Activities become even more fun at this age — for both of you! Rhymes and songs keep your little one engaged and provide educational opportunities.
Activities by Age for 18 to 23 Months
ON THIS PAGE
- Beginning Writing
- Letter Knowledge
- Oral Language
- Phonological Awareness
Aim for the Bowl
Teach your toddler this simple and fun activity that will help them practice the fine motor skills and coordination that they will need for writing in the future.
Draw a Story
In this activity, you will tell your toddler a story while you illustrate.
First Writing Exploration
This activity will give your child practice writing on a vertical surface.
Make a Circle
Try this fun activity that uses a crayon or paintbrush and helps your toddler lay the foundation for grasping and writing.
My Necklace
To promote grasping and using the small muscles of the fingers, you and your child can make your own jewelry.
Ooey, Gooey Painting
Pre-writing skills are learned through play, and this activity sets the stage for shapes and letters.
Playful Painting
This activity will encourage your toddler to use the muscles in his hand, wrist and arm to create unique designs on a large canvas.
Pound, Pinch and Poke
Help your child develop strength and control in their hands, fingers and wrists by using play dough.
Wheel Writing
Have fun with your child and help build their fine motor skills by using a toy car as a tool for painting.
Wonderful Water
With this fun activity, your little one can pour, splash, stir, squeeze and squirt water as they use their eyes to guide their hands.
Ball Begins With B!
You can spark your toddler’s interest in the alphabet by talking and pointing to letters during a reading session.
Big and Small Shapes
Play the game called “Big and Small Shapes” to help your child develop observation skills for distinguishing between alphabet letters in the future.
Find Me a Circle
Play a game to help your child compare and match shapes using items around your home.
Let’s See If We Can Find It!
Play a fun game where you hide some favorite toys and let your toddler find them.
Name Book
Make a “Name Book” with your child and have fun talking about the letters in your child’s name.
Nature Walk
Go on a nature walk with your child and talk about the shapes you see, to help get ready for recognizing letter shapes in the future.
Pom-Pom Color Sort
Let your toddler experiment with sorting by color with this simple pom-pom activity.
Sing the Alphabet Song
Enjoy singing the alphabet song with your child.
Stack Them Up, Watch Them Fall
Have fun with your toddler by using alphabet blocks to introduce letters.
Sticky Note Letter Hunt
This quick and simple activity will help to bring your toddler’s attention to printed letters in his environment.
Swimming Letters
Try this wet activity at bath time or do it outdoors and explore the letters of the alphabet with your child.
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Look at photos together with your toddler and talk about what you see.
Farmer Jack's Animal Snacks
A fun activity for oral language development.
Flip Your Lid
Here is a playful way to help your toddler develop his oral language, listening and thinking skills.
Little Bird
Have fun with your toddler by saying these poems and doing the actions together.
Make a Puzzle
Have fun playing with puzzles with your child while they build eye-hand coordination and strengthen finger muscles.
My Little Helper
Encourage your toddler’s growing independence by giving them a simple task to do, and ask them to tell you what they’re doing.
Pretend Play Has Real Benefits
Give your toddler items for pretend play and encourage them pretend with you or next to you.
Ready, Set, Talk!
Notice when your toddler uses new words and phrases, and jot them down in a notebook.
Spaghetti Play
Have fun with your toddler while you play with spaghetti and talk about its shape, texture and color.
Stories on the Go
In this simple take-along activity, first you make photo cards and then you ask your child to describe what they see.
What's That?
Ask your child the simple question “What’s that?” to build new vocabulary and expand their oral language skills.
Where’s the Block?
Help your child develop an understanding of positional words by moving around alphabet blocks and talking about where they are.
Can You Find the Picture?
Play this fun game by describing animals using silly phrases with words that start with the same beginning sound.
Echo Me!
Sing an animal song and encourage your toddler join in and echo back the animal sounds they hear.
Listening for Sounds Outside
Try this fun activity to help your toddler become aware of the many sounds of nature and the outdoors.
One, Two, Three ... Rhyme With Me!
Exposing your toddler to rhyming verses and activities helps her to focus on the sound structure of language.
Read a Rhyme
Sing familiar nursery rhymes and songs with your toddler and emphasize the rhyming words.
Sing and Stomp
Have fun with your child singing a simple song while adding movements or actions.
Spider Singing
Actively engage your toddler with singing and movement using The Itsy Bitsy Spider song, in two different ways.
Talk and Tap
This fun activity with mimicking and rhythm can help your child to begin to develop word awareness and syllable awareness.
Where’s the Monkey?
Try this fun activity to reinforce sounds by collecting pictures of objects and asking your toddler to point to and name them.
Who’s Talking?
Play a game to see if your toddler can identify you and other family members just by hearing your voices.
“POP” Goes the Bubble Wrap
This activity lets your toddler excite in the popping explosion of bubble wrap!