The early years of a child’s life are a magical and essential time for growth. Babies and toddlers absorb information at an incredible rate, exploring their world through touch, sound, movement, and interaction. Every new experience helps shape their cognitive, social, and motor skills.

At Tiny Humans (West Jordan) and Sweet Heart Home (Magna), we believe in nurturing children through age-appropriate, engaging play activities that foster curiosity, creativity, and confidence.

Whether you're a new parent or looking for the best ways to encourage your child’s learning, this guide will help you understand Infants & Toddlers Activities and Ideas and how to provide safe, enriching play experiences for them.

Understanding Age-Appropriate Activities

Children grow at different rates, but research shows that consistent, well-structured play helps them reach developmental milestones. Understanding what activities suit your baby or toddler at different stages can make a huge difference in their learning, confidence, and well-being.

Let’s take a closer look at what happens during infancy (0-12 months) and the toddler years (1-2 years) and how to create safe and engaging play spaces to support their development.

Infant Development Stages (0-12 months)

Infants experience rapid growth during their first year, developing from a helpless newborn to an active, curious explorer. Their brains are making new connections every second, and the right stimulation and interaction are key to their development.

Key Developmental Milestones

🔹 0-3 months – Learning through senses

• Recognizes voices, especially parents
• Makes eye contact and tracks movement
• Begins to smile and coo
• Moves arms and legs actively
• Starts turning head towards sounds

🔹 4-6 months – Exploring movement

• Reaches for and grasps objects
• Begins rolling over
• Starts babbling and responding to voices
• Recognizes familiar faces

🔹 7-9 months – Increased coordination

• Sits without support
• Begins crawling or scooting
• Transfers objects from one hand to another
• Reacts to emotions and social cues

🔹 10-12 months – Becoming independent

• Stands and may take first steps
• Claps hands and waves
• Understands simple words (“no,” “bye-bye”)
• Imitates actions and sounds
• Begins feeding themselves

Best Activities for Infants

• Tummy Time: Strengthens neck and core muscles.
• Soft Textured Toys: Introduces sensory exploration.
• Mirror Play: Encourages self-recognition.
• Musical Sounds & Lullabies: Enhances auditory development.
• Peek-a-Boo & Gentle Tickles: Encourages social bonding.

Studies show that babies who engage in daily playtime reach developmental milestones faster than those with limited interaction. 💡

Toddler Learning Phases (1-2 years)

Once a child turns one, their world expands dramatically. They start walking, talking, and expressing emotions in new ways. This phase is all about movement, curiosity, and social interaction.

Key Developmental Milestones

🔹 12-18 months – First steps and first words

• Walks independently
• Climbs onto furniture
• Uses gestures like pointing
• Says a few words
• Imitates others’ actions

🔹 18-24 months – Increased independence

• Runs, kicks, and throws balls
• Begins forming simple sentences
• Understands basic instructions
• Engages in pretend play
• Starts showing preferences for toys and routines

Best Activities for Toddlers

• Stacking Blocks: Enhances hand-eye coordination.
• Sorting Games (Shapes & Colors): Develops cognitive skills.
• Outdoor Play (Running, Jumping, Climbing): Strengthens gross motor skills.
• Water & Sand Play: Encourages sensory exploration.
• Storytime & Picture Books: Boosts language development.

🧠 Did you know? The brain develops 85% of its structure by age three! Engaging toddlers in daily interactive play boosts cognitive, emotional, and language skills.

Creating Safe & Engaging Play Spaces

Providing a safe, stimulating environment is just as important as the activities themselves. Babies and toddlers explore everything—so it’s crucial to design a play space that encourages movement, curiosity, and learning while minimizing risks.

Essentials for a Safe Play Space

✅ Soft Mats & Cushioned Floors: Protects from falls.
✅ Age-Appropriate Toys: Avoids choking hazards.
✅ Safe, Non-Toxic Materials: Ensures health and safety.
✅ Gated Play Areas: Keeps movement controlled.
✅ Easily Accessible Books & Toys: Encourages independent play.
✅ Bright Colors & Engaging Decor: Stimulates visual learning.

