You can plan interesting activities for a 15-month-old baby to enhance their skills and learning abilities. Children start exploring their surroundings and taking pride in their new accomplishments by this age. Most babies also learn to walk and balance themselves because of improved muscle strength (1).
The ability of the child to move around gives them the freedom to be independent. They can identify and hold objects, drink out of a cup, stack bigger blocks, and make a mess out of things. Children could speak a few words at this age but can comprehend and follow instructions (2). They show an eagerness to solve problems and love indulging in imaginative play.
It is the phase when you should let them enjoy their playtime and have fun. Here are some exciting activities for 15-month babies that will keep them entertained and amused.
Milestones Of 15-Month Old Baby
Understanding your baby’s development makes your job of picking the right activity easy! Here’s what a 15-month-old babies can do by now (1) (3).
Physical Development: Now that they are walking (even though their steps are not firm), they try different movements such as running with a wide based stance and outstretched arms. climbing, especially stairs with assistance, and jumping. The toddler tends to pull and push things, picks up objects from a standing position, and refines grasp.
Language And Cognitive Development: A 15-month toddler can attempt to speak three to five words. They can understand simple commands like ‘pick the shoes.’ They can eat using their fingers and recognize themselves in the mirror. The little one can communicate by pulling you, pointing at something, or by other means. Likes to watch and then imitate activities. At this age, they prefer adults rather than other children.
Dana, a mother of two and blogger at Dana’sPinkRibbon, recalls how her son Ryan wanted to do everything she and her husband did around the house. She writes, “Whenever Ryan sees mommy or daddy doing something around the house, he wants to try it too. The other day, I was cleaning up a spill on the floor. Without even being asked, Ryan got his own rag, imitated my movement, and actually helped (i).”
Imagination: The toddler’s imagination levels also continue to develop. The little one enjoys looking for hidden objects, correctly points at one or more body parts, and shows improvement in their concentration levels.
15 Activities For 15-Month-Old Baby
1. Laundry basket fun
What do you need: laundry basket, plastic containers, lids, and empty cereal boxes. You could add more things that the toddler can pick up easily without hurting themselves.
How to play: Put objects that your baby will love to get their hands on, in the laundry basket. Your baby will love to take out the contents from the laundry basket and put them back in. They could also put themselves into the basket instead of the objects. They imagine the purpose of those objects and try to figure out how to use them.
The toddler may follow your instructions like ‘come out of it’ or ‘get into it’. You may also let the baby throw balls or bean bags’ small objects into the laundry basket, as this improves hand-eye coordination. Let them stand away from the basket and practice this target throwing activity. This activity allows them to develop spatial orientation as well and is important for the development of fine motor coordination.
Skills developed: gross motor skills, imaginary skills, balancing skills, and language skills.
2. Finger paints
What do you need: non-toxic finger paints, paper, tray
How to play: Let the baby play with colors on the tray. The paints used should be safe if the baby attempts to touch or taste them. You may try making edible paints with fruits or vegetables like carrot puree for orange paint, strawberry or beetroot puree for red paint, and broccoli puree for green paint. Touching different colors with different textures would enhance your toddler’s senses, and a mix of those colors would enhance their sense of sight (4). Talk to the little one about the texture and color as they play. If they get bored, offer a piece of paper, and you will be surprised to see the excited and creative baby.
Skills developed: sensory, cognitive, and art skills
3. Toss the ball
What do you need: large beach ball
How to play: If you prefer a fun outdoor activity for your 15-month-old, get a large beach ball and head to some grassy place. Roll the ball, and your toddler would love to chase it. They may throw the ball and watch where it falls. If there is a gentle slope, toss the ball up the hill and teach the toddler to catch it. They may not catch it perfectly, but they will have a great time!
