SAHM activity ideas - 18 month old

[Adviceneededpleaseee]

Hi all,

I’m a SAHM looking for some ideas on some activities to do with my DD (18 months). We do 4 toddler classes per week, and often go to soft play/the farm/baby friendly cafes too.

At home we don’t really do any activities, we just play with her toys together and she ‘helps’ me do bits around the house. I really struggle to think of things to fill a whole day if we ever have a full day at home.

Can anyone recommend any craft ideas we could do together? We do standard colouring in/drawing with crayons and colouring books, but is there anything else that others would recommend?

And anything else that fills a bit of time during a ‘at home’ day?

Thanks!

I'm a SAHM too, my daughter is almost 3 now but we would go to toddler groups and out every morning and then in the afternoons at this age she napped then we would have lunch and walk the dog. She couldn't walk that far at this age so if either take her in the carrier or I got a second hand nipper and I'd put her in that. Being outside in all weathers is really really good for your child, I really recommend it

Water play is always a hit. On cold days warm water and a long bath, but fill the bath with plastic beakers, sieves, spoons etc from the kitchen.

Warmer days fill a plastic bucket in the yard and do the same, plus add a few paintbrushes for her to "paint" the fence etc

Playdoh? You can make your own if you are worried about her eating it. Just need cookie cutters, rolling pin etc.

Thank you ☺️.
We typically do the same! We have a toddler group 4/5 mornings, get home, lunch then nap. Then there’s just a couple of hours of entertaining, then dinner, then bath and bed!

We don’t really get outside much at all really! I’m ashamed to say we’ve probably only been on a handful of walks since she was born. Thanks for the suggestion - maybe a walk outside would be a nice way to kill some time when needed!

I love these ideas - thank you!

Ah yes! You’ve just reminded me I bought all of the ingredients to make playdoh - I just need to order some bits for her to play with it. Thank you 😊.

Shes probably getting to the age where play parks become fun. Or feeding the ducks (i recommend reigns for this!)

@Adviceneededpleaseee you say you are going to "order" some playdoh accessories.
Why order? Go to a shop. That's an activity right there. She will learn lots of important life skills by being out and about in the community.

Even just a slow walk to a shop to buy bread and milk is entertaining for them especially if they stop and pick up sticks and whatnot. We would walk slowwwwwly along our local highstreet and dd would look in the grocer windows, we would nip into the charity shop for a look at their books and buy one every now and then, into the furthest shop she could manage on foot then I would put her in the buggy for the walk back.

Filled about an hour.

Going on the bus is fun too. Find out which busses stop at your nearest bus stop. Hop on one together without the buggy, get off after 15mins or so, quick pop into a cafe or shop then back on a return bus (if you don't live out in the sticks of course).

Singing, dancing and playing 'instruments'.

You can find nursery rhymes on YouTube if you need help.
Action songs are great.
Instruments can be a handful of rice in a drinks bottle, or a wooden spoon on a tupperware pot, or saucepan lids etc. Encourages rhythm.

Chalks on the patio/yard
Bubbles

Tape a picture from a magazine to the table, place some kitchen roll on top, get a pot of water and paintbrush, and brush the kitchen roll with water to reveal the picture!

Also, filling different sizes glasses with different amounts of water, and tapping them with spoons to make music

Tuff tray with various foods and plastic animals or cars - uncooked rice or pasta, lentils, oats, cornflakes. Can also use bags of chopped stir fry veg.

maybe a walk outside would be a nice way to kill some time when needed!

^ this should be standard not when needed. Is she getting enough exercise?

In terms of activities, there are loads of things you can find online if you search for educational games for toddlers. Salt dough, water play, hide and seek with toys, your own sing along music group, make a den/library/petting zoo etc.

There's a lot of value in her playing without your guidance/entertainment....

Getting outside is so good for all kinds of learning/development. Can you walk to a playground or park? It's a bit chilly still, but in a month's time that would fill a whole afternoon. You also often meet other mums there, which is nice. On the walk there you can do sospicy - stop to pick up sticks, point out birds/squirrel etc. Kick leaves, stomp in mid or puddles... bring a ball to roll down the slide/under the swings/roll it round the roundabout (only if there aren't lots of other children!). Take a snack so you aren't under time pressure. With my eldest, I used to take a book and was stop and rest on a bench in the way back for snack/story so she wouldn't be totally exhausted when we got back.

Mark making is good at this age. What is your floor? Get a massive roll of cheap paper (you can buy these online). Masking tape it into the floor. Draw a box in it and give your child paint/crayons whatever and try to get the to make marks inside the box. We have laminate floors now, so don't bother with the box and my younger ones just scribble anywhere! For little ones, crayons can be hard and traditional paint messy. Chubb paint pens are great for toddlers and it washes out of clothes/off walls etc... Isometimes draw something in pen for them to colour in with the paint.

Playdough is great if you don't have carpet or if your child is very well behaved. Get some small knives and forks and roll it into sausages for them to cut up. Hide toys in it for them to "find" - my boys loved it when I made a swamp with Tony plastic dinosaurs hidden in it.

Do you have a bath? If they don't mouth too much,you can get jelly bath/slime bath kits. Might be better for when your child is 2, but it's a favourite of ours for really cold days. Again we make a theme - green jelly for a swamp, or orange slime for a dinosaur volcano. Youcan do it outside in a tray as well.

18 months is a good age for messing around with food. My eldest used to love mashing bananas. I'd measure the flour etc and we'd make muffins. Making picture with cut fruit is fun too (of course, they eat it. That was sort of the point with my eldest.)

One advantage of dark evenings - you can have a disco! We've got a disco light ball thing. My toddlers all love to dance to it with some music. Get out some unbreakable mirrors for extra fun. Light up bouncy balls also good.

Crafting things more generally I reckon will bw better in about a year. Stickers and magic painting will be real winners at that age, but at 18 months you'd have to be doing most of the work peeling offetc, which robs her if the pride of doing it herself.

https://amzn.eu/d/hHUcVaz this book has some fantastic sensory play and messy play ideas for toddlers with things you are likely to have at home.
I also second the idea of getting you both kitted out in good weatherproof clothing and embracing going out in all weathers. Think of a few mini-adventures and plan them out in advance - bus rides, parks, nearby woods, country parks so you've always got some ideas ready to go. Being outdoors with toddlers is also a lot more fun if you are with another adult and child.

I put some oats in a baking tray with various spoons and small cars and it kept my 18m amused for a whole hour!

Yes she gets enough exercise. We go to baby groups most days, soft play centres, outdoor forest play etc.

She’s only coming up to 18 months and isn’t yet at the stage where I would walk very far without the pram with her. But we do well over an hour per day of more active playing.

An upside down colander and dry spaghetti to poke through the holes keeps my toddler amused for a good half hour.