Eighteen Months to Two Years

Matching Game

There are so many ways to play with a set of matching cards. To introduce the idea of matching, offer 5-7 matched pairs in a basket and model how to find the match for each picture. You can also hide one set of the matches and go hunting together until all cards have a pair. The traditional memory style game is a bit harder, but can still be fun with just a few pairs for this age. These wooden vegetable cards are from WoodContour’s Etsy Shop, and they are beautiful, durable, and realistic. There are many, many sets to choose from here, including some simple puzzles.

LOVEVERY PLAY KITS

These play kits from LOVEVERY offer an all-in-one solution for parents and gift ideas! For ages 18-24 months, there are two kits available. In each kit you’ll find a small collection of developmentally challenging and engaging toys, a how-to booklet, and books to read together. These kids are designed by Montessori and Early Childhood experts, and promote not just fun, but learning as well. See the kits by clicking the buttons below.

Push Duck

Once a toddler has mastered walking on their own, it's time to add a bit more complexity.  Steering and balancing this push duck toy is a welcome challenge for this age.  The wood stick is more manageable than string pull toys, and more challenging than the walker wagon we suggested for 6-12 month olds.

A child sized broom, vacuum, or swiffer offers a similar challenge with the benefit of a real-life purposeful activity (see next entry for details)

Carpet Sweeper

Toddlers love to imitate and help around the home, so why not encourage it? Offering real, child-sized tools for cleaning not only supports muscle and skill development, it offers an opportunity to participate in a meaningful way, which builds confidence and a sense of belonging. This carpet sweeper is quiet, non-electronic, and specifically designed for young children to use. However, many carpet sweepers have adjustable handles, and can be used by a young child as well. We also love using a Swiffer with one of the handle pieces removed.

Tracks for Cars and Trains

These toys offer a limited amount of pieces and a chance to explore gravity, movement, and other natural forces at work. The car racer track from EverEarth (pictured) is perfect for this age.   We also love this simple wooden train set from HAPE toys.

SIMPLE Building Blocks

For toddlers, look for high quality wood or sturdy plastic that will stand up to years of play. I highly suggest keeping only about 25 pieces available at once at this age, to help with clean-up and toy management.  If you find a set with more, just save the rest for when your child becomes a bit older.   These blocks are wooden and magnetic, perfect for beginners.

Simple Building Blocks

This block set is easier to fit together than others, and so is a good first building block set for 18-24 month olds. I highly suggest keeping only about 25 pieces available at once at this age, to help with clean-up and toy management.  Just save the rest for when your child becomes a bit older.

Color Disc Sorter and Stacker

This is a classic Montessori material designed to build fine-motor and coordination skills.  The smaller size of the dowel and discs encourages the tripod finger grip later used in writing, but are still large enough to avoid choking hazards.   The simple colors and design help your children focus and make connections faster. This material by Modern Imagination Co is slightly harder than threading a ring onto a vertical post, like in the ring stacker listed for ages 6-12months, and also encourages sorting by color.

Soft, Simple Doll

Dolls aren't just for girls.  This handmade Waldorf-style doll is perfect for any 18-24 month old, and will stand up to strong love and use for years.  A doll is perfect for caring role play, learning body parts, gentle touch, and general companionship.   The dolls from Margaritkadolls’s etsy shop are heirloom quality and come in a range of skin and hair colors.

Bowling Set

Here's an active activity your child can do indoor or out!  We prefer softer pins for this age to help with noise and for safety reasons.  

Crinkle Knife and Cutting Board

This is our favorite first knife.  It's a real tool and can cut most foods, but is blunt to the touch and won't easily cut a child's fingers.  Make sure you get a smaller cutting board too! 

Child-sized utensils

Real silverware and real plates demonstrate trust, encourage care and responsibility, and offer children a sense of prideful ownership.  This toddler-sized set of utensils are from For Small Hands, and feature blunt tines and a slightly smaller size than their child utensil set.  

