Between 18-24 months, your toddler is likely to:

• Kick a ball
• Squat while playing
• Walk backwards or sideways while pulling a toy
• Back into a chair to sit down
• Ride a small-wheeled toy
• Carry a large toy while walking
• Remove lids from containers
• Nest cups and boxes inside each other
• Take off shoes, hat, and socks
• String large beads with two hands
• Raise and drink from a cup, then put it back on the table

Your toddler loves to play. Spend lots of time outdoors in safe places, like a toddler playground. Try running and kicking balls and playing with toys that allow your toddler to push and pedal.

Here are some other ways to encourage your toddler's physical development:

• Continue to breastfeed or chestfeed
• Look for child sized versions of adult things, such as furniture, a soccer ball, a plastic baseball and bat, or garden tools
• Play with your toddler by pretending to be an animal: "hop like a frog, fly like a bird, and jump like a rabbit."
• Describe your toddler’s movements and actions as he does them. If your toddler climbs the stairs, say, "You’re climbing the stairs."
• Play different kinds of music for your toddler to dance to, such as marches, rock 'n' roll, and waltzes
• Encourage your toddler to dress and undress on her own
• Only help when needed
• Provide lots of containers during bath time
• Offer activities that require sorting of shapes
• Offer items like finger paints, paints and easels, ride on toys, and push pull toys

Between 18 and 24 months your toddler may also:

• Walk on tiptoes
• Throw and retrieve objects
• Jump in place with both feet
• Catch a large ball
• Open doors by turning knobs
• Copy straight or circular strokes with a crayon
• Snip with child sized scissors
• Fold paper in half