Which activity is typical for a 12-17 month-old child?

• A. Attends to a book or toy for about two minutes
• B. Understands 'behind' and 'next to'
• C. Reads a short sentence
• D. Uses complex sentences

Answer: (A)

At this age, children's literacy-related behavior centers on early engagement and growing attention during simple shared activities. A 12- to 17-month-old often can focus on a book or toy for a short period, about two minutes, before their attention naturally shifts. This reflects their developing ability to sustain a brief interaction with an object or picture while a caregiver talks about it, labels items, and reinforces language through repetition.

Understanding spatial words like behind or next to requires more vocabulary and cognitive development, and typically appears closer to two years or later. Reading a short sentence isn’t realistic yet, because alphabet recognition and decoding skills aren’t in place for toddlers. Using complex sentences also comes later, as grammar and expressive language continue to expand into the preschool years.