Child-sized Place Setting

Yes, these are glass, and yes you can expect your child to break something.  Offering real glassware to your child demonstrates trust and encourages care and responsibility.  When your child breaks one of HER glasses, it will have a bigger impact than you saying "be careful!" ever will.   I like this glass set from Duralex for this age because it is truly durable and quite forgiving.  They have a handful of other styles if this one doesn't suit your taste.  

Dustpan and Brush

This smaller set from Oxo is our favorite first dustpan and brush. The bucket style dustpan helps keep dirt in place all the way to the trash can, and the side handle on the brush is easier for toddlers' hands.   

Place Mat

This washable place mat from Handmade Montessori offers a clear model of exactly how to set your place without any adult intervention.  These are used in the Montessori Young Child communities to offer independence and teach place-setting.  Use this place mat with child-sized utensils and tableware to help your child learn this same skill.  

Toddler-sized Apron

There are lots of places to buy a child-sized apron now, but finding one that a toddler can independently use is still a challenge.  This is our favorite design; a full front and half-back secured by elastic on the sides.  Easy to pull over your own head, and no snaps, ties, buttons, no strings to get in the way.  This apron from Montessori Services has the bonus of vinyl-coated cotton fabric which makes it easy to wipe clean.  

Child-sized Backpack 

A child sized backpack with pockets for treasures is a must for daily walks.  This one is from Herschel and at 10 inches square, it should fit many 18-24 month olds. The magnetic closures and one zippered pouch are manageable skills to master but any smaller backpack with a zipper, Velcro, or fold over flap would work for this age.  We recommend a smaller pocket on the back or side, and a pocket for a water bottle is always welcome.

The Wild City Book

Think you can't find nature if you live in the city? This book is full of ideas for fun, exploration, and discovery of the great outdoors in the concrete jungle.   This is a great book to spark your creativity for nature inspired art, learning, and adventures.  

Chalk

Chalk is another winner for 18-24 month olds.  This triangular chalk encourages a tripod pencil grip AND it won't roll away.  I stick with 2-3 pieces of chalk at this age, any more and a child will just spend her time switching chalk instead of drawing.  

Sand box

A sand-box offers open-ended play that can keep toddlers interested for hours.   This box is my favourite as the lid folds up to make two sturdy benches and completely closes (no surprise visitors!).  Or, take the DIY route and fill a small tent with sand. 

Garden Tool Set

This three piece garden hand tool set is perfectly sized for small hands, AND they actually work.  Start with the green rectangular trowel for scooping soil, and over time your child can help rake and dig too.  

Snack Pouch 

Sturdy legs means longer walks and the need for snacks.  This snack pouch is from Lunitouti Etsy shop, and is washable, water-resistant, and has a flat bottom to stand up on its own. Plus, the little tab on the side is perfect for clipping to a backpack for easy access. 

Walking Trike

This is a good introduction to the world of wheeled toys, and learning how to steer.  This trike is difficult to tip over and is low enough to the ground for most 18 month olds to climb on by themselves. 

Paintbrush and Bucket

Painting with water is a great outdoor activity for young toddlers.  Endless fun, no clean-up, and you can paint almost anything.  We suggest using the larger paintbrush in this set for outdoor, and save the others for indoor art projects.  This bucket from Toysmith is made from metal and holds up well to repeated outdoor use.  

Gift Of Quality Time

One of the most valuable gifts for toddlers (and their parents) is spending time together.  Offer to babysit!  Go visit a children's museum, take a hike, or play together at the park. You can also purchase passes for families to spends more quality time together, like a zoo or aquarium membership, pool passes for the summer, swim lessons, or a national park pass.

Personalized Book

If there is one thing toddlers love to read and talk about, it’s themselves. If you have access to a photo collection of familiar people and places, why not make a book as a gift? We like Shutterfly for this, as you can save your photos to use again in later projects, and there are many premade templates available. Keep the text to 1-2 sentences per page. We’ve made books about a daily routine (what the child does in the morning, afternoon, evening), the first year of his life, and books full of family’s names and faces. Use the link below to get a free 8x8 book from Shutterfly.