Engaging your 11-14-month-old in stimulating activities during the day can not only enhance their learning but also improve sleep quality at night. Below are some activities to help your little one practice and refine their new skills.
Exploratory Play:
Provide a safe space for them to explore, crawl, and walk.
Offer different textures (soft, hard, smooth, rough) for sensory exploration.
Stacking and Nesting:
Provide blocks, paper/plastic cups, or boxes for them to stack, nest, or knockdown.
Simple Puzzles:
Introduce simple wooden puzzles with knobs for them to grasp and match.
Ball Play:
Roll, throw, or bounce a ball with them, encouraging them to interact with the ball.
Music and Movement:
Play music, dance together, and encourage them to clap, bounce, or move to the beat.
Reading Together:
Read colorful, textured, or interactive books together, pointing to and naming objects.
Outdoor Play:
Go for walks, visit a playground, or let them explore nature under supervision.
Simple Art Activities:
Allow them to experiment with non-toxic crayons, finger paints, or play dough.
Imitative Play:
Encourage them to imitate simple actions like waving, clapping, or making sounds.
Water Play:
Under supervision, let them play with water in a shallow basin or during bath time, providing different containers to fill and empty.
Hide-and-Seek Games:
Hide toys under blankets or containers and encourage them to find them.
Language Development:
Talk to them throughout the day, name objects, and respond to their attempts at communication to foster language development.
Social Interaction:
Arrange playdates or attend groups to let them interact with other toddlers, under supervision.
Each activity helps hone different skills and should be done in a safe and supervised environment. Remember to follow your child's lead and make adjustments to keep them interested and engaged.