Category: 12 to 18 months

Box of Socks

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“Socks” was one of Veronika’s first words. She not only loves saying it, she loves putting them on (and pulling them off), and so it seemed only natural to turn them into a toy during a morning spent playing at home!

I gathered up a whole bunch of socks, including some of her own, some from big brother, and some of mommy’s.

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First I simply showed her how to toss the socks into a little basket. Then I gathered them all into my arms and let them shower down on her. Whee!

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She immediately tried to imitate the move.

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I wadded up each pair of socks so they formed a ball, and then we had even more fun with them.

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We could bowl towards little plastic animals…

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…or take turns tossing them in the basket.

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She briefly tied to put one on her own foot..

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…but then preferred wearing one of mommy’s long socks as a scarf. She was so proud!

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She returned to the little basket of socks over the course of the whole day, making this toy a big winner in my book.

Sensory Activity: Cool Whip

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Older toddlers can safely play with shaving cream, a fantastic material for sensory play, but if you need something for a younger toddler who still wants to see how everything tastes, look no further than whipped cream as a substitute.

For this game, I used the vegan CocoWhip from Soy Delicious. You could also use soy or rice whip from a spray can, but I worried the sound would startle Veronika!

Instead, I sat her down in her high chair and dolloped a big blob of the CocoWhip in front of her.

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With December just around the corner, it was time to get in a snowy holiday spirit! So I added a few holiday items, like sparkly hair ties and Christmas cookie cutters.

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She absolutely loved scooping the whipped cream into the cookie cutter shapes, almost like she was frosting them.

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We also pretended her spatula was a snow plow, with fun sound effects, and I showed her how to spread the whipped cream thinly and thickly. Then we made whipped cream” cookies”!

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The sparkly hair ties were fun to dip and dangle in it!

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She had so much fun that when I asked if she was all done, she signed “more more”. A first!

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I’d say this was one successful sensory experience. She had so much fun that we might try it again for other holiday themes, like Easter in the spring or with Halloween items in the fall.

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Off and On

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Simply taking off lids and putting them back on again is a delight for babies at Veronika’s age (13 months), and it can be fun simply to set your little one up with a lot of lidded items, a few toys, and watch them play!

To get Veronika started, I set out a saucepan with lid and lots of Tupperware with lids, some that twisted off and some that lifted off.

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That would be enough right there, but for added amusement, I hid a few toys in the saucepan.

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I also put a toy in a container with a screw-on lid. Leave lids like this relatively loose and your little one should be able to twist them off. I resisted the urge to jump in, and let Veronika problem solve by herself!

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For some early learning color fun, I put color-coded stickers on the base and lids of two identical containers. I encouraged her to notice that orange went with orange and yellow with yellow.

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I didn’t expect her to ace this test, of course, but was laying some groundwork! You can work up to lots of different color stickers as your one year old gets older.

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What other types of containers with lids does your baby play with? Shoe boxes? Baby wipe containers? Please share favorites in the comments!

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Teeth Brushing for Toddlers

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With 8 teeth already, tooth brushing is part of the routine for Veronika now, and I love making this twice-daily activity fun for her. Setting up good dental habits early will serve your little one well over a lifetime, so it’s never too soon to start.

First things first: Make sure you have a fun toothbrush. Personally I love the Baby Banana brush. Other great starter options are ones that slip right over the adult’s finger, or even just a damp washcloth if no teeth have come through the gums yet.

Veronika loves her banana brush, and knows to anticipate our brushing routine. First up, we say hi to the baby in the mirror!

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Next, I always sing a silly song. My favorite verse (to the tune of Row Your Boat) is:

“Brush brush brush your teeth.

Brush them every day.

Brush up and down and all around.

Keep cavities away.”

To vary things up, instead of singing you can tell a story. Today I gave each of her teeth a name, and told a silly story about them being ducklings who needing a bath. She might not have understood, but she smiled as we brushed!

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If you want to demystify the process, give your little one a flashlight and have him or her shine it in your mouth.

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Look at all those big grown up teeth.

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Just for fun, it’s cute to hand over a toothbrush and let her have a turn at my teeth.

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Finally, you can take pictures of teeth and then look at them together. You could even post these pictures into a little book for a story to read about teeth.

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All of these simple activities will help your baby understand better what’s happening when it comes time to brush teeth.

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Bowl with Bottles

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“Bowling” is a fantastic first sport for babies. Even before coordination develops for kicking, babies love to roll balls… and knock things over! So bowling is a natural choice.