Skills developed: physical, motor and cognitive skills
4. Fun scarf dance
What do you need: different music, brightly colored scarves, napkins, or handkerchiefs
How to play: Have some free space in the room and turn on the music. Your toddler will be up and moving to the music and may even pull you along. Try waving and shaking scarves to the music and let them imitate you. You may also try playing peekaboo in the middle. Place the scarf on your head and allow them to grab it. Let them put it on their head and pull it off. Keep changing the music all through. Be with them throughout, and do not leave them with the scarf.
Skills developed: gross motor skills, language, rhythm, social play
5. Doodle bug fun
What do you need: crayons, thick paper sheets, plaster
How to play:Your little one’s chaotic, beautiful scribbles are the first steps on the road to creativity. Tape thick sheets of paper on the floor and allow your little one to doodle. Give them a few crayons of primary colors and name the color as they pick each one. Do not forget to show your appreciation – shower them with praises and display their art. They would love it!
Skills developed:drawing, fine motor control, color identification
6. Rainbow fish handprint cards
What do you need:painting apron, different colored paints, paint palette, black felt pen, card
How to play: This is a lovely activity that can be treasured for years and can be a good birthday gift for the toddler’s dad or mom. Put the apron on, pour the paint into the palette, and allow your baby to dip their hands into it. Help them make a hand-print on the card. Next, remove the card and allow it to dry. Now let your toddler mess up with the paints on the extra card. Once the paint dries, draw around it with a black pen. It would look fabulous.
Skills developed:color identification, cognitive skills, art skills, sensory skills
7. Dough play
What do you need: play dough, apron
How to play: Playdough could be fun for babies as it is a new concept for them. It’s a sensory material that can have a distinctive smell. Set up a table with a clump of play dough. Your baby would love to squeeze it and mold it with their little hands. Toddlers tend to show a lot of concentration when at it. As they play with the dough, you may attempt to add more action words to their vocabulary like ‘twist’, ‘pull’, ‘push’, and so on.
Skills developed: sensory and cognitive skills
8. Enjoy simple catchy rhymes
What do you need:yourself, your toddler
How to play: Rhymes and childhood go hand in hand. They have fascinated both kids and parents equally for generations together. Rhymes drastically help your baby develop their language skills in a fun way (5). Sit together and sing the rhymes. You could enact as you sing! Your little one would enjoy looking at you and might even try to mimic you. Traditional lyrics are great but don’t miss the fun factor.
Skills developed:cognitive skills, sense of humor, language skills
9. Book reading
What do you need:Books with interesting pictures, stories, or textures
How to play: At 15 months, your baby will develop an interest in a variety of picture books, books with different textures, or storybooks. Try to read books even when they are playing and not only when sitting on your lap. Let your kid explore the pictures and pages all by themselves. You may find them patting the pictures in the book, which you could name for them.
Skills developed: language skills, cognitive skills, sensory skills
10. Imaginary food play
What do you need: small cereal, plastic/non-breakable containers
How to play: Put some edible items like rice Krispies into a container and demonstrate ways to transfer them into the other tubs. They would love to transfer the contents and may find innovative ways to do so. They might even change the quantity they are moving from one tub to another. This activity improves your baby’s pincer grip. You may also play a mealtime game by giving a spoon and bowl to your little explorer while they pretend to eat with the spoon. Do not be surprised if they feed you too! It would be one of the funniest games for a 15-month-old baby.
Skills developed: fine motor skill, concentration, hand-eye coordination
11. Fun time with activity walker toy
What do you need: Activity Walker Toy
How to play:Your little explorer may be walking by now, but they may have to practice more balancing and walking. Encourage them to bring a new toy towards you by pushing it. It gives the toddler confidence to walk until they can balance more securely. Point out how the speed and sound of the toy can be changed. Give them commands like ‘push slowly’, ‘come forward’, etc.
Skills developed:Physical and cognitive skills
12. Blowing bubbles
What do you need: Bubble blowing toy
How to play: Blowing and playing with bubbles is always one such fun thing to do with a 15-month-old! The activity helps the baby to concentrate and communicate. Besides, it strengthens their muscles and gross motor skills when they crawl, walk, climb, and run after the bubbles. It builds curiosity as the little explorer gets fascinated when the bubbles float and burst. The entire family can get involved in bubble-blowing to lighten up the mood.
