Summer activities for 15-month-olds

Summer ideas for 15-month-olds

Summer is the season of water, sand, shade and long light evenings, which gives a toddler big sensory play and plenty of words for hot, cold, wet and dry. Routines shift too: outdoor play moves to the cooler morning and late afternoon, and drinks, hats and shade become part of every outing. The 6 ideas below overlap the 12-17-month band, best fit for 15 months first.

How to do Splash Copycat at the Basin

Seated by a shallow basin of cool water, your child pats and splashes while you copy each move, a simple turn-taking game with a big sensory payoff. Words to model: splash, pat, your turn, wet. Stay within arm's reach the whole time and tip the water out the moment you finish.

1. 1

   Fill the basin shallow and sit right beside your child in the shade.

2. 2

   Watch their first move: a pat, a slap or a finger poke.

3. 3

   Copy it exactly and name it: 'pat pat' or 'splash!'

4. 4

   Pause and wait for their next move, then copy again.

5. 5

   Try one new move of your own and see whether they copy you.

More summer ideas at 15 months

• Sun Hat Peekaboo

  A sun hat becomes a peekaboo game, so your child gets used to wearing it, helps put it on and learns a word for the going-outside routine. Ages 12-17 months, 2-6 min, indoors. Start: put your own hat on, pull the brim down over your eyes and ask 'where am I?' Say: hat, on, peekaboo. Safety: Choose a hat without long ties, or one with a short breakaway strap.

• Beach Ball Push Across the Grass

  Your child pushes a big, light beach ball across the grass and toddles after it, practicing walking with a purpose and a playful chase with you. Ages 12-17 months, 4-10 min, outdoors. Start: set the ball in front of your child on flat grass. Say: ball, push, roll. Safety: Put the ball away after play: pieces of burst plastic and valve caps are choking hazards.

• Watering Can Rain on Toes

  You sprinkle cool water from a watering can onto your child's toes, knees and hands, naming each body part and pausing so they can ask for more. Ages 12-17 months, 3-8 min, outdoors. Start: sit your child on the grass or a towel in the shade with bare feet. Say: toes, hands, more?. Safety: Test the water on your wrist: water left in the sun or in a hose can get hot.

• Wet Sand, Dry Sand Hands

  Your child lets dry sand trickle through their fingers, then squeezes wet sand into lumps, feeling two very different textures and hearing a word for each. Ages 12-18 months, 5-12 min, outdoors. Start: sit together in the sand and let your child dig in their own way first. Say: sand, dry, wet. Safety: Keep sandy hands away from eyes and mouth; brush off rather than rub.

• Garden Hose Mist Reach

  You spray a fine mist from the hose and your child reaches into the cool spray, sometimes spotting a rainbow, linking their own reach to a fun result. Ages 13-18 months, 3-8 min, outdoors. Start: run the hose until the water comes out cool, then set a fine mist. Say: water, cold, more. Safety: Run the hose first: water sitting in a sunny hose can scald.

Summer safety for 15-month-olds

Seasonal hazards first, then the precautions of the ideas on this page. Stay within arm's reach whenever water, food or small decorations are involved.

• Drowning is fast and silent: an adult stays within arm's reach around paddling pools, pools, lakes, buckets and basins, and empties containers right after play.
• Toddlers overheat and burn easily: plan outdoor play outside the hottest hours, use shade, hats, light clothing and a sunscreen made for children, and offer water often.
• Never leave a child alone in a parked car, even for a minute, and keep the car locked so they cannot climb in.
• Slides, sand, paving, metal buckles and water left in a hose can get hot enough to burn: touch them with your hand first.
• Picnic foods such as whole grapes, cherry tomatoes, cherries with pits, hot dog rounds and popcorn are choking hazards: cut round foods lengthwise into small pieces and keep eating seated.
• Stay within arm's reach the whole time and tip the water out the moment you finish.
• Choose a hat without long ties, or one with a short breakaway strap.
• Put the ball away after play: pieces of burst plastic and valve caps are choking hazards.

Summer words for 15-month-olds

Summer books to share

Kinds of books to look for at the library. At 15 months, sturdy board books with one clear picture per page work best; let your child turn the pages.

• Board books about a day at the park, beach or pool, with real photos
• Touch-and-feel books with sand, water and fruit textures
• Picture books about picnics and summer fruit to point at and name
• Calm bedtime books about the sun going down, for light summer evenings

Summer gift and basket ideas for 15-month-olds

Open-ended things that fit 12-17 months; check every part against the choking-size rule (nothing that fits through a toilet-paper tube).

• A wide-brimmed sun hat with a short breakaway strap
• A sturdy bucket with a large scoop and sieve for sand and water
• A shallow basin or tray for supervised water play
• A large beach ball for rolling and tossing
• A picnic blanket for outdoor meals and books in the shade

Library activities that suit summer

Everyday activities from our library that fit 15-month-olds and the season's water play and long days outside.

• Colander Rain Shower

  In the bath or at an outdoor basin, your child pours water into a colander and watches it rain out, practising tipping, grip and cause and effect. Why now: tagged water, practices pouring and works outdoors. 5-10 min, 2 min prep.

• Big Cup, Little Cup Bath Pour

  In the bath, your toddler pours from a big cup into a little one and watches it overflow, hearing 'big', 'little', 'full' and 'too much'. Why now: tagged water and practices pouring. 5-10 min, no prep.

• Water Painting Walls and Steps

  Your child paints a fence, wall or patio with a brush and plain water, watching dark marks appear and fade, early painting with no mess. Why now: tagged outdoors and water and works outdoors. 5-12 min, 2 min prep.

• Laundry-Basket Ball Toss

  The child stands near an empty laundry basket and throws soft balls into it, practicing letting go at the right moment and taking turns with an adult. Why now: practices throwing a ball and works outdoors. 5-12 min, no prep.

• Squat-and-Collect Bucket Walk

  The child walks to soft balls scattered around the room, squats to pick each one up and carries it to a bucket, linking walking, squatting and carrying. Why now: tagged outdoors and works outdoors. 5-10 min, 2 min prep.

More seasonal ideas