Winter activities for 15-month-olds

Winter ideas for 15-month-olds

Winter hands a toddler a new set of materials: snow that crunches and then turns to water in a warm palm, frost on the window, and a pile of hats, mittens and boots to pull on and off several times a day. Shorter days mean more time indoors, so short movement games and real dressing practice carry much of the season. Cold and warm, wet and dry, on and off are words a child can hear and feel at the same moment. The 6 ideas below overlap the 12-17-month band, best fit for 15 months first.

How to do Hat and Mitten Hide-and-Find

Hide a favourite toy under an adult's winter hat or inside a big mitten and let your child lift, pull and discover it again and again. Words to model: where, under, hat, found it. Use a toy too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube.

1. 1

   Show the toy, then cover it with the hat while your child watches.

2. 2

   Ask "Where did it go?" and wait quietly for your child to reach.

3. 3

   Celebrate the find: "There it is! Under the hat!"

4. 4

   Next time, tuck the toy halfway into the mitten so a part peeks out.

5. 5

   Let your child hide it for you, and act surprised when you find it.

More winter ideas at 15 months

• Cushion Snowdrift Climb

  Pile couch cushions on the floor as pretend snowdrifts so your child can crawl up, climb over and slide down on a day too cold to go out. Ages 12-17 months, 5-10 min, indoors. Start: lay the cushions in a low, wide pile on a rug, and drape the sheet over them if you like. Say: up, down, over. Safety: Keep the pile low and away from furniture edges, windows and bare hard floors.

• Hat Off, Hat On

  Turn the many winter dressing moments into a small game where your child pulls off a hat and mittens and pushes an arm into a sleeve. Ages 12-17 months, 2-6 min, indoors. Start: at the door, kneel at your child's level and hold out the hat. Say: hat, on, off. Safety: Skip long scarves and hats with cord ties; a short neck warmer is safer for toddlers.

• Foggy Window Finger Marks

  Breathe on a cold windowpane to make a patch of fog and let your child swipe, dot and scribble in it with one finger. Ages 12-17 months, 2-6 min, indoors. Start: wipe a low pane clean, then breathe on it slowly until a misty patch appears. Say: swish, gone, again. Safety: Keep your child standing on the floor, never on a sill, couch or chair by the window.

• Snow Boot Footprint Stomp

  Walk together across a thin layer of fresh snow, stomp in boots and turn around to look at the footprints you both left behind. Ages 12-17 months, 4-10 min, outdoors. Start: pick a flat spot with shallow snow and hold your child's hand for the first steps. Say: stomp, snow, look. Safety: Choose shallow snow on level ground, away from ice patches, roads and water.

• Snow on a Tray

  Bring a little fresh snow indoors on a baking sheet so your child can pat, scoop and watch it turn to water while you name what they feel. Ages 12-17 months, 3-8 min, indoors. Start: spread a towel on the floor or high-chair tray and set the baking sheet on it with a few handfuls of snow. Say: cold, snow, melt. Safety: Collect snow from a clean spot away from roads, salt and pets.

Winter 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.

• Dress in thin layers with a hat, mittens and waterproof boots, check fingers, toes, ears and cheeks often, and head inside when clothes get wet or your child starts to shiver.
• Take bulky coats and snowsuits off before buckling the car seat; tighten the harness over regular clothes and lay the coat or a blanket on top.
• Do not let your child eat snow from roadsides, plowed piles or pet areas, or suck on icicles; stay off frozen ponds and away from roof edges where icicles drop.
• Keep rock salt, de-icer and windshield washer fluid out of reach, and wipe salty boots and mittens before they end up in a mouth.
• Gate fireplaces, space heaters and hot radiators, and keep hot drinks in the middle of the table, never in the hand that is holding a toddler.
• Use a toy too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube.
• Keep the pile low and away from furniture edges, windows and bare hard floors.
• Skip long scarves and hats with cord ties; a short neck warmer is safer for toddlers.

Winter words for 15-month-olds

Winter 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 getting dressed for the cold, one piece of clothing per page
• Touch-and-feel books with fluffy, smooth and bumpy winter textures
• Picture books about animals in the snow and where they rest through the winter
• Short stories about a snowy walk that use sound words like crunch, swish and drip

Winter 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 set of large wooden or cardboard blocks for indoor building days
• A fabric play tunnel, or a big empty box to crawl through on cold afternoons
• Toddler mittens with a wide cuff that are easy to pull on alone
• A few soft balls in different sizes for indoor throwing and rolling
• A small plastic snow shovel and a bucket for helping outdoors

Library activities that suit winter

Everyday activities from our library that fit 15-month-olds and the season's short days indoors and bundling up to go out.

• Big Box Tower Topple

  Your child stacks two or three light empty boxes into a tower and pushes it over, early building that practices placing, balancing and starting again. Why now: tagged rainy-day, practices building and constructing and stacking blocks and works indoors. 3-8 min, 2 min prep.

• Two-Block Tower Trade

  You and your child take turns adding big blocks to a short tower, practising a controlled release, two-hand coordination and the rhythm of a shared game. Why now: tagged rainy-day and quiet, practices stacking blocks and works indoors. 3-8 min, no prep.

• Toe-Tug Sock Off

  Your child pulls off a loosened sock and drops it in the laundry basket, an early way to help with undressing and follow a gesture-supported request. Why now: tagged quiet, practices helping with dressing and works indoors. 2-5 min, no prep.

• Colander Cage Peekaboo

  A toy sits under an upturned colander where your child can still see it through the holes; lifting the colander to free it builds object search and simple problem-solving. Why now: tagged quiet and rainy-day and works indoors. 3-6 min, no prep.

• Tube Talk Echo Sounds

  You hum, sing and make animal sounds through a cardboard tube, then pause; your child answers with a sound of their own, and you echo it back. Why now: tagged music and quiet and works indoors. 3-6 min, no prep.

More seasonal ideas