How To Play With A One Year Old
Toddlers aren't babies anymore, just they aren't big kids still either. Whether indoors or outdoors, crafts or educational games, here are fun activities for 1 yr olds.
I-year-olds are in that "in betwixt" stage, don't you think?
They're not babies anymore, specially as they grow more interested in being mobile and developing motor skills. Their ability to play is more than advanced than an infant, plus they won't exactly sit nonetheless for a long fourth dimension.
But they're as well not at the "preschool" stage yet, either. They're still limited with what they tin do, especially on their own. They don't follow instructions too well, much less create a final production or craft.
If you're looking for activities for one twelvemonth olds, you've come up to the right place. In fact, accept a look at what 1 parent had to say later gathering ideas from this commodity:
"Every fourth dimension I have looked for activities for i yr olds, the activities were too advanced for a one year onetime because they were geared towards 2 and iii year olds. These activities are perfect for that 'in between' age! Cheers for putting this together! It'south reassuring to encounter that some of the stuff we take been doing is historic period advisable and there are other ideas that can stem off of those." -Jacqueline Corey
One year olds can't focus for several hours, so these toddler activities are short. Remember of them as bite-size activities to liven upwardly your routine. I besides suggest doing no more than ane activity a day, and relying on your regular routine to make full the rest of the time.
These activities are for the entire range of 1 year olds, from 12 to 24 months. If you find your child isn't set up for a particular activeness yet, agree off for a time when she is and try a different one for now. And finally, I've divided these activities by category to make them easier to refer to.
Set up to showtime? Here nosotros get:
Playful activities for 1 year olds
Well-nigh interactions with toddlers will happen at home, the very place where boredom tends to fester (cabin fever, anyone?). But don't worry—every bit you'll see, all yous need are a few inspirational ideas for playtime with your one twelvemonth quondam right at home.
1. Play with a blanket
Sit your toddler down and have her grasp the ends of a blanket (a pocket-size one is fine). Then, sit in front end of her and grasp the other end. Make waves with the blanket by moving it up and down.
This was a favorite action with my kids. In fact, every bit they went through preschool and even elementary schoolhouse, their teachers would practise this with all the students in a game of "parachute." They'd all grab an border of an oversized piece of cloth and wave it upward and down together.
Free printables: Grab your printable calendar of all these activities I'm sharing! Check them off equally you get along, or utilise the blank template to add your ain ideas. Join my newsletter and get it below—at no cost to you. And so many parents dearest the printable agenda:
"Nosotros have done a few things from your list and I have checked them off of your calendar and added them to the blank calendar. I honey your list because yous give suggestions with objects and things that I had never thought of. We really capeesh y'all sharing your ideas—they are bang-up!" -Elissa B.
"Give thanks you! I'grand glad I came across your list. It is age appropriate, inexpensive and not messy. We really capeesh information technology." -Sally S.
ii. Play musical instruments
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Kids love playing with instruments, from xylophones to drums to maracas. Mine accept played with both acoustic and battery-operated toys, and I much preferred the acoustic ones.
If you grab a ready of instruments, you can fifty-fifty innovate one instrument a day or week, so your one yr old can truly explore each one'due south sounds and feel:
Wooden Musical Instruments for Kids
3. Sing nursery rhymes and have a dance political party
Concord a dance party at home (plus develop those gross motor skills)! Crank up music you like and dance along with your footling ane. If she tin can't stand up yet, carry her in your arms as you trip the light fantastic to the music.
Bonus points for singing and dancing to nursery rhymes with movement! A few interactive songs include:
- Where Is Thumbkin?
- Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
- Hokey Pokey
- Wheels on the Passenger vehicle
- If You're Happy and You Know Information technology
- I'm a Trivial Teapot
- Pat-a-Cake
Check out these gross motor activities for 1 twelvemonth olds.
4. Accident bubbles
Zero delights i year olds more than than popping bubbles. Stick to simple bottles of bubbles like this, or make plenty with a small bubble machine. A machine makes awesome bubbles for a long time (plus you don't get tired from bravado bubbles).
