The stage between birth and two years of age corresponds to the

"Sensorimotor Period," a term coined by the psychologist Jean Piaget (1896–1980). This stage
is divided into several stages in which children acquire certain skills and, the
the age of 1 to 2 years specifically is characterized by active exploration and representation
mental. That is to say, that by the end of this period they are capable of acting voluntarily on the
environment thanks to all their previous experiences. That is why it is important to introduce children and
activities that stimulate their development in all areas. In this article for Babies
vamos a ver actvidades de estmulación para niños de 1 a 2 años divididas en: sensoriales,
gross motor skills, fine motor skills, pedagogical, linguistic, and cognitive.

Sensory stimulation activities for children aged 1 to 2 years

Sensory stimulation, as its name indicates, is that which works with different
senses: hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. It is extremely important as it is through them that
how we perceive the outside world, so the more we stimulate and develop them,
The experiences and learnings will be greater. Let's see what activities we can carry out:

Let's savor!

With this sensory experience, the sense of taste will be enhanced. Prepare a room by lining it.
a part of the floor and the wall with continuous paper (with the aim of not getting dirty)
excessively and to avoid other stimuli) and take a few muffin molds. Cut
pieces of fruit (melon, strawberries, pear, watermelon, kiwi, avocado, orange, banana...) and fill the molds
of Magdalena with them. Place it on the ground and sit together. You can place plastic bowls
empty, kitchen utensils like wooden spoons, small spoons, spatulas, etc. I'm sure they
will enchant.

2. Finger Paints

You can buy them or make them at home with yogurt and food coloring. Offer her continuous paper,
spatulas, brushes, rollers, stamps... the most fun will be getting messy and expressing oneself.

3. Circuit for the feet

The soles of the feet are very sensitive to touch, and if you don't believe it, just ask the people who have them.
tickles. Children will have a lot of fun feeling different textures with their feet,
what we can create a circuit so that it goes by itself or with our help. For that,
you can take a large piece of cardboard from a box and stick different materials such as: soft sandpaper,
cloths, an old sweater, feathers, cork, bubble wrap... any material that
it poses no risk of causing harm will be valid.

4. Game of lights

The lights attract the attention of the little ones a lot and it is very easy to play with them.
You need a cloth that completely covers a large table, down to the floor, and if you don't have it.
lanterns with shapes, you can create them yourself. You just need to take a sheet of paper or cardboard, draw
the shapes you want (moon, stars, silhouettes...) and cut them out. The part we need is the sheet.
whole with the empty shapes. Take all the flashlights you have at home (the one from the phone too.
okay) and play with the lights and shadows...
Knock, knock

With this activity, we are going to stimulate your sense of touch. For this, we will need bags of
freeze small ones with automatic closure (zip - zap) and the materials we need for
You will fill them. We can use: gel balls, glitter soap, buttons, flat macaroni,
pom poms...

6. Chinese shadows

For this sensory stimulation activity, we will need to draw and cut on a cardstock.
black out the silhouettes of the story of your favorite characters. Then, we stick them on sticks.
skewer and, in a dark room, behind a white sheet and with a flashlight, it
we stage.

7. Jingle Bells

Get some jingle bells and attach them (with glue or thread) to a strip of Velcro.
attach. Hold on to the empty part of the velcro on your son's or daughter's clothing (in the arm and leg areas) and
Put on the jingles. He will have a lot of fun listening to them ring while he moves and will look for the
origin of sound.
8. What does it smell like?

We are going to stimulate the sense of smell with this sensory stimulation activity. You can use
empty spice jars or any other empty jar you have at home. Put in the jars
anything with a pleasant smell and play guessing it. You can use familiar scents and
unknown to your sons and daughters so that the activity is more enriching. Some examples
what you can use are: mint, cinnamon, soap, lemon, orange, cologne...

