Need some simple ways to keep your toddler happy without screen time? You are an awesome parent for looking into ways to support your child through the little years. I’ve got you covered in this post with easy activities for 1 year olds any parent can implement at home.
Simple Activities For 1 Year Olds
Choo-Choo Train
One of my 1 year old’s favorite indoor activities is being the conductor or caboose on a pretend train. He and his siblings make a line of chairs down our hallway and everyone gets aboard the choo-choo train.
Does your toddler have big siblings to play with? If not, you can easily get him started on this fun game and then leave him to his own imagination while you monitor nearby. Make a train out of whatever chairs or furniture you have, pretend you’ve got a steering wheel to drive, make sure to go “beep beep” and call his attention to the imaginary windows. Pretend there are moo cows and fields of flowers to look at as you drive along the hillside.
I have found in my mothering that if I get my kids started on an imaginative game, they have no problem taking it over for themselves when it’s time for me to move on.
Pretend Baking
Pretend baking is an easy win for moms who need a break or a couple minutes to check some tasks off of their to-do list. My one year old particularly loves to play with our rolling pins, plastic baking bowls, measuring cups, and spatula.
Free Printable Daily Schedule For Toddlers At Home
Struggling to adjust to the toddler stage? I’ve been there, Mama! Since littles ones thrive on simple routines they can count on, I’ve included a few easy to follow toddler schedule printables in this post. These 3 sanity saving resources will help bring some much needed calm to your day so you can focus on enjoying the little years with your precious child.
Enter your email in the green box to receive these freebies:
- Visual morning routine for toddlers & preschoolers
- Visual evening routine for toddlers & preschoolers
- Simple screen free activity list to post on your fridge
How To Entertain A Toddler All Day
(with items you already have)
Over the years, our toddlers have been gifted many toys. Well-meaning family and friends love to give little ones the latest and greatest objects marketed to toddlers. Many of these toys are flashy and complicated. Though they were designed to occupy children for hours, most parents find their kids preferring the packages said toys came in over the toys themselves. Next time you see something you are convinced you need to buy for your 1 year old online, save your money and lean into a season of creativity and contentment at home.
Pushing Objects
A very simple toddler game our little guy has been enjoying lately is push the bucket. We keep our magnetic building tiles in a Home Depot bucket for storage. Though our 15 month old loves to build with the tiles, he equally enjoys pushing the bucket around the house. On any given morning you can find him amusing himself and shouting, “beep beep!” as he pushes the bucket up and down the hall. Similarly, he enjoys pushing around and climbing on top of brand new boxes of diapers, wipes, and the Costco sized package of toilet paper.
Motherhood does not have to be complicated in the little years. Let your sweet one play with simple things you already have on hand.
Rolling Objects
Another clever toddler game our little man came up with on his own was roll the can. It’s as simple as it sounds. One afternoon, he found an empty canister that had been used for snacks. He sat on the floor and started rolling the can to his sister. Now roll the can has become a household tradition. We all enjoy seeing his face light up when we take breaks from our work throughout the day to slide the can back and forth with him.
Keep it simple, Mama. The toddler years don’t need to be stressful, full of preplanned activities, or expensive toys. Your precious one doesn’t need the latest and greatest. He needs YOU and a lot of time and space to engage in unhindered imaginative play.
15 Month Old Activities At Home
Stacking Objects
By fifteen months old, many toddlers enjoy stacking objects. Little ones are curious about how things work and how objects fit together. I have observed my toddlers order, sort, and stack many different kinds of things (blocks, magnetic building tiles, cups,) but lately, my one year old and preschooler have been thoroughly enjoying stacking cans.
While I homeschool the big kids, the two little ones sit beside us near the open pantry. They “grocery shop” together, picking out cans of soup, beans, and vegetables from our shelves. Together they sort, swap, and stack the cans into tall towers.
We all clap and cheer at their accomplishments. My little guy swells with pride, getting the biggest smile on his face over his neatly stacked tower of green beans. Stacking cans is one of the simplest rainy day activities toddlers can do at home with things you already have on hand.
Music
Music is a surefire way to entertain, occupy, and settle a fussy toddler. In our home, we gather together to sing and play instruments. Our 15 month old smiles, dances, and travels back and forth from his father playing the guitar to his siblings playing the piano. He enjoys plucking the strings and pushing the keys along with them. We have an extra child sized guitar from the thrift store that keeps our toddler occupied during this time as well.
Even if your family does not play any instruments, you can still keep your toddler busy with music. Our little ones enjoy the bible verse songs by Steve Green, instrumental music, and contemporary music. If a beat is going in the background, you will find our one year old pausing whatever he is doing to bust a move.
Burning Energy Outdoors
Taking toddlers outside is my go-to solution for keeping them happy without screens, burning energy, and solving the fussiness that happens during the evening witching hour. My little guy loves to run and bounce on our fenced-in trampoline. He will occupy himself for up to 30 minutes if a sibling joins him on there.
Toddlers love to freely explore outdoors. Whether they are running barefoot, wiggling their toes in the sand, or digging with a small handheld garden shovel, little ones know how to have fun outside. It doesn’t take much to entertain a 1 to 3 year old when they are getting fresh air and sunlight. Make a point to get your kids in the great wide open as often as you can.
As always, keep it simple. Stay nearby and monitor for safety as your child discovers the wonders of nature. Don’t forget to join in the play yourself and have fun, Mama!
Outdoor Activities For 1 Year Olds:
- Running
- Jumping
- Bouncing
- Climbing
- Digging
- Rolling around
- Walking across logs
- Playing in the sandbox
- Swinging on a swing
- Sliding down a slide
- Standing on a tree stump
- Standing on a picnic table and being a lookout
- Chasing and playing fetch with pets
- Collecting leaves, pinecones, flowers, etc.