How We Do It at Utah’s Family Daycares

At Tiny Humans (West Jordan) and Sweet Heart Home (Magna), we carefully design play spaces to be:

⭐ Bilingual & Interactive – Encouraging language development through Spanish & English.
⭐ Structured Yet Playful – A balance of free exploration and guided learning.
⭐ Supervised & Nurturing – Providing a safe and loving environment for all children.

👶 Pro Tip for Parents: Even at home, create a designated play area where your child feels safe to explore freely. This boosts confidence and independence while keeping them engaged in learning.

Development of Infants & Toddlers Activities and Ideas

Children learn best through active engagement with their surroundings. Developmental play activities help infants and toddlers build physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills in a natural, enjoyable way.

These activities aren’t just play—they lay the foundation for problem-solving, coordination, language development, and creativity. Let’s explore different types of play that promote well-rounded growth.

Learning Through Movement

Physical movement is one of the earliest ways infants and toddlers interact with their environment. Babies start by making small, uncoordinated movements, but as they grow, they refine their motor skills, balance, and strength.

Best Movement-Based Activities by Age

✅ Infants (0-12 months):

• Tummy Time: Strengthens neck, arms, and core muscles.
• Reaching & Grabbing Games: Encourages hand-eye coordination.
• Kicking with Hanging Toys: Helps develop leg strength and control.
• Gentle Rocking & Bouncing: Stimulates balance and body awareness.

✅ Toddlers (1-2 years):

• Crawling Tunnels & Obstacle Courses: Improves coordination and spatial awareness.
• Push & Pull Toys: Encourages walking stability.
• Dancing & Imitation Games: Strengthens large muscle groups.
• Jumping & Balancing on Soft Surfaces: Builds confidence in movement.

🔹 Tip: Encouraging movement through fun activities makes exercise a natural part of daily play, supporting healthy growth and brain development.

Language Development Games & Techniques

Language skills develop long before a child speaks. Babies recognize speech patterns early, and toddlers begin forming words and short sentences. The more they hear and practice language, the stronger their communication skills become.

Effective Language Activities by Age

✅ Infants (0-12 months):

• Talking & Narration: Describe daily activities using simple, repetitive words.
• Singing & Rhyming: Helps babies recognize tones and sounds.
• Pointing & Labeling: Show objects and say their names.
• Baby Sign Language: Introduces basic gestures for communication before speech develops.

✅ Toddlers (1-2 years):

• Interactive Storytime: Ask toddlers to point at pictures in books.
• Simple Q&A Games: “Where’s your nose?” “What does the dog say?”
• Action Songs & Finger Plays: Boosts vocabulary with movement (e.g., “Itsy Bitsy Spider”).
• Pretend Play with Dolls & Puppets: Encourages expressive language.

🔹 Fact: Studies show that children who hear more words in their early years have larger vocabularies and stronger literacy skills when they start school.

Social Skills Activities for Every Stage

Social interactions help babies and toddlers develop trust, empathy, and emotional regulation. Even before they speak, they observe, mimic, and respond to the people around them.

Best Social Development Activities by Age

✅ Infants (0-12 months):

• Facial Expressions & Smiling Games: Encourages emotional bonding.
• Peek-a-Boo: Teaches social turn-taking.
• Gentle Group Play: Introduces interactions with other babies.

✅ Toddlers (1-2 years):

• Parallel Play (Playing Side-by-Side): Helps toddlers get comfortable around peers.
• Turn-Taking Games (Rolling a Ball, Sharing Toys): Reinforces cooperation.
• Role-Playing & Pretend Scenarios: Encourages emotional expression.
• Simple Group Activities (Singing, Dancing, Clapping): Teaches teamwork and rhythm.

🔹 Tip: Encourage toddlers to interact in a safe, structured way. Early social play builds the confidence needed for healthy relationships and emotional growth.

