Fall activities for 15-month-olds

Fall ideas for 15-month-olds

Fall fills a toddler's world with crunchy leaves, apples, pinecones, wind and busy squirrels, so every walk brings new sounds, colors and textures. Cooler air adds a jacket-and-hat routine to getting out the door, and earlier evenings make cozy indoor play and books a bigger part of the afternoon. The 6 ideas below overlap the 12-17-month band, best fit for 15 months first.

How to do Hide the Ball Under the Leaves

You bury a bright ball under a small pile of leaves while your child watches, then they dig and sweep leaves aside to find it again. Words to model: ball, where?, under, found it. Check the pile for sticks, stones, acorns and animal waste before play.

1. 1

   Let your child watch as you push the ball under the leaves: 'bye-bye, ball'.

2. 2

   Ask 'where's the ball?' and wait.

3. 3

   If they look to you for help, sweep away a few leaves to show a bit of color.

4. 4

   Celebrate the find: 'there it is!'

5. 5

   Hide it again, a little deeper or in a new spot.

More fall ideas at 15 months

• Leaf Tickle Body Parts

  You brush a big soft leaf over your child's nose, toes and tummy, naming each body part and pausing so they can ask for the next tickle. Ages 12-17 months, 3-8 min, indoors or out. Start: hold up a big leaf and let your child touch and wave it first. Say: nose, toes, tickle. Safety: Use a clean leaf from a tree you know, and keep it out of the mouth.

• Crunchy Leaf Stomp

  Your child walks and stomps through dry fallen leaves, hearing the crunch their own feet make and joining a simple back-and-forth sound game with you. Ages 12-17 months, 4-10 min, outdoors. Start: find a patch of dry leaves on flat ground and stand in it together. Say: crunch, leaves, stomp. Safety: Check the leaves for sticks, stones, dog waste and hidden holes.

• Leaf Posting Box

  Your child picks up big leaves and pushes them through the opening of a tissue box or a slot in a cardboard box, practicing grasp, release and finding them again. Ages 12-17 months, 4-10 min, indoors or out. Start: collect a basket of big, dry leaves together on a walk. Say: in, leaf, where did it go?. Safety: Pick out acorns, seeds, berries and crumbled bits that end up in the basket.

• Floating Apple Grab

  Big apples bob in a shallow basin and your child grabs and lifts them out, discovering that apples float and practicing a firm two-handed grip. Ages 13-18 months, 4-10 min, indoors or out. Start: float the apples in a shallow basin set on a towel and sit beside your child. Say: apple, splash, up. Safety: Stay within arm's reach of the water and tip it out straight after play.

• Warm Applesauce Spoon Practice

  Homemade, unsweetened applesauce is thick enough to stay on a spoon, so your child gets easy practice scooping and bringing a seasonal food to the mouth. Ages 12-18 months, 5-15 min, indoors. Start: cook and mash peeled apple without sugar, then let it cool to lukewarm. Say: apple, scoop, warm. Safety: Serve lukewarm, and stir well after reheating to remove hot spots.

Fall 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.

• Acorns, nuts, small pinecones, berries and seeds turn up on every walk: check hands and mouths often, and keep collected finds bigger than your child's fist.
• Wild mushrooms pop up on lawns after fall rain and some are poisonous: remove them before play and call your local poison control center if one is eaten.
• Leaf piles can hide sticks, stones, animal waste and holes, and drivers cannot see a child in one: never let children play in piles near the street or driveway.
• Remove drawstrings from hoods and jacket necks, and use a neck warmer instead of a long scarf that can catch on play equipment.
• Hard raw apple chunks are a choking hazard for young toddlers: serve apples very thinly sliced, grated or cooked soft.
• Check the pile for sticks, stones, acorns and animal waste before play.
• Use a clean leaf from a tree you know, and keep it out of the mouth.
• Check the leaves for sticks, stones, dog waste and hidden holes.

Fall words for 15-month-olds

Fall 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 leaves changing color and falling from the trees
• Picture books about animals getting ready for winter
• Lift-the-flap books about an apple orchard or a harvest farm
• Books about getting dressed for cool weather, from jacket to boots

Fall 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 small toddler-size plastic leaf rake
• A cloth tote bag or basket for nature walk finds
• Waterproof boots and a warm jacket without drawstrings
• Jumbo crayons and a pad of large paper for leaf rubbings
• A set of large blocks for indoor play on darker afternoons

Library activities that suit fall

Everyday activities from our library that fit 15-month-olds and the season's leaves, walks and cooler outdoor play.

• Nature Tote Treasure Walk

  On a slow outdoor walk your child carries a tote bag, collects large safe finds and stops to show them to you, while you name each treasure. Why now: tagged outdoors and nature and practices walking on their own. 10-20 min, 2 min 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 practices walking on their own. 5-10 min, 2 min prep.

• Blanket Picnic Finger Lunch

  Unpack a simple lunch from a tote bag onto a blanket outdoors so your child can sit, choose and finger-feed somewhere other than the high chair. Why now: tagged outdoors and nature. 10-20 min, 5 min prep.

• Does It Roll? Ramp Test

  Your toddler sends a ball, a block and a lid down a tilted baking sheet and discovers that round things roll while flat-sided things slide or stop. Why now: practices sorting. 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: practices size words. 5-10 min, no prep.

More seasonal ideas