From the age of 1, it tends to become slightly easier to do activities with your children, often as they learn to walk and become more mobile. In this article, we provide tips for activities that can be done with younger children.

The amount of stimulation children need varies, but all children want and need a variety of activities. It rarely has to be sophisticated: singing, dancing, going out together or playing pretend are just some of the things you can do. If you are worried that your child is overstimulated, read this article.

Activities for children from 1 year old

- Children just learning to walk tend to enjoy physical games such as chasing, being caught or pushing things in front of them.

- Play outside, dig in the sandbox, swing and go down the slide.

- Try simple imagination games such as pretend food and pretend phone.

- Simple imitation games such as imitating the parent cleaning and cooking.

- Read books and talk about what you see.

- Singing and dancing.

- Tell rhymes and stories.

- Play pretend games, such as feeding with pretend food.

- Sorting games, such as putting toys in different piles.

- Scribbling.

- Keep talking and telling your child things in everyday life. Also listen to your child and try to understand what he or she is telling you.

Activities from age 2

- Playing outdoors, running, climbing.

- Take a trip to the forest or a playground where you can swing and slide.

- Play with dress-up clothes.

- Playing with other children.

- Watch and talk about animals.

- Painting and drawing.

- Reading books.

- Invite your child to participate in activities that you do, such as cooking.

- Keep talking to the child. Listen to what the child tells you. Develop and repeat what the child says to enrich the vocabulary.

Read about children and screen time here.