Sensory Exploration Games: Fun & Educational Ideas

Sensory play allows children to discover the world through touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste. It helps develop fine motor skills, cognitive flexibility, and emotional regulation while keeping kids engaged and curious.

Safe & Engaging Texture Activities

Textures introduce new sensations and stimulate brain connections. By touching different materials, children learn about cause and effect, object properties, and problem-solving.

Best Texture Play Ideas by Age

✅ Infants (0-12 months):

• Soft Fabric Exploration: Let babies touch silk, cotton, and wool.
• Textured Board Books: Encourages visual and tactile engagement.
• Safe Finger Painting with Yogurt or Pudding: First steps in creative play.

✅ Toddlers (1-2 years):

• Sensory Bins (Rice, Pasta, Sand): Promotes digging, scooping, and sorting.
• Playdough & Kinetic Sand: Strengthens fine motor skills.
• Ice Cube Play: Teaches about temperature and melting.

🔹 Tip: Always supervise texture play to ensure materials are safe and non-toxic.

Sound and Music Play: Enhancing Cognitive Growth

Music enhances language skills, memory, coordination, and emotional regulation. Babies naturally respond to rhythmic sounds, and toddlers love to experiment with beats and melodies.

Best Sound & Music Activities by Age

✅ Infants (0-12 months):

• Lullabies & Gentle Music: Soothes and improves auditory recognition.
• Soft Rattles & Crinkly Toys: Encourages grasping and sound association.
• Clapping & Tapping Rhythms: Introduces musical patterns.

✅ Toddlers (1-2 years):

• Dancing to Different Beats: Strengthens motor coordination.
• Homemade Instruments (Shakers, Drums): Encourages creativity.
• Call-and-Response Songs: Helps with language and listening skills.

🔹 Fact: Music stimulates both sides of the brain, boosting memory, concentration, and problem-solving abilities.

Visual Learning & Sensory Stimulation

Visual experiences shape a child’s perception, attention, and recognition skills. Through play, infants and toddlers learn to track movement, recognize colors, and interpret facial expressions.

Best Visual Play Activities by Age

✅ Infants (0-12 months):

• Black & White Contrast Cards: Strengthens early vision development.
• Mirror Play: Encourages self-recognition.
• Gentle Light Changes (Lamps, Flashlights): Engages eye tracking.

✅ Toddlers (1-2 years):

• Color Sorting Games: Enhances pattern recognition.
• Shadow Play: Teaches movement and cause-effect relationships.
• Bubble Popping: Improves focus and reaction speed.

🔹 Tip: Babies love high-contrast visuals, while toddlers enjoy colorful, interactive experiences.

Motor Skills Learning: Boosting Growth Through Play

Motor skill development is a key milestone in early childhood, allowing infants and toddlers to explore their environment, gain independence, and build physical strength.

Play-based activities help refine both fine and gross motor skills, supporting muscle development, balance, and coordination.

Children naturally develop these abilities through hands-on activities, movement, and interactive play. By incorporating engaging, age-appropriate games, parents and caregivers can help young children build confidence in movement while improving their physical and cognitive development.

Fine Motor Development & Hand-Eye Coordination

Fine motor skills involve small, precise movements using the hands and fingers. These skills are essential for future tasks like writing, buttoning clothes, and using utensils. Hand-eye coordination, or the ability to control hand movements based on visual input, plays a key role in daily activities and learning.

Best Fine Motor Activities by Age

✅ Infants (0-12 months):

• Grasp & Release Play: Offer soft toys or rattles to encourage grabbing.
• Finger Tapping & Clapping: Strengthens finger muscles and introduces rhythm.
• Reaching for Hanging Toys: Helps develop controlled hand movements.
• High-Contrast Object Tracking: Encourages visual focus and hand-eye coordination.

✅ Toddlers (1-2 years):

• Stacking Blocks & Cups: Improves precision and balance.
• Scribbling with Crayons: Encourages early writing skills.
• Threading Large Beads onto String: Enhances dexterity and focus.
• Tearing Paper & Stickering: Strengthens finger muscles and coordination.

