Your 14-month-old is entering an amazing phase of development; you’ll see all kinds of new cognitive and motor developments in the coming weeks. Parents want to offer activities for 14-month-old toddlers that support their mind and movement development.
This is the age when your toddlers begin to watch what you do closely. Toddlers see their parents cooking, cleaning, and doing things around the house, and they want to participate with you.
At the same time, a 14-month-old is becoming more independent, playing alone at times, and parents find that they have more time to get things done around the house.
However, you still need to have activities for your 14-month-old toddler and try to be present and engaged when you play. They need this for bonding and skill-building!
Let’s take a look at some activities your toddler will love.
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14 Activities for 14-Month-Old Toddlers
1. Go Outside!
One of the most important activities is getting outside with your toddler. There is so much for your toddler to see and do while outside; it’s the perfect sensory activity for toddlers.
Don’t just keep your toddler in the stroller; let them explore and get dirty as well.
Try to explore different locations. Head to the playground, take a nature walk, go to a local lake, splash in the creek, and find as many new places to go together.
You won’t find a toddler out there who doesn’t enjoy going outside.
2. Play Patty-Cake
You might think that playing patty-cake is annoying or goofy, at best, but playing patty-cake is one of the best activities for little toddlers.
It’s a great game to work on imitation. Learning to imitate is a vital part of childhood; children imitate behaviors that help them later in life. Research shows that imitation plays a vital role in the first years of your child’s life, along with language and social development.
3. Squishing Play-Doh
Play-doh is something all kids love, but I make sure to monitor my 14-month-old toddlers because I don’t want them to eat it. Homemade play-dough is a possibility if you have the time, but we love all the different Play-Doh sets available.
Grab some spoons, plastic letters, and other toys, and give your toddler chunks of Play-Doh. Then, show him how to squish the objects into the Play-Doh.
This simple activity helps your child develop fine motor skills and learn about colors, letters, and shapes.
4. Putting Things into Another
My toddler loves to put things into another thing. It’s such a simple activity that you can turn into a clean-up game whenever there are messes around.
Grab a few baskets and have your toddler collect balls to put into the basket. Put spoons into drawers, toys into egg cartons, or play food into containers.
This seems like such a simple idea, and it is, but it helps your toddler learn about sizes, shapes, problem-solving, opening, and closing.
5. Play with Push Toys
Toddlers love to play with push toys, and 14 months is the perfect age to introduce these toys. Not only do they help to show off their new skill of walking, but push toys help with hand-eye coordination.
Many parents don’t want to offer generic toddler push toys because kids phase-out of them quickly. I like to offer practical push toys that kids will use for years, such as a shopping cart, baby doll strollers, and lawnmowers.
Not only will this style of toys last for years, but they offer a chance for toddlers to imitate what they see their parents regularly doing.
Pushing is an important occupational skill for kids to develop. They have to scan their environment for obstacles and avoid them. Toddlers also work on squatting when pushing, developing key muscles throughout their bodies.
6. Pulling Toys and Games
Pulling is harder than pushing, so once your toddler starts to push toys, move to pulling things. Your toddler has to hold one arm behind them while looking forward and backward.
This is great for skill development!
You don’t have to buy pulling toys, but I suggest having one or two. It can be as simple as pulling a balloon behind or dragging a leash on the ground (don’t attach Fido!).
I don’t think you can go wrong with a puppy pull toy; this is a classic toy that most kids have for a reason. However, be sure to observe your toddler because strings increase the risk of strangulation.
7. Make Sensory Bins to Explore
Toddlers need to get messy and explore their senses. Offering sensory activities is a great way for toddlers to explore different textures and stimulate their tactile system.
Making sensory bins is easy; all you need is a container to hold the items, cups, spoons, and the sensory material to explore.
A few of my 14-month-old’s favorite sensory materials include:
First, fill the container with the sensory materials. Then, I suggest putting the container into a small kiddie pool or larger container to contain the mess.
