Things to Do at Home with an 18-Month-Old

Eighteen-month-old toddlers are constantly seeking new ways to explore their environment, and it is the parent's responsibility to structure their daily routine to incorporate learning activities. Filling up the day with things to do can be a daunting task, but there are many simple ideas that will keep your toddler entertained, and none of them involve watching television. Most of the activities require common household items and a little imagination.

  1. Bathroom

    • Rubber ducks can only hold a toddler's interest for so long.

      It doesn't have to be bedtime for your toddler to hop in the bathtub for some fun. Draw a bath and squirt some food coloring into the water to jazz up the experience. Give your baby a small shaving cream bottle and show her how to squirt the shaving cream on the wall and on her body. When bath time is up, give your toddler a sponge to "clean up" the shaving cream.

    Kitchen

    • The kitchen can provide lots of family fun.

      Give your toddler a glance into the baking world by making muffins or cookies from a box. There are not a lot of ingredients, so the mess and preparation is minimal, and your toddler with love to stir the mix and scoop it into the baking pan. If you are more adventuresome, lay out different-size bowls and measuring cups and let him scoop rice or beans into the bowls and pour.

    Living Room

    • You don't need a tree to create a playhouse.

      Using bedsheets and living room furniture, place the sheets over chairs and sofas to create a tent, using heavier objects to secure the sheets in place. You have now created a novel hiding place and special playhouse for your child. Use sofa cushions as doors. Your child will love the intimacy and closeness of the playhouse.

    Role-Playing

    • Pretend play helps develop toddlers' imagination and creativity.

      Toddlers love to play dress-up and pretend play. Give your child the opportunity to be someone else by giving her your clothes and shoes to wear around the house. You can also purchase costumes to enhance the game. With the new clothes on, have a tea party with cookies and milk.

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