Toddler Activities: 17 Months Old

One of the challenges of being a stay at home mom is finding activities for your little one to keep them entertained throughout the day. These are a few of our current favorite activities:

Silverware Sorting: Try this simple sorting activity with your toddler. I guarantee your little one will enjoy helping you with this chore. The next time you empty the dishwasher, let your toddler put away the spoons, forks, and any knives that are not sharp. You can put the divider on their highchair tray or even the floor and give them a container with the silverware in it. Put a spoon in with the other spoons, and a fork in with the other forks, then let your toddler do the rest of the work. Even if their sorting is not perfect, it is still a great motor skill activity.

Muffin Pan Fun: This is a fun activity that you can do with supplies you probably already have around the house. Give your toddler several golf or plastic balls and an empty muffin pan. Help your toddler put each ball in a compartment. Your little one may want to dump them all out, gather them up, and repeat the activity. You can turn this into a good learning activity by counting the balls as you put them in, and even counting the full and empty compartments. If you have colored plastic balls, you can name the colors or sort balls by color. This can also be a great distraction activity when you are trying to prepare dinner or clean up!

Sink and Float: The concept of "sink" and "float" can be easily taught through play. You can either play this game with a bowl of water, or at bath time. Put a rubber ducky or ball in the bathtub. Tell your little one, "It stayed on top of the water. It floats!" Then put a toy car in the bathtub. Tell your little one, "It sunk to the bottom of the water. It sinks!" Continue the activity with other items you find around the house that sink or float. You can even play a guessing game before placing the item in the water. "Do you think the wooden block will sink or float?"

And, of course:

Read: Reading is one of the best activities you can do with your child at any age!

A few of Emma's current favorites are:

•  Peedie by Olivier Dunrea
• Where Is Baby's Belly Button? by Karen Katz
• The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O. Zelinsky

My 3 good things for today are:

1. This is maybe a little too personal, but I got to shave both of my legs today - unfortunately not an everyday occurrence with a little one to keep up with!
2. I added another freezer meal to my stash for when the new baby arrives!
3. Emma counted 1 to 10 today (almost)! She skipped 4 and needed help remembering 10, but I was pretty proud.