When you have a growing toddler at home, ensuring healthy growth and skills development becomes one primary concern. You have to make sure that he is learning basic skills and putting all the energy in the right place.
So, when babies are around 12 or 14 months old and start showing rapid growth, it becomes mandatory that you involve them in some activities for 14-month old babies that encourage their overall development.
As a dad of two kids, I constantly keep on creating activities that ensure their growth and strengthen our bond. For me, the best way to promote the kid’s healthy development is to connect them with the natural world and make them learn from their surroundings.
If you are looking for some games or activities you can have with your baby, then here is my list of the most entertaining 14-month old activities.
12 Games And Activities For A 14 Month Old Baby
I’ve kept the list pretty much simple and added a lot of day-to-day life activities to it. The reason behind this approach is that all such small tasks help the babies in learning life and develop their motor skills.
So, here is my list of the things to do with a 14-month old baby that would lead to a stronger relationship between you two and introduce them to the beautiful world of life.
1. Hand Painting
Who doesn’t like colors! We all have loved colors and aspired to be some creative genius at one point in our lives (maybe after drawing a landscape or painting a fruit). That aspiration might not have come true, and chances are you haven’t touched colors for years, but you can always have some fun with colors. Much more important than that, you can make your kids learn something as beautiful as painting with colors.
Kids, especially, little ones love splashing colors and getting all dirty. So one of my favorite activities for a 14-month old baby is playing with colors- no brush, or professional setup, just you and your tiny one and lots of colors.
What do you need? – Watercolors, sheets of paper for painting, a plastic sheet for covering.
How to do it? – Cover the area with a plastic sheet because it is going to get a bit messy. Use a palette to mix the colors, coat the fingers and palms with color and press your hands on the paper. Show your baby how to do it, help him place his palm firmly on the paper to leave a print, and make patterns of hands on the white paper.
Continue doing it until you run out of paint or the paper has no more space left for another hand.
To make the activity more interesting, you can go for the brightest colors such as red, green, blue. You can also draw patterns using fingertips or use a brush if you are quite an artist. Sometimes you can go with both hands or use objects as a stamp. Just ensure that the baby doesn’t lick his fingers or touch their eyes.
Simultaneously, you can teach colors name, fingers name, and all such small words to your baby to help him learn the language.
The best part about the activity is saving all these papers with tiny hand impressions for your memories. I have framed the first handprint painting that I made with my daughter years ago, and whenever I look at it, it reminds me of her tiny hands and those beautiful summer days.
Tip- Don’t forget to photograph such moments because they will remain the most special and memorable moments of your baby’s growth.
Skills developed – Sensory experience, language learning, creativity.
2. Carry The Items
Kids love to carry stuff with them. Thus, whatever they get, they tend to take it with them to another place.You can use this simple tendency to create activities for your baby. All you have to do is ask them to carry an object from one place to another.
What do you need? – Any object, be it their clothes, toys, plates, or shoes
How to do it? – Ask your baby to carry their items in their hands and put them in their proper place. For example, you can ask them to bring their clothes or shoes to the room, plates to sink after a meal, etc.
These things might not be the most exciting things for your grown-up adult mind, but for a fourteen-month-old toddler who has just learned how to walk, it is a whole mission. So, completing such tasks will most definitely give them a sense of achievement and better control and balance.
Skills developed – better balance, hand to eye combination.
3. Walks With Nature
As I have already mentioned, having a relationship with mother nature should be an essential part of kids’ growth. You can always make your child come in contact with nature. It helps them develop compassion towards all the natural organisms, be it plants or animals, in their hearts.
Another significant point that I would like to mention here is that instead of high-tech gadgets or toys, playing with natural or ordinary life objects is scientifically proven to be more helpful for their brain. Objects such as colors, games like peek-a-boo, evening or morning walks, or daily life activities develop a sense of curiosity and understanding in them.
Taking your kids out to the garden or park is an activity that not just unveils a new world to them but also helps in their sensory development.
What do you need? – Your baby, a calm area such as a park, garden, or a flower nursery.
How to do it? – Take your kid out in the park or whatever place you find suitable. Make sure it is not crowded or noisy. Let your baby walk on the grass, play with flowers, leaves, soil. Make them smell the blooming flowers, the moist leaves, and the soft grass.
The most important thing here is to keep an eye on his activities. Check if he is playing safe and not putting anything in the mouth. If you have a dog or a pet, you can carry him along with you and let both of them play together.
