, including the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Denver Developmental Screening Test, and the State Institute of Early Childhood Research, Germany (IFP).