Age Appropriate Toys for Toddlers Washington DC

What can you do with a 12 - 18 month old?:

• Provide toys that imitate real life objects such as phones, cash registers, keys, pots and pans, play food, plastic plates etc. so your toddler can learn about how the world works through role playing. Begin asking your toddler simple questions to encourage decision making skills. ie: "would you like to wear your blue socks or your green socks today?"
• To help with language development name the objects  you come across in daily life
• Play building with blocks to develop fine motor skills
• Give your child time to practice feeding herself with a spoon and drinking from a cup
• Toddlers enjoy playing with water, so in the bath include soft sponge toys, and little toy cups to dump and pour with
• Pretend and imaginative play becomes important. Make sure you have a variety of baby dolls, stuffed toys and dress ups to encourage them to copy real life activities. Toddlers love to put their "baby" to bed and to pretend to feed them
• At this age children become interested in art activities. Provide them with large stubby crayons and non-toxic markers to scribble with. Large pieces of paper are best for this age
• Toddlers are beginning to want to put objects together. Simple puzzles with knobs are just great
• Wagons are often a favorite toy of this age. They can fill it up and take objects out of it and take these little treasures on a wagon ride as well.
• Save some milk cartons, and small boxes. Your toddler will love stacking them and knocking them over