A lot can happen between age 1 and 2, am I right?! It has got to be one of the most significant years of development and change in a child’s life. I don’t have research to back that up but just think about it- it’s crazy how much they learn those first couple of years.
I did a post awhile back on Activity Ideas for 12-18 Month Olds and had a lot of positive feedback come from it. I wanted to build on that a bit further, and put together a handful of activities for an even wider age group of 1-2 year olds. Every baby, toddler, and child develops so much at their own pace and in their own way, which makes it tough to put an exact age on any of these activities. For this reason, I felt the wider age range could be helpful.
Some of the main areas we can focus on when engaging in learning activities for this age group are sensory play, fine motor activities, gross motor activities, and arts/crafts.
Why sensory play?
Sensory play is a toddler’s best friend. You can accomplish so much through a sensory activity from simply exposing your little one to a new experience, to building vocabulary, to pretend play opportunities. Often times when we hear sensory play we think “messy.” It doesn’t have to be this way! You’ll find a couple of ideas here that can be just as fun, without too much mess. But- making a mess is okay, too. Lay a towel down and embrace it.
Why fine motor activities?
”Fine motor skills” are the use of the small muscles in our fingers and hands coordinating with our eyes. Working on these skills, and strengthening these muscles can help with good pencil grip, handwriting, use of scissors, and several other basic skills that children will be expected to master their first year or two of elementary school.
Why gross motor activities?
”Gross motor skills” are the skills used to control the larger muscles in our bodies that will eventually be used for walking, running, jumping, etc. Building these muscles are important for obvious reasons but I have also found, as a former early childhood teacher, that kids learn, and remember things better when they are up and moving, so incorporating gross motor skills into an activity is always an added bonus.
Why arts and crafts?
One word: creativity. Have you ever heard of anything negative happening from letting a child be creative? In the right context that is. 😉 When doing arts and crafts, you are exposing children to a new experience, allowing them to create, and usually building fine motor skills, vocabulary, and maybe even providing some sensory play ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
I gathered up a bunch of photos I had from activities I had done with Kade when he was between the ages of 1-2, and have also collected photos of new activities I’ve been doing now with Tatum (who is 19 months).
I hope that these ideas are helpful and inspire you toward hands-on learning experiences that feel like PLAY for your kiddos!
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