5. Play with a ball
Playing with a brawl is and then versatile. Roll a ball back and forth to one some other. Encourage your 1 year old to kick or throw the ball every bit well. And you can also play "basketball" and teach him to throw the ball into a set place, like into a laundry basket.
six. Play with a balloon
Similar a ball, a balloon makes for fun play. If the airship still has helium, attach a weight to the string so the airship floats to your kid'due south head level. He'll have a blast hitting the balloon and waiting for it to come up right back.
If the balloon is deflated, cutting the string off and have him toss it in the air and grab it. The air in the balloon makes for a slow fall—and an easier catch—for him.
7. Wait at photos and paintings
You probable have walls and surfaces filled with picture frames and artwork. Comport or show your toddler the dissimilar images throughout your home. Explain who the people are in the pictures, or what the artwork is all about.
An alternative is to flip through albums (recall those?) and share old photos of loved ones. He'll bask looking at people—familiar and new.
8. Play with blocks
I'thou a fan of blocks since they're piece of cake to stack. Teach your child how to stack 1 block on top of the other. Build a tower and accept him knock information technology downward, or help him build something out of the blocks.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Edifice Blocks
Take a expect at these i year old lesson plans organized by theme.
ix. Lay out a large slice of paper-thin on the floor
Cardboard is going to be one of your child's favorite toys. Simply dismantle a cardboard box for plenty of fun! One action my kids enjoyed was to pace and trip the light fantastic toe on it with their feet. I also encouraged them to depict on the cardboard with washable crayons like these.
And of grade, you lot tin can e'er go along the box as-is for your i yr onetime to clamber through for endless pretend play.
10. Play with household items
It doesn't accept much to go along kids entertained, peculiarly if we teach them the value of unproblematic play. Condom household items make for excellent playthings. Take any item nearby and see how you lot can plow it into a toy. For instance, these are some of the "toys" my kids loved playing with:
- Rolling duct tape back and forth on the floor
- Looping pipe cleaners in and out of an upside-downward colander
- Playing drums with wooden spoons
eleven. Read books
This is i of my favorite activity to practice with kids! At that place were times I didn't know what else to practice with them that we'd sit down and read until my voice got as well tired. Scatter books throughout your dwelling, and visit the library regularly for new selections.
Playful chores for i twelvemonth olds
Aye, chores can exist fun for your 1 yr one-time! In fact, doing chores is not only one of the best habits you tin can instill now, they're likewise an enjoyable activity for kids. Here are the best activities that are chores-related:
12. Water the plants
Fill a modest loving cup, or get a child-friendly watering can, and testify your child how to water plants. Stick to low, flooring plants or those you tin can movement for amend access.
13. Wipe surfaces
Need to wipe the coffee table? Spray the surface, and so paw your little 1 a rag he can utilize to wipe. I recommend eco-friendly products when y'all exercise this with him.
14. Put toys away
Afterward playing with a gear up of toys with many parts (blocks, for instance), make a game of putting them away. You might count each piece equally you put them away, or sort them by colour. You lot and your toddler tin also take turns tossing the pieces back in the box.
Craft activities for 1 year olds
1 yr old arts and crafts focus more on introducing bones concepts than creating a concluding production. Finger painting, for example, is about experiencing the different textures of paint, non creating a picturesque image.
Check out a few ideas for fun and uncomplicated art activities, or take a await at this video:
15. Finger pigment
Finger painting with a 1 year old is more well-nigh the experience of painting than producing a work of art. In fact, your kid's newspaper will probable exist nothing more than a soaked sheet with layers of paint.
But that's beside the bespeak. Finger painting allows him to affect pigment, learn what it is and what happens when you mix them together. He's using his fingers, which is a perfect introduction to painting if he tin can't grasp a paintbrush all the same.
He'll also experiment with putting it on a surface (and yes, sometimes on himself), and you'll accept a fantastic opportunity to hash out colour.