Fact: Studies show that fine motor development in early childhood is linked to higher academic performance in elementary school. The earlier children refine these skills, the better their ability to write and manipulate small objects.

Gross Motor Activities for Strength & Balance

Gross motor skills involve larger muscle groups, such as the arms, legs, and torso. These skills are crucial for walking, running, jumping, and climbing, supporting posture, core strength, and overall mobility.

Best Gross Motor Activities by Age

✅ Infants (0-12 months):

• Tummy Time: Builds neck and shoulder strength.
• Rolling & Crawling Games: Encourages whole-body coordination.
• Assisted Standing & Bouncing: Strengthens leg muscles for walking.
• Supported Sitting & Reaching: Helps balance and posture.

✅ Toddlers (1-2 years):

• Walking & Running Games: Enhances stability and endurance.
• Jumping on Soft Mats: Develops lower body strength.
• Kicking & Throwing Balls: Improves coordination and spatial awareness.
• Dancing & Action Songs: Boosts balance and flexibility.

🔹 Tip: Let toddlers explore different movement patterns in safe, open spaces. Activities that challenge their balance and strength (like climbing low obstacles) help develop confidence in movement.

Coordination Games: Fun & Physical Development

Coordination games enhance both fine and gross motor control, teaching kids how to time their movements, react quickly, and improve agility. These activities stimulate brain function, improving problem-solving, reflexes, and cognitive flexibility.

Best Coordination Games by Age

✅ Infants (0-12 months):

• Tracking & Reaching Games: Encourage babies to follow and grab moving objects.
• Gentle Ball Rolling: Improves depth perception and hand control.
• Bouncing on Caregiver’s Knees: Teaches rhythm and body awareness.
• Musical Shaker Play: Enhances movement-timing connections.

✅ Toddlers (1-2 years):

• Follow the Leader: Encourages imitation and movement synchronization.
• Obstacle Courses: Develops multi-step coordination.
• Simon Says with Actions: Strengthens reaction time and listening skills.
• Balancing on One Foot: Builds core strength and stability.

🔹 Fact: Coordination training in toddlers has been linked to improved learning ability, as it strengthens neural connections between movement and thinking skills.

Our Approach to Early Learning at Utah's Family Daycares

At Sweet Heart Home (Magna) and Tiny Humans (West Jordan), we believe that early childhood education should be nurturing, engaging, and developmentally appropriate.

Our approach focuses on play-based learning, bilingual development, and social-emotional growth, ensuring that every child feels safe, supported, and encouraged to explore.

Our daycare programs are tailored to each child’s unique needs, providing structured yet flexible learning experiences that lay the foundation for future academic success and lifelong curiosity.

Sweet Heart Home's Play-Based Learning (Magna)

At Sweet Heart Home Daycare in Magna, we emphasize learning through play, allowing children to develop naturally at their own pace while engaging in age-appropriate activities.

Key Elements of Our Play-Based Approach:

• Hands-On Exploration: Children learn best when they touch, feel, and manipulate objects. We provide sensory bins, building blocks, and outdoor activities to stimulate creativity.
• Structured yet Flexible Play: We integrate guided group activities and independent exploration, allowing kids to learn problem-solving, cooperation, and decision-making skills.
• Outdoor Learning & Movement: Gross motor development is a priority. Kids enjoy safe, supervised play in outdoor spaces, where they can run, jump, and explore the world around them.
• Social-Emotional Growth: Through storytelling, pretend play, and role-playing games, children develop empathy, communication, and self-regulation skills.
• At Sweet Heart Home, every activity is designed to be fun, meaningful, and developmentally appropriate, ensuring that children build a strong foundation for future learning.

Tiny Humans' Bilingual & Social Growth Techniques (West Jordan)

At Tiny Humans in West Jordan, we take a bilingual, socially-focused approach to early childhood education, recognizing the importance of language development and social skills in a child’s growth.