You can also teach him some lessons regarding not plucking the flowers, not hurting innocent animals or insects. After all, it is all about having a healthy relationship with natural surroundings.
Skills developed – muscle development, understanding of natural surroundings, compassion, and joy.
4. Water Games
Almost all the children love to play with water while they take their baths. You can add more fun and excitement to their daily bath by adding a few inputs.
Add some toys to their bathtub, play some music, and start a water party!
What do you need? – A bathtub for babies, some floating toys
How to do it? – Once in a while, when both of you are in the mood and have some time, turn the regular bathing into a fun game. Add some floating toys to their bathtub, let your baby play, have some fun, or dance. It is all about having some entertainment in the water.
Skills developed – interactive skills, better body movement.
5. The Big Ball
Balls are the classic objects that keep babies interested and diverted from everything else. A big-size lightweight ball is one of the best games for 14-month old babies. It is easy to find, easy to play with, and you can play numbers games with it.So, get a ball and start playing.
What do you need? – A ball and a quiet place to play.
How to do it? – You can play lots of games with a big ball, such as throwing it and chasing it. Throw the ball and ask your kids to get it back, or you can ask them to throw it towards you, and then you return it like some kid volleyball.
The best part about a ball is your baby can play with it all by himself and stay active and distracted for a while. All you have to ensure is that the ball is lightweight and does not burst easily as well.
Skills developed – Hand-eye coordination, physical activity, balance, catching, or throwing ability.
6. Bedtime Stories
Bedtime stories have always been the most favorite activities for my kids. Since they were mere toddlers to the present, they have loved listening to some adventurous tales after their dinner.
Storytelling with kids is also a beneficial activity for their minds as it opens a whole world of imagination for them. Plus, it gives you some time with your babies, especially if you are a working parent and come home late at night.
What do you need? – An illustrated storybook.
How to do it? – Place your baby on his bed, show him the storybook, and recite the story. You can do two things here: changing the themes of stories like a fairy tale today and an adventure tale or some classic legend tomorrow. And secondly, you should always use voice effects to create interest and moods such as humor, horror, or happiness.
In this way, you will get to know the favorite themes of your baby and have some real quality time together.Lastly, stories are also the finest teachers and can teach lots of good stuff to the kids in lessons.
Skills developed – Language skills and imagination.
7. Music And Dance
I believe that music and dance, along with sports, are the most helpful activities for a 14-month old baby or a kid in general. They are essential for the healthy growth of a baby’s mind as good music and a bit of dancing broadens their view and incites excitement, emotions, and physical recreation in them.
So, whenever I used to have some time on weekends, I played some 90s music and have some steps with my baby and my wife. It served us various purposes, such as relieving the stress of weekdays, giving some musical inspiration to my kids, and gave us some lifelong memories.
What do you need? – Any device that can play music.
How to do it? – It is the simplest of the activities on the whole list. All you have to do is get up on the weekends, play some music (keep the volume adequate so that the baby doesn’t have any problem), hold your baby’s hands and shake your body.
Dance till you both are tired and go back to sleep after having your breakfast or lunch. That’s it.Music is one of the most helpful things in developing the brain and emotions of your baby. It has lots of other benefits apart from lifting the spirits. So you should focus on it and experiment by changing the music from baby music to jazz or even rock n’ roll. Explore with your baby, let him listen to your favorite tunes, and find his favorites.
After a while, you can bring home some musical toys such as a small baby piano. It would help you in the long run in some unbelievable ways.
Skills developed – Senses of listening, body movements, physical activity, emotional understanding, musical taste.
8. Treasure Hunt
Treasure Hunt is one of my favorite activities for 14 months olds as it reminds me of all the beautiful treasure hunting moments I had with my kids.
Whenever I used to bring a gift for my kids, I used to hide it in the “Treasure Chest,” i.e., a cardboard box specially designed for secret gifts. It used to be a surprise reward for helping mom in the kitchen (not throwing flour here and there) or any other good “job” performed during the day.
You can also design your own treasure hunt game by putting some exciting or even day-to-day objects in a cardboard box.
What do you need? – A cardboard box with some objects to hide, such as toys, spoons, mugs, etc.
How to do it? – Fill your treasure chest with some objects that you want to introduce to your kids. It may be a toy, some book, or something as simple as a whistle or cup. Next, ask your baby to open and take out all the precious treasures one by one. And lastly, make him put all the things inside it and lock the chest back.
This game or activity will develop a sense of excitement, achievement in the babies and play a role in their day-to-day learning.