I recommend getting washable finger paint like these. You don't need a ton of colors right now, only a few to mix and experiment with. Go smocks to cover his body or keep him in his diapers and bathe him afterward to avert a mess.
Here'due south a photo a fellow parent sent of her ane-year-quondam's finger painting:
16. Pigment with a sponge
Another mode to paint without grasping a brush or using fingers is to paint with a sponge. You lot can talk about the different patterns a sponge can make and show him a few ways to apply information technology, such equally dabbing or rubbing it direct downwards.
Go simple sponges without the brittle surface on the other side. You lot tin can also employ pair of scissors to cut these in half then he can hold them improve.
17. Color on a large piece of newspaper
A fantastic way to develop fine motor skills and grasping a crayon is to encourage your child to color. Tape a large piece of paper onto a low table, such equally a coffee table or an art table, and have her scribble colors all over.
Use washable crayons or pencils then you don't have to worry nigh damaging any surfaces. I too designate a children's tabular array that adjusts to my kids' acme, which is a great pick if yous don't want other surfaces in your abode to get colored.
Get more than ideas for arts and crafts for i twelvemonth olds.
18. Draw with chalk
Chalk is another art supply that lends itself well to 1 yr olds. Bigger chalk similar these are easier to grasp, and they work well either on a chalkboard at home or on the sidewalk outside.
19. Brand a collage
Gluing bits of material on a piece of paper is a fun activity for your child.
Permit him lead the activity rather than trying to create something discernible. For instance, don't insist on making clouds with cotton wool balls and tell him where to glue. Instead, allow him decide where he wants to place the pieces.
You can utilise any type of $.25 to glue. Cut junk mail or old scraps of paper into minor bits and accept him practice gluing. Starting time with a glue stick, then work your way upward to liquid glue. If he tin't clasp the bottle, pour some onto a plate he can dip the bits into.
Here's how one parent helped her toddler created a collage out of used gift wrapping newspaper:
20. Apply stickers
Stickers help your child develop the "pincer grasp," that fine motor skill of using her thumb and pointer finger to choice things upwards. Lift the sticker first, then have her pull the remainder off the canvass.
Finally, requite her a newspaper or other surface to identify the stickers on. You tin re-employ old pieces of newspaper or even create a "carte" she tin can decorate and transport to a loved 1.
Sensory activities for 1 year olds
Everything is a sensory feel for kids, but certain activities lend themselves well to discovery. These ideas allow your child to play and learn nigh how things feel. Bank check out these sensory play activities for one year olds:
21. Play with dirt
I'm a big fan of letting kids play in real dirt. Nosotros would either head to the park or play with an empty pot of soil on the patio, where they loved excavation and playing with trucks on the surfaces.
Encourage your toddler to get his hands dirty. Detect an empty spot at a park or your garden with plenty of soil to dig and explore.
22. Cascade water
Ane of the first activities my kids did at their Montessori preschool was learning to pour water. Recreate the activeness at dwelling house, using a large, rimmed baking sheet to catch spills, a small bowl to pour water into, and a plastic measuring cup with a handle.
Make full the measuring cup with a little bit of h2o and bear witness your child how to hold the handle and cascade the water into the bowl. In one case he'due south finished, repeat for a fun do in pouring.
Go more ideas for Montessori activities for one-2 twelvemonth olds.
23. Squeeze water with a sponge
As well painting, you can use a sponge for water play too. Fill a bowl with water and allow your kid to dip the sponge and squeeze the water out. You can too have him squeeze water out of the sponge into another container, simply like you lot did with the water pouring action.
24. Play with toys in a bucket of rice
There's something thrilling almost dipping your hand into a saucepan of rice. Your child will love exploring the feel of rice, specially when he can play with toys at the same fourth dimension.
Fill a large container or sensory bin with rice and identify a few simple toys inside. Encourage him to detect the toys or use it every bit a setting for pretend play.
Get more than ideas for sensory activities for 1 twelvemonth olds.
