at 16 month old, the children are developing skills, fine motor, gross motor, language.
-Use a play hammer to beat golf tees into a piece of Styrofoam.
-Use spring loaded tongs to pick up cotton balls and place them in a muffin tin.
-Put skinny straws or toothpicks in a cheese shaker or spice bottle.
-Opening and closing doors without slamming or pinching fingers.
-Opening and closing drawers without slamming and pinching fingers.
-Pouring water into a funnel.
-How to say hello/goodbye on a play telephone.
-Sorting light and dark socks/buttons.
-Sorting cutlery.
-Sink and float?
-Different measuring utensils in the water
-Unrolling a carpet and rolling it to put it away.
-Carrying a tray of easy materials to the carpet then putting it away.
-Dusting shelves.
-Using a water sprayer to wash a mirror (spraying is still a hard movement but...)
-Pouring his own juice
-Various sizes of box lids and trying to match them
-Unscrewing peanut butter size jars or we a travel pack at the dollar store with a toothbrush holder, soap holder and various jars....Old spice shakers
-Cleaning up spills with a washcloth.
-Sweeping with a handbroom
-Putting clothes pins in a small neck plastic bottle
-Sound Shakers
-Tape a large piece of butcher paper to the floor and give him some crayons
-Chalk outside on the sidewalk or tape a black piece of paper to the refrigerator...
-Clear plastic cosmetic bag with items to take out and put in velcro
-Put masking tape to the refrigerator by sticking only a small portion to the fridge and let him pull it off an put in a container or trash can.
-They love to be little shadows and help.
-Flour in a container to wiggle his toes in...and of course to play in, measure, etc.
-Painting with tempura pain and using an apron
-Homemade playdoh (that's safe to eat, I have a recipe if needed)
-Stacking blocks
-Pour large balls from cup to cup
-Spoon large beads for bowl to bowl
-Matching of colors and objects
-Put popsicle sticks through a slit in a large coffee can
-Peg boards with the large pegs
-Mystery box......
Fill with fresh items from outside
Different sizes of large shoes
kitchen utensils to explore
different size socks
hats
gloves (including an oven mitt)
sensory items (fresh herbs that smell when you rub them,
winter items...scarf, gloves, hat and a picture of snow or cold
Summer items, short sleeve shirt, shorts again a picture of a sunny day or activity...be creative (a swimming box...goggles, floaties, picture of swimming)
Heavy - Light items
Anything that you can add a picture of will help him to "get the jist" as he gets older......perhaps a picture of an item from a G'ma and then the item itself..or if G'ma isn't near...Dad or Mom....
Jammies are always fun....(we are a family of 6 now so there is lots to do) My little one takes the jammies to everyone and then puts Dad's jammies back until he comes home.....Poor Dad as he walks through the door and is handed his jammies by the little one...LOL He never knows what he is going to walk into....
ETC.... you get the idea....LOL
-Make a book of him doing activities and read it to him...this is "name" doing sink and float, this is "name" talking on the phone saying....this way he is reminded of the activities he can choose for himself.
