Toddlers aren’t little babies anymore, but they aren’t kids either. As they grow, they are more interested in being mobile and developing motor skills. They can’t sit still for a long time and demand a lot of attention and effort. As such, one key challenge that mom’s face is helping them perform activities.

ClassMonitor has compiled these activities for the range of 1-year-olds, from 12 to 24 months. If you find your child isn’t ready for any activity yet, give them some more time and try a different one for now.

NOTE: One of the best ways to promote your child’s learning is through play, so get down to your toddler’s level, and get your inner child out. Adding some fun into your day-to-day schedule is an incredible way to connect with your child while supporting their development.

Play the “drums”

• Take out a few pots and pans; turn them upside down in front of your child. Let him or her bang on the pans with a wooden spoon.
• Some toddlers will find this game amazing and it’s also great for coordination and motor skill development.
• Warning: You may regret this later.

Organize Toys

This activity has the added bonus of cleaning up your living area. While it may seem like a chore, it’s a good activity to teach your child:
1. Responsibility
2. Organization
3. Good habits
4. Refining motor skills
An older child might take this as an annoying chore; you can easily make a fun game out of it with a 1-year old.

Read books

This one is hopefully something you’re doing on a regular basis. And quite honestly, this should be higher up on the list. Nevertheless, if you’re struggling to think of fun activities for 1-year olds, you can always default to reading a book.

Play Various Counting Games

The nice thing about this activity is that you can do it anywhere. Examples include:
• Count your fingers and toes
• Count the number of steps as you walk upstairs
• Count the number of cars on the street
• Count the number of toys in the box

Finger painting

Another amazing sensory activity for your child to learn the art – Grab some finger paint and a piece of paper and let your little one create a masterpiece.

Cruise from object to object (to practice walking)
• If your child is trying to walk, they’ve already tried cruising. Set up objects intentionally for cruising and help reinforce the behavior of your child.
• For example, set up multiple chairs in a row so that your child can cruise from one chair to another.

Obstacle course for crawlers

This is another simple activity you can do with whatever objects you have at home. Create a simple obstacle course using a couch, cushions, pillows, etc. that allows your child to crawl around and work on their motor skills.

So have fun with all these amazing activities with your Toddlers!!