No longer content to sit and be entertained, your sweet, curious 15-month-old is all about delving into her surroundings with gusto. As she starts to walk independently and communicate more effectively, her capacity for playful activities — from scooping and dumping to scribbling and reading — just keeps growing.

You can channel your little one's inherent desire to explore and learn (and yes, make a bit of a mess) while boosting her emerging developmental skills at the same time. Start with these easy activities, which are fun for your tot and you, and make use of supplies you likely already have on hand.  

What skills is your child developing at 15 months?

The new emotional and physical skills your munchkin seems to be constantly mastering are called developmental milestones. These benchmarks can help you track the evolution of your child's skills and how she stacks up to tots her age. 

Just know that milestones function as guidelines, not deadlines. Every kid develops at her own pace, and yours may check certain milestones off her list at a different rate than her peers.

That said, at around 15 months, you can expect your toddler to be developing the following skills:[1]

Social and emotional skills

  • Copies other children while playing, like taking toys out of a container when another child does
  • Shows you an object she likes
  • Claps when excited
  • Hugs a doll or lovey
  • Shows you affection by hugging, kissing or cuddling

Language and communication skills

  • Tries to say one or two words besides "mama" or "dada" (such as "ba" for ball or "da" for dog)
  • Looks towards a familiar object when you name it
  • Follows directions given with gestures and words. For example, she brings you her socks when you say "Please bring me your socks," while holding out your hand. 
  • Points to something she wants or needs

Cognitive skills

  • Tries to use common objects —like a phone, cup or book — correctly
  • Stacks at least two small objects (like blocks)

Gross and fine motor skills 

Best activities for 15-month-olds

Ready to have fun and help your tot sharpen her ever-growing skillset at the same time? These five activities will keep your little one (and you!) engaged while supporting her physical and emotional development. 

Catch and pop the bubbles

What you'll need: A store-bought bubble solution and wand. You can also concoct your own bubble solution by mixing a cup of water, a tablespoon of glycerin (readily available online or at a health food store) and 2 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent.

How to do it: Head outside and start blowing bubbles. You can let your toddler dip the wand into the solution, if you'd like. Then encourage your toddler to chase after the bubbles and "catch" them with her hands. You can also model popping the bubbles by pointing with your index finger, and encourage her to try doing the same. 

Why it's helpful: Bubble games boost eye-hand coordination and gross motor skills as well as language development.[2] ("Wow, that big one is really high up!") Pointing is a fine motor skill that your child will need when she learns to write later on, and also an important social skill. When a toddler points to an object, she's communicating that she wants to show something, ask for something or share an experience.

Plus, your youngster will learn about cause and effect (blow through the wand gently and watch what happens!) and basic physics. (Bubbles are actually round pockets of gasses encased in liquid — but you knew that, right?)

Play toddler Picasso

What you'll need: A piece of paper and some crayons. Your little one will have an easier time grasping thick, chunky crayons, but standard-sized ones will work too. 

How to do it: Place the paper in front of your tot, demonstrate scribbling, hand her a few crayons and let her scribble 'til her heart's content! She'll enjoy making zig-zags and squiggles on her own, but you can also lead her in a joint activity where you sing a song and draw along with the words. 

For "Wheels on the Bus," for instance, draw circles when you sing about the wheels, draw back-and-forth lines when you sing about the windshield wipers, and draw up-and-down lines when you sing about the people going up and down.  

Why it's helpful: Drawing and scribbling will sharpen the fine motor skills that your sweetie will later rely on for handwriting. Pairing it with a toddler-friendly song supports her verbal development and communication skills.

Scoop and clean

What you'll need: A set of blocks or other small objects (like pom-pom balls or play food), a container big enough to hold them, and a large kitchen spoon or scoop. 

How to do it: Place the objects on the floor next to the container. Show your child how to use the spoon to scoop up the objects and transfer them to the container, then encourage her to try. When she's finished, there's a good chance she'll dump everything out and try it again. 

Why it's helpful: Scooping and dumping are endlessly entertaining ways for your toddler to improve her fine and gross motor skills. It's also perfect for teaching cause and effect ("When I scoop the toys, they get cleaned up!"; "When I dump them, they all fall out!") and even introducing basic physics concepts like gravity. 

Read me a story

What you'll need: An entertaining board book (flaps that your toddler can lift are always a plus!) and a comfy spot to sit in together.

How to do it: Sit together while holding the book in front of you and your toddler, and read each page. When it's time to move to the next page, ask your toddler to turn it rather than you turning the page yourself.  

Why it's helpful: Reading together is one of the best ways to boost your toddler's verbal, communication, social and emotional skills. Asking her to turn the page is a chance for her to work on following verbal directions, and turning the page itself strengthens her fine motor skills. 

Paint with water

What you'll need: A paintbrush with a chunky, easy-to-grasp handle, a bucket or bowl of water, and a sidewalk. 

How to do it: Bring your materials outside. Encourage your child to dip the paintbrush into the water and "paint" the sidewalk. Narrate her movements as she performs each step, like saying "Brush in," when she dips the brush and "Brush out," when she removes it from the bucket or bowl. 

Why it's helpful: Holding the brush and painting supports your toddler's fine motor skills, while bending and squatting to paint the ground strengthens her gross motor muscles. Narrating her activities using simple language is another way for her to practice her language and communication too.

Developmentally-friendly activities don't have to be complicated. Chances are, you and your toddler are doing some of these things (or variations of them) already! So keep up the interactive play and encourage your cutie to continue exploring her world.