Best Toys and DIY Activities for 15-Month-Old Toddlers
We now have 16-month-old twins in our Montessori-inspired home. All these toys and activities are fresh on my mind. I want to share some of the best toys and a few DIY activities for 15-month-old toddlers that you can bring into your home to help make the days go by smoothly. It is no surprise that toddlerhood comes with many new emotions and can be hard at moments. Here is an honest and raw look at 15 months in our Montessori home with twins.
Milestones at 15-Months-Old
Before diving into some of the best toys and DIY activities for 15-month-olds it is important to understand the developmental milestones of a 15-month-old toddler. Keep in mind that each child reaches milestones at different points. If you have concerns, make sure to connect with your child’s pediatrician. Here are some things you may see happening with your child around 15 months.
A 15-month-old child will try to say 1 to 3 basic words in addition to the names of their caregivers. They will likely be taking a few steps and be able to point to things to ask for something. One of my favorite things to see has been the mimicing of gestures or actions. It is amazing the small details they absorb. You may notice them giving more cuddles and kisses, which is just the sweetest thing ever. I’ve seen my twins start clapping for themselves when they did something they were proud of or while listening to music in the car. A child of 15 months will be able to identify at least one body part. Simple daily actions like brushing hair or teeth will be done with more accuracy. There is much refinement of their ability to self-feed with fingers and possibly silverware. Now let’s get into toys and activities to support all of these developmental milestones!
What Types of Toys to Offer
We want to offer age-appropriate toys that are engaging and support both cognitive and motor skills. When looking for types of toys for 15-month-olds we want to offer activities that support cognitive development, fine motor, gross motor, and social and emotional skills.
Toys to Support Cognitive Development
Shape Sorters and Puzzles
Puzzles and shape sorters are the perfect type of toy to have out on a shelf for your toddler. They will try to figure out what pieces go where. One way you can support a gradual introduction to puzzles and shape sorters is by offering increasing difficulty. Start with chunky knobbed puzzles that are easy to grab and the pieces are easy to return (shapes). Once your child can work consistently with those puzzles, introduce puzzles with more challenging shapes like animal puzzles or this fruit puzzle we have. Shape sorters help to develop hand-eye coordination. You can start with one shape at a time and work up towards a variety of shapes. This will give your child an opportunity to master something before having too much new stuff that leads to frustration.
Interactive Books
15 months seems to be the sweet spot where there is interest in listening to stories be read. Reading books is great for language development, as well as having lots of conversation and using a rich vocabulary around your child. Some of their favorite books are books with flaps, slides, textures, or sound effects. It gives them another sensory expereince and something to do while listening or looking at the book. A practical tip is to have a basket or small bookshelf near a cozy chair in your living space that makes sitting down to read books an easy and enjoyable activity. I find that looking at a picture book together helps during tantrums or just as a connection point in the day and a way to reset the moment.
Stacking and nesting toys
Russian nesting dolls are great toys to work on opening and closing something. This requires fine motor skills as well as strength to pull and push the pieces together. My twins like to stack these nesting dolls, not necessarily in the “correct” way, but they do enjoy working with them. Pop-up toys are good toys for practicing posting. This is a well-loved toy in our house and spans over many months. It is one of the best wooden toys we own and one of my kids’ favorite toys.
Toys for Gross Motor Skill Development
Your young toddler may be walking by now. If they are, you can support their walking with push-and-pull toys. If you are looking for greater support for your toddler to build skills to be ready to walk or walk more confidently, I would recommend a walker wagon or a small chair that is lightweight but sturdy for them to push around. Use the code XXX for 10% off your order on this or any other Montessori furniture items. Other items like a Pikler triangle with a ramp are great for indoor gross motor development.
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Balance Bike
We recently got balance bikes to use in the toddler years. There is still some learning to be done in terms of getting the bike to move, but climbing onto it and sitting on the seat has been a fun way to develop new skills.
Pull and Push Toys
A pull-along toy, like this Walk-A-Long Snail, is a great way to support movement. Young children love to pull and carry things around, so a pull toy is a perfect addition to any home with little people. The opposite of a pull toy is a push toy like this ball roller (similar). This is a great tool for your toddler once they start walking.
Ping-Pong Ball Drop
This activity was inspired by Nicole Kavanaugh from The Kavanaugh Report. It is a cheap, quick, and amazing activity for toddlers. It requires maximum effort from the toddler, which they will gladly do! They most certainly will try to pick up the jug and move it around. My twins like to roll it around the house as well. This has provided tons of fun for our boys and I anticipate much more enjoyment working with this activity in the furture.
Ways to Encourage Independent Play
Open Ended Toys
Open-ended toys like large building blocks or musical instruments are a good idea to encourage independent play. These toys will span a large age range and you can keep interest high by doing regular toy rotations. A musical instrument like a drum, egg shaker, xylophone, or set of pat bells are good ideas to start with. Allow them to explore in their way and expereince the fun of music! Melissa & Doug sell a musical instrument set that could be a great way to start your child’s musical collection.
​Sensory Exploration
Everything can be an opportunity for sensory exploration but we can offer specific experiences that will be very enjoyable for a toddler and expose them to new sensorial experiences. A new way to introduce scooping and pouring can be with a dry oatmeal sensory bin. This may make a mess, but will likely offer lots of enjoyment. It is also super easy to clean up. Homemade playdough is perfect at this age. A 15-month-old milestone you may notice your toddler doing is mimicing your actions. This makes activities like playdough fun becasue you can model how to roll out logs or cut something with some playdough tools. Water play makes for another great sensory experience. In the summertime, consider a water table but bath time makes water play easy and accessible with fun bath toys.
​Paper Tearing DIY Activity.
Next time you go through your mail and you have envelopes or papers that you would just toss into the recycling here’s something else you could do. Offer a few pieces of your no-longer-needed paperwork on a tray with another small basket. Offer this activity as “recycling or paper tearing work”. Show your child how to tear the paper and put it into the basket. This was a very engaging activity for my toddlers’ little hands, and best of all it was free!
Toys to Support Social and Emotional Development
Children take in the world around them like a sponge, it is their absorbent mind at work. We can offer them toys as well as practical tools and materials to engage in real-life experiences. This is a perfect age to introduce a beginning knife like a wooden cutter or a wavy chopper. (This is the whole set we got). A young toddler could cut soft foods like bananas and toast. Real-life toys like baby dolls may be a fun new toy for your child. This can also be an opportunity to reinforce knowledge of the names of body parts, which may or may not yet be something your child can do, but probably soon!
Conclusion
As with all toys and activities, you want to make sure that everything is safe with no small objects or choking hazards. Choose items with solid construction and made from non-toxic materials. Mouthing objects as young toddlers is still expected. Make sure to regularly inspect toys for wear and tear. Fun toys and activities that promote problem-solving skills like puzzles, imaginative play with baby dolls, or purposeful work like a knife for cutting a banana are all different ways to support a 15-month-old toddler. These activities and suggestions will extend beyond the 15-month-old toddler and will just grow and change with the child.