How Our Bilingual & Social Approach Works:

• Spanish-English Language Immersion: Children hear, speak, and engage in both English and Spanish daily, reinforcing natural language acquisition through songs, stories, and interactive games.
• Diverse Social Interactions: We create opportunities for teamwork, friendship-building, and communication, helping children become confident and socially aware.
• Interactive & Group-Based Learning: Our curriculum incorporates group storytelling, cultural activities, and peer-led play to help children express themselves and learn from others.
• Emotional Intelligence Development: Through guided conversations, expressive arts, and mindfulness techniques, we teach toddlers how to recognize and manage their emotions in positive ways.

By fostering bilingual skills and social intelligence, Tiny Humans prepares children to thrive in diverse environments while developing confidence in communication and self-expression.

Family Involvement Tips for Learning at Home

Parents play a crucial role in early education. Learning doesn’t stop at daycare—it extends into the home, where children continue to explore, ask questions, and make new discoveries.

Simple Ways to Support Learning at Home:

• Create a Daily Learning Routine: Set aside time for reading, sensory play, and movement-based activities to reinforce what your child is learning at daycare.
• Use Everyday Moments as Learning Opportunities: Cooking, grocery shopping, and even bath time can be educational—talk about colors, numbers, and textures as your child interacts with different objects.
• Encourage Bilingual Development: If your child is learning Spanish and English, reinforce this at home with bilingual books, music, and conversations.
• Provide Open-Ended Play Materials: Blocks, puzzles, and art supplies encourage imaginative thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
• Celebrate Small Milestones: Whether it’s saying a new word, stacking blocks, or identifying colors, acknowledge your child’s achievements with positive reinforcement.

By actively engaging in play and learning at home, parents can strengthen the bond with their child while supporting their cognitive and emotional growth.

Getting Started with Daily Play Activities

Introducing structured play into a child’s daily routine helps them feel secure, engaged, and ready to learn. A well-balanced schedule ensures that children have time for exploration, rest, socialization, and active play, all while reinforcing key developmental skills.

Setting Up for Success: Materials & Routines

Creating an effective learning environment starts with the right materials and a structured, yet flexible, routine.

Essential Play & Learning Materials:

• Soft Play Mats & Sensory Items – Safe spaces for exploration
• Building Blocks & Stacking Toys – Encourages fine motor skills
• Art Supplies & Musical Instruments – Boosts creativity and self-expression
• Books & Picture Cards – Supports language development
• Pretend Play Items (Dolls, Kitchen Sets, Toy Tools) – Fosters imagination

Structuring a Daily Routine:

⏰ Morning Play: Movement-based activities like tummy time or dancing
📖 Storytime & Music: Supports language and auditory development
🧩 Sensory & Fine Motor Activities: Playing with textures, blocks, or puzzles
🌳 Outdoor Play: Running, climbing, and free play for gross motor development
😴 Quiet Time or Naps: Encourages rest and emotional regulation
🎭 Creative Expression: Drawing, role-playing, or musical activities

By setting up a structured play space and daily routine, children feel confident and engaged, allowing for consistent growth and development.

Choosing the Right Family Daycare for Your Child

Finding the perfect daycare can feel overwhelming, but the right environment makes a huge impact on a child’s early learning experience.

What to Look for in a Quality Daycare:

✅ Safe & Nurturing Environment – Secure play spaces, low caregiver-to-child ratios
✅ Qualified, Loving Caregivers – Experienced, trained in early childhood education
✅ Developmentally Appropriate Learning – A balance of structured activities and free play
✅ Bilingual & Social Development Opportunities – Exposure to multiple languages and group interactions
✅ Clean, Well-Equipped Facilities – Safe, engaging learning materials

Why Parents Choose Sweet Heart Home & Tiny Humans

At Sweet Heart Home (Magna) and Tiny Humans (West Jordan), we provide:

1. Play-Based, Hands-On Learning for every stage of development
2. A Bilingual Curriculum (English & Spanish) to enhance language skills
3. A Loving, Home-Like Environment where children feel safe and supported
4. Highly Trained, Passionate Educators who focus on individual child needs

Choosing the right daycare ensures that your child receives the care, attention, and developmental support they need to thrive and grow.