50 Incredibly Fun 19 Month Old Activities

I remember having a 19 month old very well. Independence is starting to appear big time, and your not-so-baby baby can now walk, jump, climb, run…

This paired with independence is tricky.

Oh, and how could I forget about the short attention span.

Is that being too nice? How about minuscule attention span.

I’m sure you have a few questions.

How do I keep my 19 month old entertained?

Keeping a 19 month old entertained might just seem like it’s a full time job, but it doesn’t have to be. Include your child in your daily activities, and find time each day to get outside, do something educational and work on developmental skills.

What activities should I do with my 19 month old toddler?

The best activities that you can do for your 19 month old would be: get outside and active (maybe take a walk), sing songs, play cooperative games, and encourage your child to play independently in small chunks of your day.

I love this list of fun things to do with a 2 year old to incorporate into your daily schedule.

How do I get my 19 month old to play independently?

An effective way to get your toddler to play independently is by staying close. You may have to start by showing your child how to play with a toy, then you can slowly remove yourself from play. Staying nearby will help guarantee that your child continues to play independently.

Including a variety of different activities into your 19 month old’s schedule is best.

The best part of this post of activity ideas is that it includes SIMPLE ways to engage your 19 month old. I am NOT a Pinterest mom with elaborate ideas. You’re welcome.

In this post, you will find:

• Play Ideas

Free, creative play is so important for this age group. Young toddlers are just starting to learn how to use their imagination and providing plenty of time for free play and pretend play is essential.

• Indoor Activities

Whether you need to be inside because you’re working from home, you don’t have outdoor space or it’s a rainy day, having a simple list of outdoor activities for 19 month olds is needed by every toddler parent.

• Outdoor Activities

It is so important to try to get your toddler outside at least a little bit each day. A change of scenery is also a great way to change behavior.

• Developmental Activities

Your 19 month old is developing at a rapid pace, and these specific activities are creative ways to keep him on track and develop his cognitive skills.

• Educational Activities

It’s never too early to start learning! Working on numbers and letters could be a fun daily activity for you and your child.

• Sensory Activities

Sensory play is important because it encourages learning through curiosity, creativity and exploration. Exposing your baby to sensory stimuli is very beneficial.

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What should a 19 month old be playing with?

If your 19 month old likes to play, any toy for his age is sufficient (books, puzzles, toys that play music). To actually get your child to play with his toys you can alternate the toys that you have available to him. That way old toys are new again!

Indoor Activities

What can you do with a 19 month old on a rainy day?

On a rainy day, you can read with your child, have him help you around the house, do puzzles, color, play with stickers, build a fort, take a blanket ride, play in the dark or roughhouse on the bed. Of course, try to get your child to play independently, too.

1. Have Your Child “Help” You

Toddlers at this age LOVE to be helpful (and believe me, it doesn’t last forever so soak it up while it lasts!)

If you are cleaning, let your toddler help, too! He can:

• clean the floors, the cabinets, the table, etc with a rag and bucket of water.
• pull the laundry out of the washer or dryer
• empty grocery bags
• water plants
• dust

2. Read

Reading is one of the most beneficial activities that you can do with your toddler and is so important in the development of language skills.

Make sure to keep books easily accessible in all areas of the house that your toddler frequents. Reading doesn’t only have to occur at night!

And if your toddler asks to read his favorite book AGAIN?! Just do it! The repetition is torture for us but so beneficial for them.

Check out my favorite stories for 2 year olds.

3. Do Puzzles

4. Color

5. Play With Stickers

I find that reusable sticker books are best for the toddler stage.

6. Build A Fort

You can pillows, cushions and chairs to build a fort that your child will hopefully play in for longer than it took you to assemble it.

We can hope, right?

7. Play “Find The Object”

Ask your child to find random things around the house (and then put them back, of course!)

Some ideas would be:

• find something red
• find two small toys
• find a farm animal
• find a car
• find a doll
• find different shapes

8. Bring Outdoor Toys Indoors

If you have the space, bring your toddler’s larger outdoor toys (play sets) inside for more energy-burning opportunities.

