And just like that, your baby doesn't seem quite like a baby anymore. Not only is she walking and talking (well, starting to!), but these days, she's willing to toddle away from you to explore on her own. When she is paying attention to you, it's usually to study whatever you're doing — and play copycat. 

Clearly, she's learned an incredible amount over these last 18 months. And if you're looking to help her make even bigger strides in her skillset, you've got plenty of options. Start with these easy activities aimed at bolstering your 1 ½-year-old's development while having plenty of fun at the same time. 

What skills is your child developing at 18 months?

Developmental milestones are the emotional and physical skills that babies and toddlers acquire. They're useful for keeping tabs on how your cutie is growing and learning, as well as how she stacks up to other kids her age.

Not that she'll necessarily do all of the same exact things as the 18-month-old next door. Every child develops at her own pace, and it's normal for kids to master different milestones at slightly different paces.

Wondering what kinds of milestones are typical for 18 months? Here's what many 1 ½-year-olds are working on mastering.[1]

Social and emotional skills

  • Moves away from you but checks to make sure you're nearby
  • Points to show you things she's interested in
  • Puts her hands out for you to wash
  • Looks at a few pages of a book with you
  • Helps with getting dressed by pushing her arm through a sleeve or lifting a foot into pants

Language and communication skills

  • Tries to say three or more words besides "mama" or "dada"
  • Follows one-step directions without gestures, like giving you her cup when you say "Give me the cup."

Cognitive skills

  • Copies you performing household chores, like sweeping
  • Plays with toys in a simple way, like pushing a car

Gross and fine motor skills 

Best activities for 18-month-olds

Get ready to play! While you and your toddler have fun with these easy activities, you'll be sharpening her language development, cognition, motor skills and more. 

Build a tower and knock it down

What you'll need: A set of blocks — any blocks will do!

How to do it: Give your toddler the blocks, and encourage her to stack one on top of another.[2] Once she stacks two blocks, encourage her to try for a third. Then let her knock it down, and repeat (over and over and over!) 

While she builds, narrate her play with repetitive language like "Up, up, up!" as she builds up and "Down, down, down!" when she knocks it down.  

Why it's helpful: Stacking blocks and knocking them down helps your toddler strengthen her fine motor skills while teaching cause and effect. ("When I add another block, it gets taller; when I push the blocks, they fall down!") Narrating her play supports language development too. 

Finger play sing-along

What you'll need: No supplies needed here, just think up some of your favorite nursery-rhyme sing-alongs.  

How to do it: Sit facing your toddler, and sing a few (or many) rounds of tot favorites like "Itsy-Bitsy Spider," "Five Little Monkeys" and "Where is Thumbkin?." 

Make movements with your fingers to illustrate the lyrics, and encourage your toddler to mirror you. For example, touch your index finger to your right thumb, then swap back and forth to turn your hands into spiders, or make your fingers into falling rain.

Why it's helpful: Sing-alongs with finger and hand movements are great for language development as well as fine motor skills. 

Clean up, clean up

What you'll need: Household cleaning tools, like two brooms (if one is toddler-sized, even better) or two rags for dusting.

How to do it: Perform household chores like sweeping or dusting. Give your toddler her own broom or rag, and encourage her to copy your moves to help out. 

Narrate what you're doing using simple words, like "Sweep, sweep!" or "Clean up, clean up!"

Why it's helpful: Imitating everyday activities supports your child's social-emotional development, and narrating your actions is important for language learning. Sweeping the broom, bending down, and wiping or dusting surfaces strengthens fine and gross motor skills too. 

Play pretend

What you'll need: A baby doll and a small bowl and spoon. 

How to do it: Use the bowl and spoon to "feed" the baby doll, and encourage your toddler to do the same. As you play, narrate your actions with simple words like, "Baby is hungry," or "Feed the baby."

Why it's helpful: Pretend play activities that mirror everyday life foster your child's social-emotional development while laying the foundation for imaginative play in her preschool years. Again, narrating your toddler's play is another language-learning opportunity   

Blow the snowballs

What you'll need: A bag of cotton balls.

How to do it: Sit at a table with your toddler, and place a few cotton balls on the table in front of you. Try to blow the cotton balls off the table, and encourage your toddler to do the same. How many can she send down to the floor?

Why it's helpful: Blowing encourages your toddler to round her lips and strengthen the muscles around her mouth that she'll rely on to pronounce more letters and sounds as she continues to pick up and use new words. (It'll also make her giggle like crazy!)

From building block towers to reciting favorite nursery rhymes, all it takes is a few basic objects and some dedicated one-on-one time to give your toddler a developmental boost. And you'll have a blast at the same time.