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Toddler play ideas
Discover fun and simple ways to socialise with your toddler! From walks to playdates, help your little one develop social skills.
Here at HiPP, there’s a phrase our Parents and Ambassadors live by – if in doubt, get out. Getting out into nature and being with others almost always lifts the mood and will help you and your little one build those all-important social connections.
Enhancing social skills
At 12 -18 months, your little one is ready to begin exploring the world around them. Interacting with other babies – and with other adults – will help them develop confidence and curiosity. Watch as toddlers in your friendship group pick up each other’s mannerisms and habits, inspiring each other to get into all kinds of mischief, learn new skills and even start building friendships. Slowly, they will learn about turn taking and communicating in ways that prepare them for the future – playgroup, nursery or preschool, for example.
You’ll also find that playdates and catch-ups continue to be beneficial to you, even if you’ve gone back to work now. This stage of your life involves a lot of balancing, and no one understands it quite like your fellow parents!
Plan activities
When you’re making plans to meet up with other parents, it can be tempting to go big. But here’s another phrase we like to live by: keep it simple. Toddlers don’t need trips to the zoo to have a good time. A buggy walk followed by some time at the park will be enough to keep your little one happy – and should give you time to talk to your friends. Look out for places where you can combine everything in one place, like Forestry Commission or National Trust sites, which usually also have a lovely café.
Take snacks
Cafés are great for parents but not always suitable for toddlers, so always pack a snack! If you’re the type of parent who has the foresight to remember to bring fresh snacks with you – great. Bananas are great on-the-go food, as are tangerines, vegetable sticks and apple slices. Plenty of packaged foods make great snacks – like rice cakes, raisins, or baby-friendly cereal bars. But remember that a lot of these foods can be very sweet – even if they’re made with no added sugar – so don’t go overboard at snack time.
What to do – types of activities
Our HiPP parents have come up with a variety of suggestions for playdates with your 12 – 18 month olds, with something for all weathers.
Low effort activities for 12-18 month olds
A walk – buggy, carrier, or on their feet if they’re ready – is an easy way to spend time with friends. You might not get very far, and you might be very slow, but you’ll be outside where there’s plenty of things for your baby to look at. Take the time to explore your surroundings. A pile of dead leaves can be surprisingly entertaining!
Another low-effort activity is a water table – which, if you set it up outside, requires no clean up and will keep your little one happy for ages. Get out your (non-breakable) cups and jugs, throw in a few sponges and brushes and your toddlers will have a whale of a time pouring, collecting, sieving, squeezing and ‘painting’ their hearts out. Bring your bath toys outside for extra fun. (Always supervise children around water.)
Medium effort activities for 12-18 month olds
At 12 – 18 months old, your little one will enjoy pretend play with toys, though you may have to show them how it’s done – for example, by picking up the horses and trotting them across the carpet. At this stage, they will probably still spend a lot of their play time putting things in their mouths, so make sure the toys are age appropriate and if you’re having a play date with others it might be worth giving everything a wipe down before and after the play date to reduce the number of germs spread (though honestly, it all helps build immunity!).
Another lead-by-example fun activity is gardening. If you’re outside planting bulbs, let your little one help you dig the hole and brush the soil back into place. Don’t worry about them getting their hands dirty – the bacteria in soil is actually very good for us – but do try to stop them eating it!
High effort activities for 12-18 month olds
If you’ve got more energy, time and/or space to spare, there are endless opportunities for play in the home and the older your little one gets, the more fun it all is! Indoor camping, building a fort, baking and decorating, painting – you can do it all! Play alone with your child or invite others to join the fun, stay inside or venture out – you don’t have to go big, you can stay home, just spending active time together is good for your bond with your toddler and for their continued development.
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