Best for this moment
for calmer, lower-pressure moments, especially when you need an indoor option.
Point and Find Treasure Walk
At a glance: Encourage your toddler's emerging pointing skills by hiding familiar objects in plain sight around the room for them to spot and point at. A 10-minute, low-energy indoor activity for ages 12m–2y.
Pointing is one of the most important communication milestones of the first 18 months — it shows that a child understands shared attention and can direct another person's gaze. This activity gives your early walker multiple opportunities to practise pointing by placing familiar, brightly coloured objects in unexpected but visible spots around the room. The combination of walking to each discovery and pointing builds both gross motor confidence and pre-verbal communication in a single, joyful game.
Parent tip
Set out balls and plastic cups before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.
What success looks like
A good outcome is a few minutes of engaged play, some back-and-forth with you, and a small sign of progress in cognitive skills.
More help for this situation
Rainy-day indoor energy
Rainy day
When everyone is stuck inside, choose movement-heavy play that burns energy without chaos.
Try Pillow Path AdventureInstructions
- While your child is briefly occupied, place five or six familiar bright objects in visible spots around the room — a red ball on a shelf, a yellow duck on the sofa, a blue cup on a chair.
- Take your child's hand and say 'Let's go on a treasure walk — can you see anything that doesn't belong?'
- Walk slowly together, scanning the room. When your child spots something, wait for them to point before responding.
- If they point, respond enthusiastically: 'You found the ball! It's up on the shelf! Well spotted!'
- If they notice but don't point, model it yourself: point at the object and say 'Look! There it is!' then gently guide their hand to point too.
- Let them toddle to each treasure and pick it up — the walking is part of the reward.
- After collecting all the items together, count them out loud: 'One, two, three — we found three treasures!'
- Invite your child to help put the items back where they belong — this extends the activity and practises following simple instructions.
Why it helps
Pointing is a proto-declarative gesture — one of the earliest forms of intentional communication. NHS developmental checks at 12 months specifically look for pointing as a marker of healthy social-cognitive development. By creating multiple opportunities to point and receive an enthusiastic response, you reinforce the communicative loop: 'I point, someone notices, we share the moment.' This is the foundation upon which spoken language is built.
Variations
- Use toys that make noise (a rattle, a squeaky toy) and shake them gently from their hiding spot so your child has to follow the sound and then point.
- Hide items at different heights — some on the floor, some at eye level, some slightly above — to encourage looking up and down.
- For older toddlers, give a simple verbal clue: 'Can you see something red?' to add early colour vocabulary.
Safety tips
- Place objects only in spots your child can reach safely — avoid high shelves where they might try to climb.
- Ensure all hidden items are age-appropriate with no small parts that could be a choking hazard.
- Stay close as your child toddles around the room, as excitement can lead to faster, less stable walking.
When to pause and seek extra support
Stop if your child becomes distressed, unsafe, or consistently frustrated by the activity. If play, behaviour, or development worries keep showing up across settings, check in with a qualified professional.
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