9. Sensory boxes

Sensory boxes are a resource that can give us a lot of play as they have possibilities.
unlimited. In this case we are going to make one about animals. You will need: a bucket or plastic box,
arena, rubber wild animals, cardboard... what we are going to represent is the African savanna, the
natural habitat of elephants, zebras or lions. You can also represent a farm, an aquarium
or whatever comes to mind.

10. Sound cards

Let's tune our ears to learn and identify the onomatopoeias of the sounds of the
animals. For this, we can print photos of animals like monkeys, dogs, cats, chickens,
cows, sheep... and show them while we make the corresponding sound.

Gross motor skills stimulation activities for children aged 1 to 2 years

Gross motor skills refer to the ability of individuals to control their body to perform
big movements like walking, jumping, running... the activities that develop motor skills
Thick, they will allow children to improve their movements, coordination, and balance.
Let's take a look at some examples:

11. Pass the ball

A very simple activity that will have many benefits, since it helps develop the
fine motor skills, coordination, strength, directionality... we just need to
to sit on the floor in front of our son and daughter with a ball and throw it to them. When
the limp one, we encourage you to return it to us by imitating our pass. We can also vary the
activity and, instead of sitting, we can spend it standing with a gentle kick.

12. Obstacle course

There is nothing more fun than exploring the environment, so let's take advantage of that innate interest.
of the boys and girls so that they can also enjoy to the fullest. It will be enough for us to place cushions, poufs,
elevators, a mattress or whatever we can think of to create different levels, steps, and ramps in
house. These materials are soft and will prevent them from getting hurt.

The road

If you have a ride-on toy, creating a road will be a guaranteed success. In case you don't have one,
You can also use the road on foot, dragging some toy, etc. The road is
easily build by sticking electrical tape on the floor and you can make straight lines, curves,
Even some roundabout!

14. The palms

This game needs no materials, our hands will be enough. Sing or play a song.
And clap your hands so that your son or daughter imitates you.

Push the chair

Take a chair and put a protector on the legs so it doesn't scratch the floor or make noise. The objective
It's about moving it around the different places in the house and finding strategies to turn it.
when it crashes into something.

The mirror
You may have noticed that babies love to look at themselves in the mirror and, at first, they don't recognize themselves.
in him. Take advantage of this motivation to put yourselves together in front of him and make gestures trying to get him
imitate (stick out your tongue, open your mouth, close your eyes, put one hand on your head…)

17. Capture things

Fill a cardboard box with toys and everyday objects and give your son or daughter a colander.
you can have another and play to see who can capture the most objects.

18. The park

Nothing is easier than taking your children to the park and letting them explore it freely.
Slides, seesaws, sand

19. Child-child

Another simple activity to stimulate gross motor skills for children aged 1 to 2 years is tag.
tag. Children really enjoy having you chase after them. Take the opportunity to play tag.
The child says "I'm going". They will look for quick ways to escape by developing their gross motor skills.
20. The tower
Build a tower together with cubes or blocks and play by knocking it down and building it again. You can
try putting pieces of different sizes.

Fine motor stimulation activities for children aged 1 to 2 years

Fine motor skills derive from gross motor skills since children develop the latter first.
control of large movements and, afterwards, the small ones. The activity of hands and fingers in
coordination with their sight (oculomanual coordination) is the objective of fine motor skills, giving
as a result, skill, more skillful and precise movements. The activities intended for
hello are the following:

21. Take glasses

Give him the opportunity to drink independently from a cup. You can use a hard plastic one or a...
glass with caution. Fill it a little bit and practice!
22. Painting with crayons

You can use thick crayons, solid tempera, markers… their use requires a skill.
manipulated that will be gradually developed while having fun and filling with colors the
papers.

23. Stackable

Putting pieces into their holes can be quite a challenge for children. You can play to
fit with toys designed specifically for that or you can make your own fitting pieces.
with a cardboard box cutting shapes with a cutter and making the cork pieces.