Give your toddler measuring cups, spoons, slotted spoons, and smaller containers. Pouring, filling, and dumping are important activities for 14-month-old toddlers because it uses more fine and gross motor skills.
You can even add plastic animals to the sensory bins that your child has to find!
8. Stack Blocks Together
Another one of the best activities for toddlers is stacking blocks! Stacking blocks requires hand-eye coordination and precision; these are skills that take time and practice to develop.
At first, your toddler will only use two or three blocks, but you’ll find that they add more blocks as they get older.
Best of all, a nice set of stacking blocks lasts for years so that you can use them with all of your kids. We have the same pack that we bought with my oldest!
9. Lift-Flap Books
Reading to your one-year-old is a vital part of their cognitive development, education, and speech development. Parents should read to their children daily, no matter their age.
14-month-old toddlers love lift-flap books with surprises behind them. You can find lift-flap books about any topic, from the zoo to nature, so build your collection or visit the library weekly to find new ones!
10. Sorting Shapes
Using a shape sorter is a classic activity to play with your toddlers. When sorting shapes, make sure you tell your child the name of the shapes as you sort them. Over time, you’ll be able to ask your toddler to hand you specific shapes.
11. Ripping Paper
This 14-month-old activity is always a hit with my toddlers! Ripping paper might seem like an excuse to make a mess, but it works on skill development.
When your toddler rips paper, it helps develop their fine motor skills, hand muscles, hand-eye coordination, and tactile senses.
Best of all, it’s easy to set up and, once they know how to rip paper, it’s an independent activity. Offer magazines, construction paper, newspapers, and tissue paper.
Start by partly ripping the paper and letting your toddler finish the rest. As they get better at this skill, your toddler won’t need your help. Then, in the end, have your toddler help pick up the pieces of paper and throw them away.
12. Chasing Bubbles
If there is one thing all toddlers can do for hours, it’s chasing bubbles. That’s why bubble machines are so popular!
Chasing bubbles is one of the best activities for 14-month-old toddlers because it develops skills and targets senses. They use their visual and tactile senses while also developing hand-eye coordination and balance.
Start by having your toddler pop bubbles with his finger or hand. Later, stomping on bubbles is fun and encourages foot-eye coordination.
Your toddler will love this game, and if you do it outside, it’s a great way to burn energy and lead to an amazing naptime!
13. Squeezing Sponges
Whether you want to use the sponges in the bath or kitchen sink, squeezing and playing with sponges is one of the most beloved 14-month-old activities. My toddlers went nuts for this, and it’s SO easy.
Grab a pack of kitchen sponges and cut them into halves or different shapes. Show your toddler how to push them under the water and fill them up. Then, show them how to use their hands to squeeze out the water.
Another idea is to push the sponges against the bathtub wall or sink and watch the water flow out.
Kids love this activity; it’ll keep them engaged for a while.
14. Wooden Puzzles
We have plenty of wooden puzzles in our home; they’re perfect for 14-month-old toddlers.
Melissa & Doug offers several wooden puzzles for toddlers that are chunky and perfect for developing fine motor skills. We love the farm animals and construction vehicle wooden puzzles.
When your toddler works on puzzles, it develops hand-eye coordination and motor skills as he fits the toys into the slots.
You Don’t Need Tons of Toys
While having some purposeful toys for your 14-month-old is great, toddlers at this age love objects that you have around the house and skill-oriented tasks. They also love to read books, so make sure you’re reading to your 14-month-old daily.
If you’re on a budget, don’t feel like you have to spend money on toys.
Instead, invite your toddler along with you throughout the day and watch how daily activities are a learning experience for a 14-month old.
Finding activities for 14-month-old toddlers is easy! Young toddlers love daily activities and doing what their parents do. From reading books to switching laundry, finding 14-month-old activities is easy and leads to a sleepy toddler who loves naps and bedtime!