Skills developed: Sensory and cognitive skills
13. Catch me if you can!
What do you need: you and your toddler
How to play: This simple play idea for a 15-month-old requires no preparation at all. Your little one will have a lot of fun! Play ‘chase’ with your toddler around the house, in a garden, or in any area that is safe to play. Keep your chase in line with the running skills of your little one. Have fun!
Skills developed: Physical and Imaginary skills
14. Painting with water
What do you need: Paint brushes, tray or small cups
How to play: If you’re worried about exposing your toddler to the toxic chemicals in the paint color, painting with water can be a fun and mess-free activity you can try. Pour water into a tray or a small cup and give your baby various paintbrushes. Let them paint on any water-resistant surface. You may even give them a large paintbrush and have them pretend-play painting the porch or the walls. Prefer providing drinking water so that it is safe if they accidentally splash some in their mouth or take some sips.
Skills developed: Sensory, cognitive, and observation skills
15. Building towers with blocks
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-baby-building-tower-blocks-1876758352
Image: Shutterstock
What do you need: Soft building blocks, a soft mat
How to play:Your baby can start playing with blocks at an early age. However, by 12 months, your baby can start stacking blocks to build towers and develop various skills in an interactive way (6). Begin by showing your child the blocks and talking to them about the colors and shapes. Allow your child to explore the blocks on their own and stack them accordingly. The ultimate goal of the building towers game is to let them have fun and experiment. Do not forget to praise them after they successfully build a tower.
Skills developed: Visual motor skills, hand-eye coordination
These activities would allow your baby to reach milestones quicker and strengthen the already initiated ones. Make their fascinating world more interesting!
11 More Tips for Parents
Being a parent for this age is a balancing act. It is essential to observe and give your child the freedom to discover the world around them while ensuring optimum safety. Below are more useful tips to follow during your baby’s activity time (7).
- Encourage the toddler to use their imagination.
- Babies learn as they interact. So spend a good amount of time talking, reading, and playing every day, enhancing the bond with your child.
- To improve cognitive skills, try to teach them more about the body parts during playtime.
- Never forget that it is important to listen to what the little one is saying (even if you do not understand). Toddlers understand more than they can express. So, it is important to engage in conversation even if it sounds like babble.
- Encourage them to communicate with you by responding, commenting, questioning, and so on. It will motivate the toddler to keep trying and instill a sense of security.
- Avoid using baby-talk. It can confuse your little one.
- Cut down screen time for your toddler, like TV viewing, mobile phones, and other gadgets. It can interfere with their brain development and motor development. Instead, give them opportunities to socialize with other family members or peers.
- Get a set of plastic keys or other things that resemble the one you usually use. Toddlers show more interest in things used by adults.
- Toddlers love to test their environment. So, let them experiment, become strong, and improve coordination and senses.
- Engage with them during playtime and show genuine interest and excitement while they are at it. It would support their growth and development.
- Let your toddler struggle as long as they are safe. It will enhance their problem-solving skills. So, support and encourage toddlers as they try and offer help when they ask for it.
The above activities for a 15-month-old baby can help develop their cognitive and motor skills, thus aiding in reaching their developmental milestones. So introduce them to these fun activities and tingle their minds. However, remember that each child is different and may achieve their skills at a different pace and time. So be patient and let them have fun while you try some effective tips to encourage them and help them in the process.
Key Pointers
- Create a safe and engaging atmosphere for your little one.
- Encourage your little one to play with paints, balls, and dough to build their motor and cognitive skills.
- Develop language skills by narrating stories and teaching your baby rhymes and songs.
- Avoid excessive screen time for your toddler, including TV, phones, and other electronics, as it may interfere with their development.
