Toddler Games: Games To Play With Your Toddler Aged 12-24 Months

Team AckoFeb 8, 2024

If you have a toddler at home, you will know how active he is. There's a constant need to keep him engaged and if you have run out of ideas to do so, you have come to the correct place, exploring games for your toddler. Playing is how toddlers learn, repeating actions by trial and error to understand the world around them. Let us go through some games to play with your 12-24-months-old toddler. These games are not only great fun for all of you but they are also very important for your toddler’s motor skills, hand-eye coordination and overall cognitive development. 

Games for your 12-18-month old toddler: 

At this age, children are more likely to parallel-play rather than play co-operatively.

Roll the Ball:

This is a great game for your 1-year-old. Your little one and you should sit facing each other at a comfortable distance. Now pass the ball to each other by rolling it on the floor. It will be a good idea to have barriers (objects or even your own legs) so that the ball doesn’t roll away too far. This game will improve your toddler’s gross motor skills.

I’m in a Music Band:

If you don’t mind a bit of noise (okay, a lot of noise) in your house this game or activity for your toddler. Collect a few plates, spoons, rattles, pots and pans. Now show your child how to use them as percussion instruments and make music. Try to stick to a rhythm and beat. Once your toddler gets the hang of it, he’ll be thrilled with all the noise (ahem… music) that he makes. This activity will help him explore his musical skills while expanding his coordination and listening skills as well. 

Hide-and-Seek:

This game is quite popular amongst toddlers and older children. Your toddler would love to play this simple game of hide-and-seek. Take turns hiding under your blanket in the morning just after waking up. He will be thrilled to be found out. This game will teach him that just because he can’t see you, it doesn't mean that you are not there. This will help ease his separation anxiety later on.

Toy Buddy:

Include your toddler’s favourite doll or teddy in his daily activities. Pretend that the buddy is real and talk to it while taking it for a walk, tucking it to bed, feeding it etc. This will help your child understand emotions and daily routines. It will also help him improve his vocabulary.

Build a Blocks Tower:

Get your toddler building blocks that are big so that it is easy for him to hold onto. Show him to stack one block on top of the other. He will love building his own tower and will laugh in glee when it topples over too! This game will improve his motor skills as well as his hand-eye coordination.

Hello?:

Play a game of telephone with your little one. Get him a toy telephone and have pretend-conversations with each other and others as well. Use different tones and voices and pretend silly characters at the other end. This game will teach your toddler social behaviour as well help him in language development.

Fill and Empty Containers:

Have a couple of containers or buckets and objects to fill them. (As he gets proficient, you use glasses and water too). Get your toddler to empty out a container and then fill the other one. This game promoted coordination and motor skills.

Games for your 18-24-month-old toddler:

You can play the same games as mentioned above by increasing the complexity. Some other games that are appropriate are:

Young Explorer:

Take your toddler out to a park or garden to explore nature. Give him a small basket to hold. As you take a walk, ask him to collect things that interest him and put it into the basket. He may fill the basket with stones, pebbles, flowers, leaves etc., You can advise him on what can and what cannot be collected. This activity will help him develop dexterity as well as arouse his curiosity.

Catch Me!:

Toddlers at this age love to chase and be chased. Playing a game of “Catch Me!” will make him very happy. You need to chase him and once you catch him and smother him with hugs and kisses, you will hear him squeal with joy! This game will help him develop stamina.

Bucketball:

Get an empty bucket and a ball for your toddler. Keep the bucket at a comfortable distance from him. Now show him how to aim and throw the ball into the bucket. The first few times will be a miss but keep encouraging and motivating him. You can then see the glee on his face when he finally learns to put the ball into the bucket. This game will definitely improve his concentration and coordination skills.

Go Get It!:

The object of the game is to get your toddler to get you things that you ask for. You can send him on different errands and ask him to get you a ball, his clothes, your glass etc. This game will help him with understanding and obey instructions as well as increasing memory power.

Walk the Line:

Mark a straight line on the floor with duct tape or chalk. Now get your toddler to walk on the line from one end to the other by placing his feet one after the other. Do it yourself the first few times with your toddler right behind you so that he can watch and learn. This game will help your toddler improve his fine motor skills as well as his body balance.

Match-Match:

Make a few pairs of cards that have identical illustrations. The pairs can have illustrations of identical shapes, animals, colours etc. Now lay out the cards in front of your toddler. Pick out a card and show it to your toddler. Now ask him to pick the matching card from the ones laid in front of him. Do it for all the different pairs. This game will teach him object, colour and pattern recognition as well as identifying pairs.

Finger and Hand Painting:

Get a few paints in different colours and pour them into different bowls. Now get your toddler to dip her finger or whole palm into the paint and then leave its print on the paper. You will get to see different designs from your budding artist. Though this may be a messy activity and will take up quite a bit of your time for “cleaning up,” it will help your toddler learn his colours and explore his creativity with this tactile method. Take care that he doesn’t put his paint filled fingers into his mouth unless using edible colours.

All the games mentioned above help in building and improving different skills in your toddler. Make sure that all games are played under your supervision so that there are no accidents like choking, injury etc. Also, each child may reach a milestone at a different age so if your toddler is unable to play any of these games, do not force him or be worried. These games are meant to be a time of fun and joy so enjoy this time of bonding and laughter with your little one.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.