24. Plasticine

Modeling clay is an activity that stimulates fine motor skills, but it is also lots of fun.
relaxing. It requires a certain level of concentration and, in addition, it will engage all the muscles.
from their hands developing fine motor skills. It can be purchased or made at home with water,
oil, flour, and coloring.
25. To play the xylophone

This instrument will test the hand-eye coordination of boys and girls since, with the
batuta, you have to hit each metal correctly. Play at being musicians!

Magnets
Flat magnets have difficulty coming off the surfaces they adhere to.
We can take advantage of the fridge, for example, to put letter and number magnets at their height.
and let them have fun sticking and unsticking them.

27. Tabs
Covering and uncovering things is very gratifying for boys and girls and helps them solidify the concept.
of object permanence, that is to understand that when something disappears from sight, it continues
existing. There are many stories with flaps that children can lift, but also
we can make our own. We need two pieces of cardboard of the same size, which we will glue together.
on all the edges. With the help of a cutter, we will make 'windows' to stick photos of animals or
of family members. We can make the flaps with foam rubber, fabric, felt... they will love discovering
what is behind each one.

28. Paper balls

The activity consists of crumpling paper to create balls. Take old flyers or papers that you don't need.
uses and get to work.

29. Buttons

Stringing buttons is one of the most complex fine motor activities due to their small size.
size. We are going to stick skewers into a cork and insert buttons into them through their
holes. It is important to carry out this activity on a table and gather all the materials once.
let it end to avoid any risk.

30. Drawing in the sand

Take advantage of outings to the park or nature to draw shapes in the sand. You can do it.
with fingers or with the help of a stick.

Educational activities for children aged 1 to 2

The pedagogical activities have an educational background, in which the child is the one who guides their.
own learning through experimentation. Over the years, they have been consolidating.
many pedagogies that are currently in use (Montessori, Waldorf, Movement
free…). Take note of these activities:
31. The silhouette

Cut a large piece of continuous paper and tell your son or daughter to lie down on it. Draw their outline.
silhouette and, once complete, stick the continuous paper to the wall and draw its eyes, nose, mouth,
fingers, etc.

32. The pendulum

To carry out this activity you will need: a ball, a net, a broomstick, rope, and two
chairs. Tie the broomstick horizontally to the backrest of two chairs, so that it looks like a
bridge. Then, put the ball in the net and tie it to a rope. Fix the other end of the rope.
In the center of the broomstick and there will be our pendulum! You can place toys on the ground.
different ways to try to knock them down. Depending on their size or weight, it will be necessary to apply a
different force.

33. Transfer objects or liquids

For this educational activity for children aged 1 to 2, you will need water or objects such as legumes or
macaroni with different instruments like jugs, glasses, bowls... the objective is to pass the
things from one place to another.

34. Plant seeds

In addition to your sense of responsibility, this activity will awaken your curiosity. We need
wrap a legume in a slightly damp cotton wool with an opening. We will place it
inside a container and near a window. Once the root comes out, we can plant it in
earth

35. Heuristic game

This activity is common in preschool schools. It involves preparing in a free room.

of non-educational material stimuli (cans with lids, tweezers, hair rollers, nuts...) and let them
Play freely with them by opening and closing the lids, filling the jars... at home.
we can do it in the hallway, for example.

36. Domestic chores

Participating in household tasks and adapting them to their abilities will provide them with great benefits.
educational experiences (hanging the clothes, putting them in the washing machine, sweeping, setting the table...).

37. Cardboard circuits

Collect empty toilet paper or kitchen paper rolls, stick a piece of tape on them, and then stick them together.
on a wall making a circuit. Put a box underneath and, with used or old paper balls,
You will be able to check if your circuit works by inserting each ball.

38. The color wheel

Cut a large circle out of cardboard and paint lines dividing it into 8 parts. Paint each part with
a color and also paint 8 clothespins with the same colors. Your son or daughter will have to
hook each clip onto the corresponding color.

39. Cook

Kneading flour, adding ingredients, stirring... is a very motivating educational activity and,
In addition, it will strengthen the bond between family members.