Save your empty plastic bottles for a few days (our pins were recycled sparkling water bottles), and set them up. You can go as high as ten bottles in a classic bowling formation, but Veronika and I started with 3.

I set out a few toy balls and showed her how to aim for the bottles. She loved the crash they made when they knocked over!

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Her favorite way to play was to take one bottle and use that to knock down another one.

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But this still required coordination and forethought, so I loved her variation!

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Hopefully she’ll work up to rolling the ball at the “pins” soon. We can even make it harder with a smaller ball as she gets older!

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Hide Small Toys

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This game has elements of surprise, tactile learning, and early language development. And it couldn’t be easier to play!

I filled two small gym socks with a few toys for Veronika to find. Older toddlers may enjoy a long sock to reach into, but the short shocks were just right for my one-year-old.

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At first, she pulled out a round ball. I named the object for her, and described it. It felt round and smooth.

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She immediately wanted to try putting it back inside the sock, which I helped her do!

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But – surprise! – there were more treasures to find inside. Next she pulled out a little pig.

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And you can see from her lips here, she tried to say “pppp” (she’s testing out new words daily!).Hide in Sock (3)

She kept digging and found a car. Again, I said the name of the object and described what she was feeling. This time she made a “vroom vroom” sound.

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You could keep going with this game with as many toys as your little one likes before losing interest. Once the socks were empty, Veronika even tried to put them on!

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Get Down On All Fours

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Recently in our music class, Veronika’s instructor had the grown-ups get down on all fours for a train song, and the looks of surprise and delight on the babies’ faces were priceless! So today, I did something similar with Veronika at home. When you get down to crawl on baby’s level, it not only makes him or her feel special, but it also leads to lots of fun.

First, it was big brother’s turn to crawl. I challenged them to a “race” towards a toy. You’ll notice that he crawled so fast I barely had time to get in a picture of the race!

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But Veronika was undaunted and giddily crawled over to join him.

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Next, I set up an obstacle course. She thought it was so silly to see mommy zig and zag through the pillows on my knees. The obstacle course led us up and over, so not only were we having fun on all fours together, but she got to practice her climbing skills.

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Then I copied that train game from our music class, pushing a toy train around while I crawled behind it.

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It was plain to see she loved it! Definitely consider this game if your baby is close to trading a crawl for a walk.

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Pack a Purse

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Forget toys: Babies always want to use our grown-up things, whether that’s keys, cell phones, wallets, or anything else off-limits. Control that urge by safely packing up a purse that baby can go through, in this cute game.

I grabbed an old purse that was small enough for Veronika to hold easily. I filled it with “mommy” things like a pack of wipes, sunglasses, old store cards, and a spare set of keys. She immediately wanted to know what was in there!

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Ooh, wipes were fun!

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And sunglasses were a big hit.

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The more pockets the better. Veronika had to dig around a little to find the cards I’d hidden, and then loved playing with them.

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If you prefer, you can also buy little toy purses “just like mommy’s”. Veronika has a mini version with her own “cell phone” “car keys” and more!

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Mashed Potato Sculpture

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This is a great sensory activity… and a way to get your kid to try mashed potatoes!

Start with instant mashed potatoes as the base. Yes, you can bake and mash your own, but the instant stuff has a sticky quality that makes it better suited to this “art” project. I whipped up a batch using almond milk, Earth Balance butter, and the potato flakes, and then let it cool completely.

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When Veronika was finished with lunch, I spooned a huge heap of this onto her tray. She looked instantly delighted!

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Set out a few props to encourage the artistic process. Veronika received a measuring cup and spoon, and soon was scooping, digging, and poking holes in it.

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I showed her how to make a few “sculptural” elements, including round balls and little snakes.

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I tried for a little mashed potato snowman, but Veronika didn’t let him last long!

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And of course she discovered that little bites of the stuff was delicious. Eager fingers kept digging in for more, both to eat and to play!

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Where Game

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At her one year physical, the pediatrician asked if Veronika is pointing yet. This is one milestone she hasn’t hit, which isn’t a concern, but I realized it’s probably because I only rarely model the behavior. So today we played The Where Game!

This is the simplest game ever. Walk around any room in the house asking where things are. “Where is Veronika’s crib?” “Where is big brother’s bed?” “Where is the window?” As I asked each question, I pointed first and then exclaimed, “Here it is!”.

Where are her books? She found them.

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When we were downstairs by the computer, I asked where it was. Her little hand began reaching out in a point, almost too fast to catch on camera. But she’s starting to ge tthe idea!

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