1-year-old Toddler Activities

Hello!

My son is hitting the 18-month mark in a few days, and I’m a bit nervous. 18 months is the unofficial start for a lot of learning. He already knows a lot, but with this milestone around the corner, I need to step up my game with providing him with learning tools and opportunities.

I’ve been looking up ideas for toddler activities, but many of the activities are still a bit advanced for a 1 year old. So here’s a modified list I came up with. Enjoy! (And please comment any other ideas)

-Music & Dancing- this one is easy. My toddler loves music and dancing already. I just want to take advantage of it more. It’s a great way to incorporate creativity and get some energy out. And it can also give Mom a break.

-Simon Says (almost) – I might drop the “Simon says” with my son. Just identifying body parts and doing actions alone will teach him tons of vocabulary and listening skills.

-Red Light/ Green Light- playing this game where “red” is stop and “green” is go will teach colors, listening, and is another good way to use that kid energy.

-Art – letting little ones draw/paint works on their fine-motor skills while giving them a creative outlet. I really like the idea of “water painting” where they paint with water instead of paint. That sounds like a cleaner option to me.

-Play-dough! – My toddler already loves to squish the dough between his fingers. I like to make my own edible play-dough in case he decides to nibble.

-Books – It’s always a good idea to read to kids. It lets their imagination grow. And try and involve them as much as possible. Let them turn pages and look at pictures and words. That way, reading may come easier to them.

-Help around the house- It helps kids to involve them in things. My son helps me do just about everything- from cooking to cleaning and everything in between. This keeps him from getting bored, but it’s teaching him tons of life skills. In a few years, I should be able to really depend on him for some stuff.

My goal is to add in something fun at least once a day. We’ve been doing a lot of independent play recently, and while some is good, there needs to be some structure, too.