5 Expert-Backed Tips to Boost Your 18-Month-Old’s Coordination
Consistent stimulation and repetition are essential for developing your child's coordination, strength, and flexibility in their hands, fingers, legs, and arms.
Your 18-month-old is gaining mobility fast, walking, reaching, and testing balance. To build strong coordination, daily movement practice, sensory play, and targeted activities are key. With consistent engagement and strength-building exercises, your toddler will develop better muscle control, stability, and confidence in motion.
1. Strengthen The Upper Body
Building upper-body strength and control lays the foundation for balance, stability, and confident movement. Arm strength, finger dexterity, and coordination help toddlers improve their grip, stability, and movement control, which are essential for balancing and standing.
Build Hand Control
Fine-motor play, coloring, puzzles, painting, and clapping games.
Clothespin pinching, pick up and release clothespins on a container.
Playdough fun, roll, squeeze, poke, and pinch the dough.
Self-dressing tasks practice zipping, buttoning, and snapping large fasteners.
Finger-puppet stories allow for the acting out of emotions or animals with precision.
Encourage reaching games, and place objects just within reach to improve control.
Use large chunky crayons or soft markers for easy grip in coloring activities.
Offer twisting, squeezing, or pressing toys to activate hand muscles.
Boost Arm Coordination
Two-handed tasks such as opening boxes, twisting lids, and wiping a low table.
Push–pull games, such as pushing a small toy cart or pulling a lightweight wagon.
Overhead reaches such as airplane arms lift, side-bends, and stretches.
Bat-and-ball play, roll or gently bat a balloon or soft ball.
Provide toys with interactive movement, such as twisting, popping, pressing, and rolling mechanisms.
Incorporate two-handed play to develop coordination. Activities like pulling, pressing, and opening objects help refine control.
Outdoor Activities
Throw balls in an underhand throwing style into a target or bucket.
Wagon walks involve pulling or pushing a small wagon loaded with toys.
Sidewalk chalk art drawing.
Painting with balls on an easel builds both arm movement and sensory engagement.
Throwing balls at different distances improves spatial awareness and controlled movements.
Pushing large-wheeled toys activates the upper body muscles.
Digging in a sandbox trains hand muscles and finger dexterity.
Holding a parachute in group play strengthens grip and arm flexibility.
Water Resistance Play. Allow your toddler to push and splash water in a shallow tub using their hands, which helps activate muscle control and reflex responses.
Animal-Walk Relay. Hop like a frog and slither like a snake to strengthen your core and arms.
Balloon Volleyball. Volley a balloon to improve eye–hand coordination.
Indoor Activities
Crab walks and bear crawls build full-body coordination.
Wall push-ups. Put your child’s hands on the wall, lean in, and let them press away.
Ring stacking and bead threading. These fun activities are fine motor meets two-hand control.
Musical instrument players play tap drums, shake shakers, tambourines, and bells.
Towel tug-of-war, gentle pulls on a soft towel.
Throwing bean bags into a basket.
Engaging in arts and crafts such as cutting and sticking.
Peeling and sticking stickers for finger precision.
Coloring with chunky crayons.
Rolling and shaping playdough.
Stringing large beads onto a thick string.
Mini Obstacle Course. Use cushions, tunnels, and low beams for climbing and crawling.
Story-Stone Reach. Scatter stones and have your toddler collect them in a basket.
2. Do Hand And Finger Coordination
Hand–eye coordination and finger control lay the groundwork for self-feeding, dressing, drawing, and a lot more. Offer your child a variety of toys that require twisting, pulling, shaking, opening, and pouring to encourage their fine motor skills development.
How To Build Finger Flexibility
Encourage grasping games, such as picking up small objects or using a broom to sweep.
Provide textured objects to engage sensory feedback and refine control.
Bubble Catch Game. Blow bubbles and encourage toddlers to pinch or grab them, improving reaction speed and grip precision.
Provide finger foods that require grasping, such as Cheerios or soft fruits, to refine fine motor skills.
Use simple hand gestures in songs like “Open, Shut Them” and “Pat-a-Cake.” “Five Little Ducks”.
Allow your child to explore soft dough or textured objects to enhance sensory development.
Twist & Pour Toys. Pop beads, screw-top containers, and shape sorters challenge little hands.
Textured Play. Playdough, sensory brushes, or bubble wrap refine tactile feedback.
Sweep And Scoot. Hand over a child-size broom or dustpan for simple sweeping games.
Clothespin Transfers. Pinch clothespins to move pom-poms from one container to another.
