Best Developmental Activities for 18-24 Month Old Toddlers

The 18-24 month period is a huge time of development for your child. Expect to see bursting expressive and receptive language, creativity in play, advancements in fine motor skills, and of course, all the big feelings. 

As a speech therapist I love to be mindful of language development and try to incorporate language-building techniques across a variety of activities. When planning activities for your child it's helpful to keep in mind developmental goals for this age range while also being flexible and following your child’s lead. Not all activities are created equal and I’ve rounded up my favorites that promote development and lay the foundation for later skills. 

Combining Words

Your child’s expressive language and communication skills (i.e what they can say) will develop rapidly during this stage of development. By 24 months toddlers typically have 50 words minimum, ideally approaching 50-300 words and they begin to produce two-word phrases. These activities will help boost their production of words.

• Reading to your child is the most effective way to boost language development. Use your local library or create a home library stocked with books. We love our rotating bookshelf. 
• Open-ended toys such as hand or finger puppets offer a great opportunity for exploring language and producing sounds. See if your child can imitate animal sounds while you play.
• Singing songs is a fantastic way to build language as it promotes vocabulary building, sound recognition, and rhythm and speech patterns. Leave a word blank while singing and allow your child to fill in the word. For example, “Row, row, row your _____.” Allowing ample wait time for your child to respond is key.
• Encourage imitation by modeling short two-word phrases and avoid putting pressure on your child by saying, “ Say ______”. It’s tempting to directly request your child to say a sound but simply modeling is a great low-pressure way for your child to learn to produce words.

Understanding Directions

During the 18-24 month period you may notice that your child can understand much more than they can say. It is typical for receptive language skills (i.e what your child is understanding) to develop more quickly than expressive language (what your child can say). At this point in development, your child should be able to follow 2-step commands, understand prepositions and understand action words. While receptive language skills can be incorporated into any form of play, these activities make language easy to include. 

• When reading books see if your child can point to 15 or more pictures of common objects when named. Have them follow simple directions such as “open the book” and “turn the page”. 
• This farm set provides a great opportunity for your child to begin to understand prepositions (in, on, up) as you place the animals in various places around the farm. Try having your child match the animals to the sound they make.
• Mr. Potato head is a perfect chance to have your child identify or name various body parts. To enhance the activity with social and emotional skills, try out this big feelings pineapple instead. With either, your child can also begin to understand sequencing while assembling the toy or following simple commands, “First, put on the eyes, then add the nose.”
• Playing “I spy _____” is a fun way to expand your child’s vocabulary while encouraging them to practice their active listening skills. 

Imaginative Play

Imaginative play is a hallmark skill of this age range. Expect your child to engage in parallel play (i.e. playing next to a child in the same area but not directly interacting without being prompted). 

• Our most used toy for imaginative play is this toddler play couch. With so many open-ended play options my boys never tire of this!
• Play food is a classic option for pretend play, and pairing it with a kitchen set will provide opportunities for more imaginative play as your child grows. Imitating other household tasks with this color changing sink and cleaning set are fun as well.
• Cook dinner alongside your child and allow them to explore your pots, pans, and other cooking tools like measuring cups, spoons, and tongs.
• Playing dress-up is a perfect opportunity for your child’s imagination to thrive. We especially love this set as it includes a doctor's uniform so we can prepare for real life doctor’s appointments and make them less scary.
• Dolls can be a great way for children to engage in pretend play as they may imitate the way a parent cares for them or a younger sibling.
• Provide your child with chances to play with a simple block set. Aim for your child stacking 6-7 blocks to make a tower.  

Turn-Taking

The universal toddler law is: if I’m holding it, thinking about it or looking at it, it’s mine. This is a normal stage of development and modeling sharing behavior is key. Improving turn-taking skills is a great social-emotional milestone to strive for.

• Have your child try their hand at this magnetic fishing game that promotes turn-taking and may also help with sustained attention and perseverance. 
• Set up a race car ramp and encourage your child to take turns racing. Get friends or siblings involved too!
• Simply pushing cars or balls back and forth is an easy way to target this area of development.

Small Muscle Movements

These small muscle movement activities for fingers and hands are great for developing fine motor skills. The pincer grasp is a fine motor skill that involves using the thumb and the index finger to pick up and hold small objects. This grip is crucial for tasks that require precision and control, such as picking up small items like beads, turning pages of a book, or manipulating buttons and zippers.

