Children this age are:
Energetic (walk more steadily, run, push, pull, take apart, carry, and climb on and grab things); Self-centered; and Busy (like to flip light switches, pour things in and out of containers, unwrap packages, and empty drawers). Between their first and second birthdays, they

Like to imitate the sounds and actions of others (by pretending to do housework or yardwork, for example); Want to be independent and do it themselves (and express this by saying "No!"); Can be clingy; Can have relatively short attention spans if not involved in an activity; Add variations to their physical skills (by walking back-wards or sideways, for example); Begin to see how they are like and unlike other children; Become more sensitive to the moods of others; Play alone or alongside other toddlers; and Increase their vocabularies from about 2 or 3 words to about 250 words and understand more of what people say to them.

What they need
Children this age require:
A safe environment for exploring; Opportunities to make their own choices ("Do you want the red cup or the blue one?"); Clear and reasonable limits; Opportunities to use big muscles (in the arms and legs, for example); Opportunities to manipulate small objects, such as puzzles and stackable toys; Activities that allow them to touch, taste, smell, hear, and see new things; Chances to learn about "cause and effect"--that things they do produce certain results (when a stack of blocks gets too high it will fall over); Opportunities to develop and practice their language skills; and Chances to learn about kindness and caring about others' feelings. Excerpted from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Research and Improvement "Helping Your Child Get Ready for School"