- Examining caterpillars, lady bugs, and other interesting creatures
- Stirring pretend soup in an old bowl, using a stick for a ladle and natural items for make believe ingredients
- Riding in a toddler car
- Enjoying a snack
- Flipping through a stack of picture books
Balloons
Balloons are a cheap and easy way to occupy your one year old. Keep a pack of balloons from Dollar Tree on hand and blow them up on a rainy day when your toddler is starting to go a little stir crazy indoors. Get your child started with a game of “keep the balloon in the air.” Show him how to serve it like a volley ball. As with most toddler games, your little one is sure to catch on quick and entertain themselves nearby you.
Play Kitchen
We used to have a lovely play kitchen when we had our first set of “2 under 2” kids in the house. My oldest daughter had so much fun pretending to cook and bake with that kitchen set. If you have the space, money, or can find a sale on a second-hand kitchen toy, these can be a fun way to occupy toddlers. However, you do not need a fancy or expensive set to get through the day with your little one. Like I said earlier, my kids are happy to play with my rolling pins and spare bowls.
Personally, if I was going to invest some money into activities for 1 year old’s, I would skip the play kitchen and stick to tools that enhance our time outdoors such as buckets, shovels, swings, and a trampoline. Children decompress, get creative, and burn off so much energy in healthy ways the more they play outdoors. The earlier that you make daily outdoor time a habit for your child, the better off they will be.
How to entertain a 15 month old boy
I am a mother to two boys and two girls and while there are some similarities, I have also noticed differences in how both types of toddlers like to be entertained. The best way to entertain a young boy is to give him a job to do. 15 month old activities at home don’t always have to involve toys.
Through parenting at home and volunteering with preschoolers at church, I have found that boys are very task oriented. They like to be given a mission to complete. Try simple things like…
- “Bring Mama the bottle, please.”
- “Put the stuffed bear in your stroller.”
- “Can you put the napkin in the trashcan?”
- “Throw the dog his toy.”
My 15 month old son absolutely loves to help with household chores. If I am vacuuming, my toddler points and asks for a turn pushing around the small handheld vac himself. If I am wiping up crumbs on the kitchen floor, my toddler is helping himself to a wipe and doing the same beside me. If a big sibling is unloading the dishwasher, the toddler is nearby handing them clean spoons to put away.
Give your 15 month old a mission and allow them to be a part of the tasks you are doing.
How to entertain a 15 month old girl
My girls also enjoy helping, but they prefer to do it right by my side. If I am cooking, they want to help push buttons and mix. If I am caring for a newborn sibling, they want to cover him up with a baby blanket. My toddler girls particularly enjoy our pets. I give them simple tasks like giving the dogs their treats.
I’ve also noticed that 15 month old girls enjoy playing pretend with baby dolls, strollers, bottles and other accessories.
How to entertain a 15 month old at home?
I have a great blog post on indoor toddler activities I will link below. That post is full of simple ideas for how to entertain a 1 to 3 year old at home with stuff you already own.
What should I be doing with my 15 month old?
Life with your 15 month old doesn’t have to be difficult. We’ve over complicated kids by marketing screen based entertainment to them and tricking parents into thinking that they need flashy entertainment to be kept content. This simply isn’t true. In fact, one of the very best things you can do for your preschooler is to keep them screen free as long as possible, promote play, and establish a secure loving relationship with them. It’s easier than you may think.
Talk to your toddler often. Look them in the eyes, smile, and narrate the things you are doing around your home. This not only gives them the tools for essential language skills, it also increases your bond.
Don’t underestimate your toddler. They are listening and paying attention to everything you do. Narrate aloud for them often even if they don’t say very much yet. Provide them with a rich bank of language to draw from in the future.
Tell your little one things like…
- “Mommy is cutting the red peppers with the knife. These will go in the chili with the onions. Here, try one.”
- “Looks like we spilled some milk. That’s okay. Here’s the kitchen towel. Let’s kneels down on the floor and wipe this up.”
- “How funny. The puppies are playing tug of war with their rope. Silly dogs!”
- “We’re going to get our jackets on now and go outside to play. Put your arm in the sleeve.”
- “I am putting tooth paste on my tooth brush. This is how I brush my teeth.”
- “It’s been a great day. Let’s get in our cozy pajamas and read ‘Goodnight Moon’ before bed.”
How do I spend time with my 15 month old?
Once again, this doesn’t have to be complicated. Enjoy your toddler. Read them lots of board books and picture books throughout their day. You can read to them while they eat a snack in their high chair, while they drink their morning milk in bed, while they build with blocks by your feet, while they take a bath, and while they run to and fro in their room before bed in their pajamas.
Persist in read aloud to your child even if they don’t appear to be listening. They are listening and the act of reading is building up their bank of knowledge, vocabulary, and love.
Here are some other simple things you can do to connect with your toddler…
- Sing them songs
- Tickle them
- Build things with them
- Bend down and talk to them at their eye level
- Take them on walks and point interesting things out
- Read them nursery rhymes and poetry
- Race toy cars with them
- Play with toy animals with them
- Mold play dough with them (stay nearby and don’t let them sample any)
- Take them outside to play and point out things in nature
What is imaginative play for a 15 month old?
My toddler has a collection of toy dinosaurs. When he plays with them, he says “rarrr!” and pretends they are attacking one another. Sometimes, his big siblings line up chairs all down our hallway and pretend they are on the train. The 15 month old climbs in and pretends to be the conductor, taking their cues and eating up every second of it.
Children are incredible smart. Imaginative play is when they pretend. It’s how they do some of their best learning and growing.
I hope you enjoyed this blog on screen free activities for 1 year olds.
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