Indoor Activities (12-18 months)
On rainy days it can feel that bit harder to entertain your children and stop them from getting restless and bored. Whilst an easy option is to stick the TV on, we have compiled a list of 10 simple activities to do with your child between the ages of 12 and 18 months that will keep them occupied and help their development.
Between a year and 18 months old your baby will develop a lot. At this stage he or she will be learning to walk, copy words, point at things and take up an interest in people and their environment as well as develop his or her motor function. These activities are designed to help advance their development.
- Reading
A top activity to do with your child, and something you should try to do regularly despite the weather, is reading. At this age children are soaking up information and being more interactive with your baby as you read, for example by asking questions, will help their intellectual development.
- Listening to music
Listening to music with your child is another great activity to do when your child is between 12-18 months. A good idea is to pick a sing-along cd. Your baby may even start to sing along, regardless of whether you actually recognize what he or she is singing! Try to choose music that you won’t mind listening to again and again and again!
- Musical instruments
You could even expand this musical creativity to letting your child play with musical instruments. You could buy rattles and bells or be more creative using bottles with rice in or pots and pans as drums with a wooden spoon! This can teach your child coordination and listening skills.
- Soft-play
At this age your child will be learning to walk and so tunnels and soft-play equipment can make this progress more exciting for your child! As with all of these activities you must always supervise your child very carefully and remove anything from the room that they could hurt themselves on if they tripped and fell.
- Drawing
Between 12 and 18 months your baby is learning hand-eye co-ordination and grip to be able to hold a chunky crayon. You should let your child be creative as this motor function develops. You could let him or her use non-toxic paints, chunky coloured crayons or objects as stampers. Prepare for a lot of mess! It is a good idea to tape a piece of paper to your little-one’s high-chair to try and control this!
- Puzzles
Wooden bricks and big wooden shape puzzles are a great activity to play with your little one as it will help develop your child’s motor control.
- Pasta
Dried pasta can be used as a fun activity for your little one. Let your child pour the pasta into different containers or just shake it in a bottle. Make sure you always watch your child when he or she is playing with small objects such as pasta.
- Hide and seek with objects
At this age babies are learning to become more confident walkers or are much faster crawlers. They are also beginning to respond to simple commands. Try hiding objects around the room such as their toys and then telling them to find it.
- Bathtime fun!
Make bath-time into a fun evening activity with toys and bubbles. As with the pasta, letting your baby play at pouring the water will help their hand grasp.
- Animals
You can help develop your child’s language skills by playing with them as animals. Teach them animal noises and point to pictures of what each animal looks like. Pretending to be different animals together will develop creativity and imagination.