40. Cognitive board

We just need a wooden board and everyday objects that catch our attention.
baby: a light bulb, an old remote control, a sponge, a mirror… will become their toy
favorite and it will be very stimulating for him.

Language stimulation activities for children aged 1 to 2 years

Communication is an essential element in the everyday life of any person. It is not necessary to talk.
to communicate, since it is also done through gestures, crying, etc., but it is
It is important to stimulate language from birth. To this end, various activities can be carried out.
following activities:

41. Reading stories

Among the benefits of stories is the expansion of vocabulary and the promotion of
language. Read stories to your sons and daughters daily. Here you can see 14 short stories for
babies.

42. To sing

Songs enhance their sensory development and provide them with new vocabulary. You can sing.
known songs or invent others.

43. The sounds

Another language stimulation activity for children aged 1 to 2 consists of making sounds of
animals or vehicles for it to imitate and try to guess them.

44. Photo album

Create a personalized album with photos of family members, familiar places for your son or daughter and
toys or objects that I use regularly. They will love seeing it and will be motivated to name what
come.

To blow

Any blowing exercise will strengthen your mouth muscles, essential for speech. Blow.
drawings of candles, hot things...

What is behind?

Stand in front of the boy or girl and take two toys. Hide one behind your back and ask them
What do I have behind me? Keep changing the objects.

47. The poster

Take a large sheet and put it on a wall at their height. Name the objects by pointing to them so that they
relate. Keep in mind their tastes when choosing the poster to increase their motivation.

The telephone

Leave an old or toy phone within reach and pretend to call and talk through it. Pass it on.
the boy or girl the phone so that they do the same.

49. The tickles

At the time of changing the diaper or after the bath, take the opportunity to name the parts of
his/her body. Immediately afterwards, tickle that part, he/she won’t be able to stop laughing!

50. Finish words

Cognitive stimulation activities for children aged 1 to 2 years

Cognitive stimulation is the one that engages different capacities of the brain.
like attention, memory, perception or concentration, among others and develop them. This
will enhance the autonomy of children and will facilitate their interaction with the environment.
How can we carry it out at home? With activities like these:

51. Imitate
Stand in front of your son or daughter and make sounds, move or dance so that they follow you and imitate you. It will be very
diverted.

The pool

Take a large plastic box or a bucket and fill it halfway with water. Put in different
objects: that sink, that float, or that absorb water, and let them experiment.

53. In search of the object

Hide objects around the house. You can take pictures of them and print them to make the game more
enriching. Encourage your son or daughter to find all the objects by giving them hints.

54. Puzzle

A very interesting cognitive stimulation activity for children is puzzles, since

they are more complex than puzzles and, in addition, have more possibilities.

The hideout

Get into a room in the house and make sounds or call your son or daughter by their name to
that I seek you.

56. The cubes

Offer children cubes of different sizes and teach them how they can fit them all in.
one from the largest to the smallest.

Couples

Another cognitive stimulation exercise for children can be to find identical images. You can
use the last cards from a memory game, if you don't have any, print photos and cut them in half so that
they gather them. Put a few mixed in so that they have to search for them.

58. Where do the sounds come from?

Make sounds with your mouth closed, play music and cover the speaker with a cushion or clap your hands to your
back to look for the source of the sound.
59. Identify your clothes

This activity can be done when picking up clothes from the clothesline, for example. Make a pile of
your clothes and the child's clothes so that he/she can identify whose each item is.
60. Equals

Print photos of real food (pepper, tomato, potato, zucchini, onion). Put the cards
put in order and, in a basket, place the real foods. The child must relate them and
put them on top.

It is important to provide our sons and daughters with experiences that allow them to develop.
global of all its capabilities. Carry out activities with them to stimulate the different
areas will have very positive results.
If you want to read more articles similar to Stimulation activities for children aged 1 to 2 years, you
we recommend that you visit our category of Children's Activities. Once the child or the
girl say some words, play with him or her to say the beginning of one so that they
complete it.