Looking for Activities to Do with My 14 Month Old

When my son was this age I signed him up for Gymboree classes. He loved it. It is also a great way for you to meet other parents with kids your daughter's age. My Gym also has similar classes. Another fun activity is Kindermusik. I also agree with another poster that going outside as much as possible is also a lot of fun.

sing sing sing. kids love it and dont care how you sound. wheels on the bus the itsy bitsy spider, old mcdonald. all hits around here!

The park is a great idea, you will meet other moms/kids
Bring lots of sandbox toys

Water or sand table is endless fun at that age.
You dont need to buy a fancy pre-made one, I flipped a big plastic bin over for a table & put on it, a pitcher, buckets & cups & measuring spoons. HOURS of fun.

You can also fill a large, shallow bin with either sand or water and have sand toys or floating &sinking toys.

To take this inside on really awful days, use rice. It is fun to play in & easy to vacuum up!

Finger or body paint with pudding. (non toxic, fun & delicious - hoses right off.)

Sprinklers & sprinkler toys / bubbles / chalk

Unfortunately at that age, there will be few activities that hold the attention for a long time, so, just be ready with an arsenal of things.

They sell a book at Target called the Busy Toddler book that has lots of ideas of things to do with kids that you can find lying around your house. I have gotten so many great no cost ideas from this book for my 18 month old. I highly recommend it to anyone. I also stay home and know how bored you can get. It has fun interesting things to use with beans, empty cans, pieces of yarn, etc..

With the weather being warm - take her out. Buy a small kiddie pool with lots of toys and let her play for an hour or two at a time. Get into the routine of taking her to the park one day a week. Make Tuesday's, for example, your park day. Pack a picnic lunch and let her play with other children. You will find other moms there and maybe once you get to know them you can set up a play date. The best thing to do is get out and network with other moms. I don't know how family friendly your neighborhood is but try walking your daughter around the neighborhood and get to know some of the neighbors that have children your daughter's age. Don't buy new toys to keep her busy. Toys are the most boring things a child can have. They want to do activities. Get up in the morning and dance or excerise - this is a good habit to teach your child. Then keep her moving by going outside on "adventure" walks. My son loves these because we live in the country and we're bound to find something cool to catch his attention. He's 14 months old and loves sticks, leaves, rocks, flowers, and bugs. Tell him what things are. Point to everything and say what it is you are pointing at. For example - point at trees and say "tree" point to the leaves and say "leaf". She will start picking up on the words and before long she's associating the word with the object and everytime she goes outside she's shouting "leaf, tree, or rock" Let her eat outside for lunch. Take finger foods and let her eat as she plays. I grew a garden an my son loves to get in the garden while I'm tending it and dig up dirt. When she wakes up from nap have quite time in the house for a little while as the afternoons are the hottest part of the day. Give her anything that you can find in your house that's safe to play with. Empty canisters, boxes big enough to climb in, pots and pans to drum on, etc. When it rains, let her go out after the shower has passed and let her play in the puddles (I'm not one for mud puddles) and she will love jumping in the water and feeling it splash. Be creative. They want to stay active while they are having fun. Then in the evening take her back outside and let her play. It's hard when you are the one doing all the playing so I would definitely encourage you to get out and meet other moms so she has friends to play with. Good luck.

L.,

When my daughter was that age, just being outside was an adventure. Before she was even walking, I'd put her in her stroller or wagon and we'd go for a walk. Everything we saw was a whole new and exciting discovery, from the trees and flowers to the birds in the sky to the insects we encountered. We once even saw a turtle and she was so excited! She's 3 years old now and still loves being outdoors. It's good for both of you and it really lets her experience all her senses and see how exciting the world around her is.

If you're looking to socialize her to other children, I would recommend seeking out a local playgroup for children in her age group. Meetup.com is a great resource and it's free. A lot of playgroups theme their playdates/park dates and plan age appropriate activites. It's also a great resource for you as there are message boards and calendars with great advice from other moms and local events that you and your daughter can both participate in together.

Good luck!

Something that might help her boredom with her current toys is to rotate them. Put several of them away for a few months and then suddenly bring them out one day..Her interest should be renewed and your home will be less cluttered. You could try supervised finger painting, making instruments with paper towel rolls and dry beans or drums from old canisters. Put a large blanket on top of your kitchen table and remove the chairs: instant cave. If you have a kiddie pool outside or a sand/water table you can fill it with bath bubbles for a new experience. I second the advice that using programs like Kindermusik or joining a local mom's group to attend playdates is a good idea.
E.
www.naturalmamas.com

Self directed exploration. Kids this age through the next 6 months absolutely hate being tied down. I recommend dual membership for yourself to the Louisville Science Center and the Zoo. She get's in free! They have many safe and interactive things for her to do that are out of the heat. The Zids Zone at the Science Center was our favorite at that age. Go first thing in the morning and come home in time for lunch and nap.

Lots of moms have shared some great ideas. One thing additionally is to check with your local library. Ours has children's programs (even for kids that young), re-enactments, puppet shows, etc. They also do crafts, and everything is free!