Out and about with a ane year sometime
Finding activities for 1 year olds isn't reserved for at home. In fact, I try to become out and about with my kids at least once a solar day so they're not habitation all the time. Here are a few ideas you lot tin can practise for getting out of the house:
25. Visit a kids play area
Depending on where you live, you might accept a play surface area dedicated to young toddlers. Some are outright indoor playgrounds, while others are play rooms with pretend furniture and props.
I've gone to restaurants with impressive play areas every bit well (and not fast food, either!). Many malls also include a children'due south play area. Regardless of where you become, get there when it opens so you have more than chances to have the identify to yourself and avoid the crowds.
If you're in Los Angeles, a few to cheque out are:
- Peekaboo Playland
- Samo'south Clubhouse in Santa Monica Place
- The Great Room Café
- Under the Bounding main
Check out these rainy solar day activities for one year olds.
26. Accept a picnic at the park
One of the best outdoor activities is to pack your toddler's repast and take it to the park! Bring a picnic coating where you can both sit and savor a repast outdoors. Pick a spot under a tree so he can lie down, watch the leaves motility, and relax in the shade.
Have a await at these outdoor activities for 18 calendar month onetime toddlers.
27. Keep a nature stroll
Walking through nature is i of my favorite activities, and information technology doesn't have to be strenuous! Local spots tin include a favorite trail, a botanical garden, or wetlands almost your place.
Y'all don't have to become far, either. Base of operations your outing more on time spent outdoors than actually trying to get through the whole identify, fifty-fifty if it ways staying near the entrance.
For case, rather than trying to go through your entire hike, walk for 15 minutes in ane direction, then some other 15 minutes back.
A favorite pastime, especially with my eldest, was walking around the neighborhood. We'd explore everything, from leaves on the basis to sprinklers on the sidewalk. I went at his step, starting with i block at first until nosotros were able to explore most of our area.
Become more than ideas nigh outdoor things to do with a one year one-time.
28. Go to a children's museum
Many cities have a children's museum that offers hands-on discovery. I like those that cater to kids of all ages. Several include a "tot room" for little ones without the deadfall of the big kids.
You lot can get to a "regular" museum besides. Toddlers will be happy walking around and exploring a new place.
29. Nourish child-friendly concerts
There'southward something about watching people play live music right in front of you. Child-friendly concerts don't have to exist an extravagant outing. Many farmers' markets include live music from a band, and your urban center might offering concerts in the summer.
Learn the things to teach a 1 year onetime.
xxx. Go on a children's railroad train ride
Kids dear riding trains, no affair where they are or what the view offers. Nosotros've gone on train rides at farmers' markets or at the pumpkin patch. I've also put them on kids-only railroad train rides at the mall or a kids play area.
31. Go for a swim
Warm weather calls for a dip in the pool! Introduce the pool to your toddler early on so he feels comfortable pond with yous.
Remember to practise pool prophylactic, including ever existence within arm's reach and keeping an eye on him at all times. (That includes whether he's in or out of the water.)
Take a look at these children's books about swimming.
Decision
Equally easily entertained as toddlers tin be, it'south amazing how challenging it can be to find activities for 1 twelvemonth olds every 24-hour interval. But as you tin can see, you tin do many of these activities in a few minutes in the comfort of your domicile, as well as plan for heady ones on big days.
One year olds aren't babies nosotros can carry effectually in a wrap anymore, but they're still small without the skills a preschooler may take.
These activities cater to that "in between" stage. Yous'll introduce your kid to new concepts and environments while relishing in his ability to find joy in simple activities. Yup, even if it's singing Hokey Pokey and coloring on cardboard.
Go more tips:
- Rainy Day Activities for 1 Year Olds
- Need Outdoor Activities to Do with Your one Year Old? Start Here.
- What to Do When You're Seeing one Year Old Tantrums Already
- Fun Places to Take a ane Year One-time
- Art Supplies for 1 Year Olds They'll Actually Apply
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How To Play With A One Year Old,
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