Tongs or Tweezers. Use them to pick up cereal, beans, or cotton balls.
Scissor Practice. Snip playdough ropes or paper strips with toddler scissors.
Sponge Squeeze. Soak and squeeze water-filled sponges onto paper or a tray.
Straw Blowing. Blow cotton balls or pom-poms across a shallow tray.
Pizza-Cutter Art. Drag a toy cutter through paint for rolling and gripping practice.
Songs That Boost Finger Strength
Around, Around the Garden. Helps develop circular hand movements.
My Hands Upon My Head.Builds hand-body awareness.
Open, Shut Them. Enhances finger opening and closing strength.
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom. Encourages hand-raising and grip control.
Twinkle, Twinkle. Helps develop finger-pointing and hand coordination.
This Is The Way. Reinforces task-based hand movements.
One Little Ducky. Engages palms and wrist rotation.
Pat-a-Cake. Enhances finger strength.
Fine-Motor Strategies
Baking Helper. Let your child stir, pour, and scoop ingredients with kid-safe utensils.
Lacing Cards. Thread shoelaces or big beads through card holes.
Therapy Putty Play. Pinch, roll, and stretch the dough for hand strength.
Jar-Lid Practice. Twist open and close child-safe jars or containers.
Bead Stringing. String large beads on laces or pipe cleaners.
Mirror Painting . Paint on a glass surface to boost grip and wrist control.
Piggy-Bank Drops. Drop coins into a slot to refine pinch accuracy.
Toothpaste Squeeze. Squeeze toothpaste onto a toothbrush for controlled pressure.
Tips for Parents
Rotate materials weekly to maintain interest.
Pair activities with songs, stories, or guided play.
Model each skill and play alongside your toddler.
Celebrate small wins; every tiny pinch or twist builds confidence.
3. Eat Nutrition That Builds Muscles
Muscle-building nutrition has a direct impact on energy, stamina, and coordination. Parents can help spark a healthy eating habit by also eating nutritious food with their children. According to a study from the University of Cambridge on toddler eating (2017), 1 ‘‘the early years are also when parental practices, food preferences, and dietary habits are established”.
How to Build Strong Eating Habits
Stick to a structured meal routine to develop consistent habits.
Introduce new foods frequently without forcing intake.
Discuss food and involve children in meal preparation to spark their engagement.
Encourage dark greens and calcium-rich foods. Essential for muscle and bone strength.
Muscle Food Play. Allow your toddler to touch, smell, and stack food pieces (such as fruit slices, beans, and nuts) to engage their senses and foster their curiosity about nutrition.
Muscle-Boosting Nutrients
Protein. Supports muscle repair and growth, such as eggs, beans, and lean meats.
Calcium. Strengthens bone density and coordination, found in foods such as milk, yogurt, and leafy greens.
Healthy Fats. Fuels energy and endurance, such as avocados, nuts, and olive oil.
Complex Carbs. Provide sustained energy for movement, such as whole grains and sweet potatoes.
Focus on soft proteins, such as scrambled eggs, lentils, and mashed beans.
Encourage self-feeding to strengthen coordination with utensils.
Maintain high hydration levels; water supports muscle function.
4. Give Enough Time To Explore And Practice
Providing your toddler with space to test their abilities enhances motor control, independence, and confidence, which can help them develop these skills more quickly and effectively.
Use Patience, Respect, and Calmness when engaging with your toddler.
Observe movement patterns to tailor practice sessions.
Offer independent play, encouraging curiosity and self-discovery.
Allow repetition; mastery comes from consistent effort.
Give room and space for mistakes and successes.
Take regular walks, park trips, forest hikes, and outings with your toddler so that they can explore the world through their senses of touch, sight, hearing, and movement.
5. Do Whole Body Physical Activities
Best Full-Body Movement Games
Push or pull large toys to activate upper-body coordination.
Swing arms while running to develop movement synchronization.
Crawl through tunnels to improve core strength and control.
Climb playground steps to refine leg balance.
Obstacle Confidence Course. Set up small stepping areas with soft mats and tunnels, allowing your child to navigate different movement challenges.
Movement Dice Roll. Make a custom dice with body movement actions, like "hop like a frog," "crawl like a bear”.
Introduce low climbing structures, such as step stools, to challenge balance.
Play chase-and-catch games, which activate reaction timing and movement control.
Encourage wiggle dancing, movement set to music, which improves rhythm and coordination.
Adapted from Parental Influence on Eating Behavior: Conception to Adolescence. Savage (2007,3,2). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1748-720X.2007.00111.x