Skills developed – Overall senses, body movements, curiosity.
9. Clean Those Spills
Cleaning or doing small household chores should be a mandatory lesson for all kids. Every child should learn how to manage his belongings, and parents should start teaching all such activities to them from an early age. The earlier you start, the better habits they attain.
You can convert these simple but significant activities such as cleaning the spills or later, polishing shoes, or even washing small clothes into fun activities. All you have to do is make them interesting and have a reward waiting for them.
How to do it? – Whenever your baby spills something like his milk, juice, or small toys such as colored rice, make him clean all the mess. Even if they leave most of it on the floor or don’t exactly “clean” everything, it should make sense of cleaning.
You can give them a small mop or something and teach them how to clean or wipe it. You can also ask your kids for help when they are free as it would keep them busy and diverted.
Skills developed – Sense of cleanliness, responsibility, and day-to-day learning.
10. Cardboard Home
A treehouse might be some years away, but a cardboard house is what you should build together right now. I built a small home for my kids using cardboard boxes in their room, and it instantly became their favorite place in the house. If you want some ideas, you can check them here.
What do you need? – A cardboard box, colors, things to decorate, glue, paper.
How to do it? – Cut the cardboard box to make a basic structure like a home with windows and doors. Depending upon the size of the kid’s room and the box, you can fix the size, create windows and design the rest of the house. From a simple room to a whole castle, you can build anything!
Next is decoration. Decorate it using your baby’s favorite colors, or use your creativity. Use colorful tapes to make it steady and look attractive. On the inside, you can keep any soft mattress, pillow, and toys. You can also install a small torch or soothing lights to keep it bright from inside.
The best part about this activity, in my opinion, is the building process when both of you work together to create something as precious as a home. You can ask your baby to help you with some small things such as passing the tape or showing the light etc. It develops creativity in your child and paves a way to his imagination and develops his learning skills.
As a dad, I feel such building or small technical activities are important for our relationship with our kids. Such building activities strengthen the bond between you two and make you both come closer to each other.
Skills developed – Creativity, sense of owning, and hard work.
11. Blow The Bubbles
If you and your baby haven’t played with bubbles yet, the best time is now!
Chances are you have already blown lots of bubbles for your baby. But now it is his turn to blow those tiny bubbles and have some fun.
What do you need? – Anything that makes soap bubbles
How to do it? – Get yourself something that makes soap bubbles, or you can even make them at home using detergent, sugar, and water. Blow some bubbles, teach your tiny one how to do it, and let him blow those magical bubbles.
This activity will also work as an exercise and build more coordination in the oral muscles. When your baby starts blowing the bubbles properly, you can also gift him a whistle or other blowing toys. Or, you can even teach him how to whistle with lips (cool dad stuff).
However, make sure that he blows for a limited time as it might cause dizziness if performed for a long time.
Skills developed – Oral motor skills, speech development, cheek, jaw, and lips coordination.
12. Put Lids On Containers
Making day-to-day life activities appear as games for a 14-month old baby is one of the best ways to develop natural learning abilities in the child. It not only keeps them active but develops problem-solving skills in the baby.
Wherever you are working, you can ask your kids for some help or give them some task as a game in a kitchen or garden. You can start it from an early age. Begin with something as basic as putting lids on containers.
What do you need? – Some plastic containers with lids
How to do it? – Get some containers of different shapes and sizes. You can also choose several colors or whatever boxes you have at home. Take off their lids and ask your little one to put the right lid on the container.
It will be some sort of puzzle game for his tiny brain, and after some help, he might learn to use the right one. You can also give hints like the same color lid or same container etc.
For making it more exciting or “difficult,” you can ask him to put a particular object such as his candies in a box and then put the lid on. The main objective of the task is to teach how to put lids and solve a puzzle by inserting the right piece at the right place.
Skills developed – Puzzle-solving skills, cognitive skills.
Conclusion
As your baby grows, the activities they engage in change. You will find that your kid is no longer interested in a particular activity. The other one doesn’t like a toy you bought when he/she was five months old.
Some activities don’t age with the baby. An example is blowing bubbles which seems to excite even the parents themselves. Others like water games at bath become swimming. Hand painting, music, and dance can be nurtured as talents.
Thus, monitor your child and change activities as required. It helps in giving them more fun and exposure. As a result, they develop their brain and physical well-being in a better way.
Coloring Pages
Free delivery, award-winning TV, exclusive deals, and more.
Free 30 days Trial.