What to do with a toddler aged 12 to 24 months: 6 real activities for any time of day
This is the age where "just put them down for two minutes" stops working, they are on the move, into everything, and testing what their hands and legs can do. You don't need six activities today, you need one that matches the moment, a determined mood, a wobbly new walk across the lounge room, or ten minutes while dinner's on. Reach for whichever one fits.
For a calm, focused stretch
Threading Fun: Pipe Cleaners and Colander
An upturned colander and a handful of pipe cleaners is genuinely all this needs. Poking one through a hole and pulling it out the other side is trickier than it looks for a twelve month old, which is exactly why it holds their attention, and it packs flat enough to bring along to a hospital room or a suitcase too.
For 15 minutes of genuine quiet
Pom Pom Ice Cream Sorting
Coloured pom poms pushed into a squishy zip‑lock bag of hair gel, aimed at ice‑cream cone shapes taped behind it. It looks like a lolly shop window and plays like a real fine motor workout, and once it's sealed with tape it wipes clean and comes back out again tomorrow.
For a wobbly, determined new‑walker mood
Hoop Helper
A hula hoop held at chest height gives a toddler something steady to hold while they practise stepping out on their own terms. It turns a wobbly walk across the lounge room into a proper mission, especially with a favourite toy waiting at the other end.
For a properly messy sensory afternoon
Jelly Sensory Play
A tray of wobbly, coloured jelly set in the fridge the night before, then handed over for squishing, scooping and, very likely, tasting. It is properly messy, so save it for a day you don't mind running a bath straight after, but the payoff is a genuine stretch of sensory exploration.
For a hands‑busy, problem‑solving mood
Ball Rescue Box
A shoebox, a few ball pit balls, and string stretched across the top in a rough grid. Reaching through the gaps to rescue each ball takes real hand strength and a fair bit of persistence, and a toddler will often go back for another round once every ball is free.
For whenever you need five minutes and nothing but tape
Tape Tracks or Maze
A roll of tape stuck down in a wiggly line across the floor is enough to turn any room into a road, a river, or whatever your toddler decides it is today. It travels well too, the same idea works taped to a hospital tray table or a hotel room floor when you need something fast.
Six of a much bigger library
These six are a small slice of the hundreds of activities inside Joyora, all filtered to your child's exact age, all written by Georgia, our qualified early childhood educator.
More activity ideas, by age and by occasion, are here.
Frequently asked questions
Often only a few minutes, especially closer to 12 months, stretching toward 10 to 15 minutes as they near two. That is completely normal at this age. Having a couple of short activities ready to swap between works better than expecting one to hold their attention all morning.
No. Most genuinely engaging activities at this age use things already in the kitchen or the recycling bin, pipe cleaners, a colander, string, tape. Elaborate setups are optional, not necessary.
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