9. Play Board Games

Start teaching your toddler how to work cooperatively and take turns with these fun game ideas.

10. Play Hide And Go Seek

I like to do this with objects (so that I don’t have to hide or seek).

Simply hide household objects around a room and have your toddler find them.

If he’s struggling, you can add in some hold/cold action.

11. Take A Blanket Ride

This is SO helpful if your toddler isn’t wanting to do something (go to bed, take a bath, etc).

Take him there on a blanket ride. It will work every time I promise. Distraction is KEY.

12. Play With A Baby Doll

This is a great activity for both boys and girls and is perfect if you have a baby or are expecting.

13. Play In The Dark

Arm your child with a flashlight and go to a dark room.

I love this activity because it can help a child who is afraid of the dark to conquer that fear.

14. Roughhouse On The Bed

The good thing about this activity is that you get to lay down. And that you and your child will have a TON of fun.

The bad news? Nothing.

Outdoor Activities

Having a change of scenery at least once per day is important to break up the day and help it feel less monotonous.

15. Play In A Sprinkler

A toddler sprinkler is the perfect solution to a hot day. Toddler splash pads might be even better because they don’t splash high like some sprinklers and your child can play in it like a very shallow pool.

16. Go On A Nature Walk

You can have your child collect sticks, rocks and leaves along the way.

You can also count how many animals and insects you find along the way to get in a little counting practice!

17. Play With Bubbles

To make it more fun and a little educational, you can prompt your child to “catch” the bubbles using different body parts.

18. Paint The Windows With Shaving Cream

Don’t do this one if your 19 month old still puts everything into his mouth.

19. Play With A Ball

Get those gross motor skills working by throwing, catching, rolling and chasing after a ball.

20. Practice Throwing

Set up a laundry basket on the ground and have your child practice throwing a ball or bean bag into it.

21. Play Red Light, Green Light

Developmental Activities

This list of fine motor activities is fun and also develops essential skills.

22. Stack Empty Tupperware Containers

Toddlers love to stack items and knock them down and it absolutely helps develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Tupperware is probably something that you have a lot of, so this is the perfect sensory activity for your 19 month old when you are in the kitchen.

To make this activity even better, I suggest having one kitchen cabinet that is always accessible to your child.

You can put the Tupperware in this cabinet, and your child can access it at anytime!

23. Work On Potty Training

It might sound early, but pay attention to your chld’s cues. Both of my children started to show potty training readiness between 18-20 months old.

According to a study referenced in the Jornel de Pediatria, in 1947 60% of children were potty trained by 18 months of age. That percentage is much lower now.

Some signs of potty training readiness are:

• pulling at a wet or dirty diaper
• hiding to pee or poop
• showing interest in others using the bathroom

If your 19 month old is showing any of these signs, it won’t hurt to start working toward potty training.

You can see more information on how I potty trained both of my children before age 2. (And I did it SUPER simply, there is no extra work on your part).

24. Play With Pom Poms

Give your child a whole bunch of pom poms. You can have him transfer them from one container to another or sort them into colors.

This will help fine-tune your toddler’s pincer grip, which is such an essential fine-motor skill.

25. Take The Month Long Physical Activity Challenge

Develop your toddler’s physical skills through daily challenges.

For example, time your child and see how long it takes him to:

• balance on one foot
• complete a stuffed animal relay race
• throw a ball into the laundry hamper

Then, see if your child can beat his time! This activity comes with printable badges to give to your child once he has succeeded.

30 Day Challenge: Challenging Activities For Toddlers

26. Play Laser Chase

Take a laser and shine it around the floor. Your child will love to catch it. Seriously. Not. Kidding.

Does your toddler have WAY too much energy? Check out more high energy toddler activities.

27. Wipes Box Lid Sorting

Does that title make sense? I don’t think so.

Take an empty baby wipes box and a bunch of lids that you’re no longer using and have your 19 month old place them in the wipes box and take them out.

