Give your toddler some chores or keep them busy with these activities for 14-month-old kiddos! At this stage, toddlers are mimicking, coming into themselves and their skills are developing quickly. So embrace that and give them specific activities to learn.
Through the stages with both my babes, I always wondered what to do with them outside of shaking things in front of their faces.
My girlfriend would sit on the floor for hours and read to her babes, shake the rattles and do puppets. Those are all AMAZING. I, however, work from home and needed my girls to learn to self play so I chose a different approach- real life.
Instead of games that I play with my toddler, below you'll find some activities for 14-month-old kids that help them:
- self play
- develop fine motor skills
- practice everyday things they'll need later on
Activities Not Toys
When it comes to parenting, I like to take a bit more of a natural approach. I use cloth diapers, I went with baby led weaning and I believe in activities, not fancy toys.
We do however have and make use of basic activities like books, coloring (okay I color and she stares at me), and throwing balls.
I am most definitely not great at crafts and so many of our "activities" are just regular tasks.
Personally, I enjoy that our "toys" and "games" are just daily tasks as I think it helps babies learn about day to day life and practical skills - which is what you'll find with these activities for 14-month-old toddlers.
Activities For 14-Month-Old #1 Carrying Objects
Both my girls loved to walk around carrying toys from one spot to another.
Why It's great: it teaches them balance and how to put things away.
She just started walking (the day she turned fourteen months actually!) and it was brand new for her.
Activity #2 Putting Lids Onto Containers
A popular and practical one! Both kids loved closing containers and figuring out which lids fit on which container.
This "game" is ideal when it comes to activities foor 14-month-old toddlers!
Why it's great: it helped improve their problem-solving skills as well as their dexterity (fancy words for coordination!).
There is definitely a lot of trial and error when this gets going but it was one of the activities that kept both my girls entertained for almost thirty minutes- a work at home mom's dream.
Activity #3 Putting One Thing Into Another
My daughters would spend what seems like ages putting one thing into another.
Some great ideas are:
- balls into baskets
- spoons into drawers
- Containers into other containers
- Toys into egg cartons
- food into containers
Really anything they could find (normally garlic and potatoes!) into containers.
Why this activity is great: they learned a lot about opening and closing but also sizes, shapes and problem-solving.
Activity #4 Exploring & Finding Hidden Things
This is something you can do to help encourage their curiosity.
I used empty egg carton containers and filled them with random things. They loved opening the carton, figuring out what's inside and putting it back in and closing it.
Activity #5 Cleaning Up & Putting Things Away
At this stage, your toddler is just starting to understand cues like "go get your shoes" or "put this in the toy bin".
So, instead of you cleaning up they toys, clean them up together.
Why it's a good activity: it helps them learn how to clean and starts the beginnings of responsibility. I'm sure this will be a super long process but it's a start!
Activity #6 Cleaning Spills
This one isn't consistent yet but by fourteen months old slowly my kids were starting to wipe with a cloth and help clean.
Actually, my oldest rather enjoyed it and it's a great distraction when I'm working out to have her clean the gym mats!
Activity #7 Climbing On Couches & Chairs
This may not be activity guide material but it's kind of an exciting one!
This is normally one that has been going on for a while and is not specific to fourteen months old.
Kids are climbers and you'll find them on anything. I think teaching them to climb onto something is fine, so long as there's supervision and you teach them what not to climb on.
Climbing itself is not only physical and helps develop strength but it also improves their coordination.
Activity #8 Turning On & Off Lights
Learning about cause and effect is important for development and every kid loves seeing the lights flicker.
My girls would insist that you spend fifteen minutes holding them so that they can turn them on and off repeatedly.
Activity #9 Knocking
Kids love to mimic and I think there's a lot of ways to scale this to age. At fourteen months my first was just learning to knock to get attention.
My second learned much earlier (as most do) but once the learned I'd start a game by knocking in different ways, to a song or counting our knocks.
A quick tip: most of these activities for 14-month-old kids are geared towards first or only children. I found that my second learned all of these waaaayyy early from watching her big sister.
The Best Activities For 14-Month-Old Toddlers
To be honest, there are so many more activities I could add to the list. Regardless, most the activities would be:
- Simple in nature
- Based on every day tasks
- Mimicking what moms do
- Require zero fancy equipment
Activities for toddlers don't need to be complex. You don't need flashing toys to keep them entertained. Help them learn the basics and the things you do every day. They're far more entertained by that!
Don't Freak Out About Development Skills
As a first time mom, I most definitely questioned everything. I am so paranoid that my daughter isn't doing everything she should be at each stage. And it seems whenever we have play dates, the other babes are doing completely different activities!
Many months have gone along the lines of "is she developing properly?" or "should she be able to do this yet?" which gets me right into a panic.
There are a lot of guides out there for developmental milestones but try not to freak out about the exact month. Likewise, don't panic about temper tantrums, they get intense! Here are a few practical ways to both curb and prevent toddler tantrums.
Each month with my girls was a new milestone and I loved it! Every month that passes she learns something new that just blows me away.
With my second babe, I worried less but I still compared.
What I've learned from this lovely mental banter, is that every baby develops a bit different than the next and one activity guide most definitely does not work for everyone.
What you play with at home may not be what others have access to and thus their activities are different.
Don't Forget To Pin These Activities For 14-Month-Old Toddlers!
I loved watching my little ones learn new things and thus, this activity guide includes some of my daughters' favorites.
One thing to remember though is that each babe develops at a different speed. So if you're babe isn't quite loving some of these activities for 14-month-old toddlers that's okay! Chances are they've mastered something else instead 🙂
S'herbert says
Good ideas you've shared! I'm finding it harder and harder to keep my little one entertained!
Something that I notice a lot these days is language similar to what you've used to describe "milestones" and feelings about them ("panic", "paranoid", and "freaking out").
I know what it feels like to worry about milestones, and I know about panic and freaking out. My toddler ( who can't toddle) has a medical condition impacting her development. It's hard to know what to say when people ask about her development and progress.
It hurts to hear how others "panic" to worry about milestones (without real justification, it seems). I used to panic too, but my reality has shifted.
I'm writing this in my daughter's behalf, in the hope that one day we can be more accepting of variation...less afraid of differences. Each child is on a unique path.
fitasamamabear says
Thank you for this! It’s not easy to keep them entertained but the simple stuff works best (I find). I think it’s SO HARD (especially with your first) because you’re deadest on everything happening at the “proper” time. When in reality as you mentioned, all babes are unique.
First-time moms (I did anyways) definitely panic over nothing. We don’t realize that it truly doesn’t matter if they crawl at 6 months or 9.
Our children will develop in way that’s best for them. I’ll stand with you in that hope. Differences are what keep life interesting and there’s no perfect path ❤
Sonam Sahid Khan says
I’m so happy to find the list .. as my girl is on the same track as of yours .. she is not showing any interest I playing with blocks .. as I’m letting her so here and there .. thanks for the list once again
fitasamamabear says
Aw yay! It's so much fun watching them develop the new skills and try to learn all these random things. I'm glad it at least gives you some ideas!