Your baby may be feeling much less like the snuggly newborn from days of yore and looking much more like a little “big kid.” As baby continues to grow, he or she will love to explore and maybe sometimes get into trouble with all of the new motor skills they’re learning.
The toys I included for your 12-24 month old focus on the fact that baby is learning to refine the control and coordination of his or her limbs and body. These toys offer opportunities for important developmental skills such as using two hands together, learning how much force to use to maneuver items and using their joints and muscles to push, pull and smoosh as they develop their body awareness (aka where is my body is space).
12-18 Months
- Knob puzzles: These are a great starting point for your baby who is learning how to use more and more precise movements with their arm and wrist. Also develops sensory skills as baby learns how much force to use to place pieces inside the frame.
- Finger paints: I know mess can be triggering…but letting kids get messy really is great for them!! And painting is a fun way for them to start to express themselves. If your child is hesitant, you can start by rolling a toy car or a ball through the paint and always having a cloth nearby to wipe hands when they feel overstimulated. This also helps your little one develop the muscles or their hands and using two hands together.
- Poke a Dot Book: These books by Melissa & Doug are a great way to get that pointer finger poking. They also provide some satisfactory sound input as well as heavy work for fingers for your little ones who are getting used to being gentle with how much force they use.
- Musical Instruments: This age is an awesome time to encourage your little one to make some music. Instruments help to develop and strengthen shoulder, arm and wrist muscles as well as provide opportunities for two hands working together. Obviously sensory input is sound, but it’s also good for them to use their muscles and joints to get some input there as they shake, rattle and bang away.
- Wooden Blocks: Simple cube wooden blocks are a classic for a reason. Your little one will continue to strengthen shoulder, arm, and hands with picking up, dropping and stacking. This also helps develop muscle grading, which is our ability to know how much force to use to maneuver items. This particular set is dyed using vegetable and spice food dyes!! Super cool.
18-24 Months
- Height Adjustable Easel: An easel is an awesome way to increase your child’s shoulder and wrist stability. Scribbling and painting on a slanted surface encourages lots of strengthening that will come in handy when it’s time for drawing and writing down the road. I picked this one because it looks like the height can be adjusted for little ones.
- Bingo Dot Markers: These are great first tools for drawing and “writing” for your little guy or gal. Your child will have fun learning the cause and effect of making dots and drawing. These also provide some satisfying heavy work feed back as you have to push a little harder to get the ink moving.
- Velcro Fruits & Veggies: This is a toy that packs a punch because you get hand strengthening, two hand coordination, imaginative play and some heavy work as your kiddo has to pull velcro fruit apart.
- Suiggs: Have you seen these guys yet? I feel like they’ve gotten fairly mainstream. But, they are super awesome. Pulling and pushing these whimsical looking suction cup/alien antennae looking suction cups works on hand and arm strength, two hand coordination and gives lots of heavy work for your little one who likes to roughhouse, asks for tight hugs or has lots of energy.
- Shopping Cart: I was between this and a ride on toy. Both are great for getting big movement (especially when you need to move play indoors.) Your child gets heavy work as they get lots of input to their joints and muscles with pushing, pulling and loading up the cart. For some extra oomph add some bags of rice, beans, ankle weights etc. to the lower compartment to really tire them out 😉
So now you’re ready to select the toys that you think look the most fun for your baby, knowing what sensory and motor benefits they’ll be getting as a bonus as they play.
Which toy do you think your baby will be most excited to break in?
Got big kids too? Check out the main page of the gift guide for my recommendations for kids 0-12 months and 2-8 years old!
