Activities for Toddlers (12-18 Months)

I’m often asked by my readers and fellow Moms for the activities suitable for certain ages.  So I decided to sum up Vito’s favourite activities since 12 months old.  First in the series, I’m sharing activities that Vito enjoyed when he was between 12-18 months old.   (Always supervise your child in each of these activities)


1.  Dropping Items Into Small Spaces.  Use items in the house like water bottles or canisters.  I made use of Mavi’s water bottle container (unused) and created a slot on a plastic container for dropping buttons. This is a great activity for practising hand-eye coordination and pincer grasp fine motor skill.

2.  Books. You can never go wrong with books! Vito’s favourite books around this time were Touch and Feel of Usborne (That’s Not My… series)  and   Baby's First Board Book Series.  Expose your child to books early on.  Allow them to flip through the pages, as it is also a fine motor skill that they need to acquire.


3.  Discovery Baskets.  Gather a few items and place them on a basket for your child to explore.  Yes, allow them to explore it independently, but at the same time making sure that you keep an eye on them.  Kids around this time loves to mouth items, so be sure that the items you’re putting in the basket doesn’t contain any small parts.  Our discovery baskets were all color-themed.  This was my way of introducing colors to Vito as well.



4.  Sensorial Activities. Weather permits, go out and enjoy mother nature!  Nature provides the best sensorial experience to a child.  Roll in the grass, admire the flowers, play with your shadows, feel the wind etc.


You can also take mother nature indoors by bringing in some objects like leaves, rocks, acorns, pinecorns and the like.  We do this during winter time or during the rainy season.


Of course, there’s always non-toxic paints!  I was using Giotto Fingerpaints with Vito.  It’s odourless, non-toxic and dermatologically safe for babies and toddlers.

We also used some kids crazy foaming soap during sensorial play.  I don’t like using shaving cream as they have strong scent, so I purchased a foaming bath soap for kids and it worked well for both of the boys.


Oh yeah, and don’t forget to use ice!


5.  Scribbling and Doodling.  My Vito loves to mimic his older brother.  He wanted to use markers and crayons at an early age for this is what he sees Mavi doing all the time (writing and drawing).  We've used Do-A-Dot markers and Palm-Grip crayons for these activities.



6.  Stacking.  At 12 months, Vito loves to stack objects.  So you can purchase soft blocks or stacking rings (multiple stacking rings) to reinforce this.

7.  Weaning.  Allow your child to eat on their own, under your supervision.  I love watching my kids when they were young.  It’s a perfect opportunity to practise practical life skills that will be essential to their daily life when they get older.



8.  Matching Activity with Objects.  You might be surprise that around this age, kids love to match! Around 18 months, Vito is in a matching craze!  Provide your child with the right materials (books with real images and one solid background, similar to the Baby's First Board Book Series) to encourage matching activity.  You can also use any items in the house not just animal figures.  But Vito was fascinated with animals so we used these a lot of times.



9.  Lots of hugs, cuddles and kisses.    Lastly, just love them unconditionally.  Nurture your child and give them the proper nourishment they need to form building blocks for higher learning.


For more ideas on Toddler Activities, click here!

I hope you enjoyed this and found it helpful.  Next would be activities for 18-24 months old!  Stay tuned!