In the 18-24 month range, most children can string larger-sized beads, scribble, try to draw lines up, down, and across a page, as well as circles. Encourage your child to use a pincer grasp with these activities. 

• These lacing beads can promote focus and are best used with direct supervision.
• Encourage your child to hold crayons with fingertip and thumb (pincer grasp) with these durable crayons. 
• Drawing with your child is a great chance for them to practice fine motor skills and build cognition. See if your child can copy your drawings of a straight line or circle. 
• My son loves using these dot markers & activity sheets and they keep him entertained for a long time! 
• Grab a few Q-tips and paint and have your child paint dots on a piece of paper. The small shape of the Q-tip will promote the development of the pincer grip as they make a craft.
• Grab an empty oatmeal container and make a small slit in the top. Have your child place popsicle tips into the top, practicing fine motor skills and their visual perception. It seems simple but this will keep my son very entertained!  Not into DIY? Try this option out!
• Stacking Cups are a great option to promote hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, and cause-effect. Toddlers love to “nest” objects and may prefer nesting to stacking during the 18-24 month range. Round containers are easier to nest than a square shape, so keep that in mind. At this point in development children typically are able to stack and assemble 3+ cups. 

Big Muscle Movements

These gross motor activities are great for developing skills that use big muscles (arms, trunk, neck, and legs). At this age range kids typically use their legs to propel ride-on toys and walk up and down stairs when one hand is being held by an adult. 

•  Climbing toys are a perfect option for encouraging alternating feet while walking up stairs.
• Promote dexterity and lay the foundation for successful bike riding with this balance bike. 
• Grab some sidewalk chalk and play hopscotch to practice balancing on one foot. 
• Kicking a ball is also a great way for your child to test out their balance. 
• These soft sports balls are a versatile toy that will grow with your child. See if your child can throw the ball overhand and be somewhat accurate.
• Get outside and swing to strengthen your child’s core, legs and arms as they learn to pump their legs. Swinging also stimulates the vestibular system which helps with balance and the awareness of their body in space.

Sensory Exploration

Sensory play encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It helps to build nerve connections in the brain and encourages the development of language and motor skills. 

• This water table is a summertime staple at our house. To enjoy it during the winter months, use it as a sensory table! 
• Play-Doh is a tried and true favorite and this tool set adds some extra fun.
• It’s ok to get messy! These finger paints are a great option. If the mess stresses you out, try this mess-free painting set.
• Setting up a sensory bin is a creative way to allow your child to explore their senses. Use sand, oatmeal, water, and basic toys to create a variety of play options. Here is a great example.

Puzzles and Problem-Solving

Children are rapidly growing their cognitive skills during 18-24 months and puzzles can help with their visuospatial and problem-solving skills. 

• I love a simple puzzle with 2-3 pieces that are easy to grasp to build problem-solving. Your child may become disinterested and overwhelmed with puzzles that have too many pieces. 
• This latch activity board  helps kids build dexterity as they figure out how 6 different latches work. 
• My son loves this head and tail puzzle and it's a great introduction to basic matching skills as well. 
• A classic shape sorter is a nostalgic problem-solving toy that has entertained children for generations.
• My son has been obsessed with this Woodpecker Worm. I have never seen him concentrate so hard! This activity will help to develop problem solving skills as well as hand-eye coordination. 

Matching and Sorting

Activities that promote problem-solving are key for their development. A main hallmark of problem-solving at this age is matching and sorting so many activities target this skill. 

• Develop sorting and matching skills with this animal farm set. Encourage your child to match the barn tops and bottoms based on color, or group barns and animals together
• This wild animal game is a fun way to practice matching pictures to physical objects. For a fun challenge, hide the animal figurines in a sensory bin! 
• Take your play food to the next level with this farmer's market set perfect for practicing grouping similar objects together.
• These birds in a nest are great for color sorting and also double as finger puppets to encourage pretend play. These rainbow balls in cups are a fantastic open-ended option for color sorting with endless play possibilities. 
• Toys aren’t necessary to practice matching and sorting. Simply have your child help with laundry and match colored socks, or help to sort laundry in piles by type of clothing. 

The 18-24 month range is an exciting time to watch your child bloom. I hope these activities help your child thrive as they discover the world around them! 

 Wondering which skills your baby should be meeting & when?

Here is a FREE Communication Milestones Checklist to guide you!