Things to do with a 1-2 year old

Planning activities for a child who isn’t a baby anymore, yet isn’t quite a toddler, may seem difficult.  Although the young one is still wobbling a little and trying to master the art of speaking, there are plenty of things to do with your young child.  Think for a moment of how the world looks through his or her eyes.  There are so many things that your child will discover on a daily basis.  By doing activities with young children, it will set them off on the right foot as they continue to grow older.

Fingerprint art

Although kids this age haven’t yet learned what all of the different colors are, this activity allows them to have a little fun by using their own hands.  All you need to have are paper, ink/stamp pads of different colors, and markers.  By pressing your child’s finger into the stamp pad (non-toxic), you can show him/her how to create different shapes.

Naming cards

These are the big, colorful cards that have pictures of different objects on them.  Some have pictures of body parts or food.  By going through each card, you can point to the card and also point to that particular part on his/her body so that it can be identified.

Playing in the water

Bath time can be lots of fun.  When your child is sitting in the tub, get several containers of different sizes and fill each one of them with water.  This will show your child that things come in various sizes.

Toy instruments

There are toys that come in different types of instruments.  By playing on a toy xylophone or toy piano, your young child can be introduced to the world of music.

Noise making

Depending on the time of day, your child can learn how to create noise by banging on several things.  By getting out different pots and pans, they can be used as drums with wooden spoons as drumsticks.  Just remember to make sure that everyone else in the house is awake!

Role playing with dolls or stuffed animals

Giving personalities to dolls and stuffed animals can be a really fun activity.  Both you and your child can give names to each of them and create a story.  They can even represent different members of the family, too.

Soft alphabet blocks

The alphabet will be taught to your child once he or she enters pre-school.  By introducing young kids to the alphabet, they can have a head start on learning how to identify the letters of the alphabet.

Stacking Rings

This toy introduces a young child to different colors and shape.  As they stack the rings, they might notice that they don’t fit properly and will learn the concept of how to make objects or different parts fit together.

This is a really exciting time in a child’s life.  By surrounding 1 to 2 year old with different activities, they are sure to enjoy learning and grasping as much as they can.