And place them in and take them out. Hopefully for a long time.

28. Get A Mini Trampoline

A mini trampoline is such a great purchase (it’s pretty inexpensive) and it will entertain your child for years to come.

29. Bowl

Set your toddler up with a ball and a bunch of empty soda bottles. Cheap, easy entertainment!

30. Create An Obstacle Course

Use whatever you can find around the house that your toddler can climb over, crawl through, etc.

You can use any of the following for your easy obstacle course:

• pillows
• laundry baskets
• hula hoops
• cones
• tunnels

31. Create A Jumping Course

Place things on the floor for your child to jump over:

• plastic bowls turned upside down
• cushions
• pillows

32. Do Gymnastics

You can practice simple skills like:

• wheelbarrow walks
• handstands with his feet on the couch
• somersaults
• stretching
• balancing (put a line of painter’s tape on the floor and have your child walk it)

Educational Activities

Is it okay for a 19 month old to watch TV?

The World Health Organization advises against screen time for children under 2. If you would like to have your toddler watch TV, try to stick to educational content or movement songs (like the Itsy Bitsy Spider) that keep your child active and not sedentary.

33. Learn About Science

Put baking soda onto a cookie sheet. Give your child cups of colored vinegar and a medicine dropper.

He will love to see the chemical reaction that happens again and again as he drops the vinegar into the baking soda.

34. Practice Letter Recognition

Make learning letters fun. You can:

• Play Climb the Mountain- Place alphabet flashcards on the steps, shout out a letter and have your child climb the mountain to find it
• Play Squirt the Letter- Write letters on a chalk board or dry erase board, shout out a letter and have your toddler squirt it with a water bottle

Check out more of my fun ABC activities.

35. Pretend To Be An Animal

Give your toddler different prompts, such as:

• roar like a lion
• quack like a duck
• jump like a kangaroo
• waddle like a penguin

36. Have An Object Relay

This activity can be used to learn new words or concepts or just for fun.

Put something (animal figurines, colors, numbers, etc) on one end of the room and sit on the other.

Then call out names of the items and have your child run over to grab the item and bring it back to you.

37. Play Simon Says

38. Dance

Play songs that require movement such as:

• Baby Shark
• The Hokey Pokey
• Head, Shoulders, Knees And Toes

39. Count Everything

Count everything and everything you can throughout the day, like when you’re going up the stairs.

Sensory Activities

40. Finger Paint

Finger painting is a fun activity that can be done with what you have around the house. Use some food coloring and some whipped cream for an edible finger painting option.

41. Play With Play Doh

There are so many options with Play Doh. You can:

• hide objects in the Play Doh
• have your child make a road for his cars out of Play Doh
• make shapes out of it
• stamp letters into it using magnetic letters
• make indents in it with household objects
• create an animal environment

42. Play With Ice Cubes

1. Fill a container with water
2. Dump in some ice cubes

So easy yet so good.

43. Create A Sensory Bin

Dump a bunch of dry rice into a container and allow your child to play with it.

I love hiding a bunch of small toys in it and asking my child to try to find it.

44. Stomp On Bubble Wrap

I’m sure you’ve got a few Amazon boxes on the porch!

45. Play In A Sandbox Or With Kinetic Sand

Water Play

Water play is another type of sensory development. You don’t need a water table in order to have fun with water!

46. A Pouring Water Station

This will likely be the most engaging activity you do with your 19 month old all day.

Fill up a plastic storage bin with water and give your child plastic pitchers, measuring cups and drinking cups. Have your child pour from one container to another.

47. Extend Bath Time

Who said bath time is just for washing? If your toddler is enjoying his time in the bath, let him stay in there until the water gets too chilly.

48. Wash The Dishes

Set your toddler up with a stool or learning tower at the sink with slow running water and containers, plastic cups, bowls, spoons, strainers, ladles, etc.

49. Get In The Pool

Set your child up in a kiddie pool with toys and set yourself up in the shade with a drink.

50. Play With The Hose

I hope you found some different things to add to your daily routine!