Are you tasked with entertaining a 1-year-old? This post is here to help with over 50 simple and easy activities for 1 year olds.
First, let’s talk a little bit about your 1 year old’s development and some of the activities and toys they may enjoy playing with.
What activities should a baby do at age 1?
Thinking about what activities your child should be able to do at this age can help you find activities for them. Here are a few activities that typically developing children are usually able to do around age 1.
- Put objects in a container and takes them out
- Look at the correct object or person named
- Looks for hidden objects
- Opens cabinets and drawers
- Play simple games like peek-a-boo or pat-a-cake
- Helps with simple puzzles (hands you the piece, claps at completion)
- Enjoys songs and simple rhymes
As always if you have any concerns regarding your child’s development, always talk to your pediatrician.
What should a 1 year old play with?
Here are a few toys that 1 year olds generally enjoy playing with based on their development:
- Wooden blocks
- Stacking Cups
- Push Toys
- Soft baby dolls
- Basic Wooden Puzzles
- Cloth or board books
- Simple Musical Instruments
If you are looking for toys specifically for your child’s development, definitely check out the LOVERY play kits. They include many of the items mentioned above and they arrive at your doorstep at the perfect time!
Activities for 1 Year Olds
Now, let’s get to the fun part! Here are 50 easy activities for 1 year olds:
Sensory Play
Sensory play is so great for one year olds. Here are just a few of the benefits:
- Encourages play, curiosity and exploration of the world
- Strengthens motor skills
- Opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving
- Supports language development
- Fosters independence and pretend play
- Promotes self-control
Sensory Activities for 1 Year Olds
Put together a simple sensory bin: People hear the words, “sensory bin” and panic a little bit. Honestly, sensory bins are just a fancy name for a bin of stuff that kids (or anyone) can touch, taste, smell, see and/or hear. To learn more about sensory bins, check out this post: Getting Started with Sensory Bins.
Play with Fruit: It’s no secret that items usually end up in babies’ mouths! You can read more about sensory play with fruit in this post: Baby Sensory Play with Fruit.
Explore Texture Cards or a Sensory Board: Texture cards and sensory boards (also called busy boards) can be a great way for your little one to experience different textures and materials. There are many already put together that can be purchased.
Don’t want to purchase anything? You can easily put together your own sensory board with different textures for your 1 year old to explore. Check out this post from The Family Handyman, How Build a Toddler Busy Board with Items You Already Have.
Scooping Station: Add a taste-safe item such as cheerios to a bucket with spoons, measuring cups, or plastic bowls. Encourage your child to practice scooping the materials and filling different objects.
Jingle Bells: Want to encourage your child to move? Try using a jingle bell bracelet on their ankle or wrist. As always, watch your child with any small objects that could become a choking hazard.
Outdoor Activities for 1 Year Olds
Water Play Activities
It’s no secret that most kids love to play in the water, especially on a hot day! Here are a few ideas for water play with a 1 year old! As always, please use extra caution around water. Here are a few water play activities your little one will love!
Play with a water table. Water tables can be purchased pretty inexpensively and can be used over and over again for a variety of activities. We have loved this simple water table and play with it almost daily in the summertime.
No water table? Easily create your own using a large storage bucket. You can choose a bucket based on how your child will be using it! A long narrow storage box may be fun for a baby who prefers to sit and play. An older active toddler may prefer a taller, deeper bucket.
Create a toy washing station. Just add your favorite bubble bath to a water bucket and let your toddler wash their plastic toys! Don’t try this with dish soap because it can irritate your child’s eyes and skin.
Paint the sidewalk or fence. Give your child a large paint brush and a bucket of water; then show them how to paint! They could also paint outdoor toys too! This set of paint brushes have jumbo handles so little hands can easily hold them!
Run in the sprinkler: If your one year old is already walking, running through the sprinkler can be a fun treat on a hot day! Just attach a sprinkler attachment to your water hose!
Water the plants. Toddlers love helping around the house and to feel like they are contributing to the family. Watering plants is a great activity for them. Fill up a watering can and walk around your yard and let them water what they can!
Set up a water pouring station: Have you ever noticed your child’s fascination with pouring? Usually, you notice it during bathtime as water is poured out of the bathtub. Pouring water is a fun activity for one-year-olds…outside! Measuring cups, plastic cups, or anything fun for filling and pouring can be added to a large bucket or the water table for a fun water pouring station.
Outdoor Activities
Play with Bubbles: If you don’t already have a bubble machine, it’s a great investment! They are relatively inexpensive and can provide hours of fun.
Nature Collection: Little ones love collecting items they find outside like sticks, rocks, and acorns! Give your 1 year old a bowl and go for a walk. Let them pick up any items that they choose to put in their bowl.
Play with Outdoor Push Toys: Push and pull toys are always a favorite at this age! Here are a few fun outdoor push and pull toys:
Go for a walk: Even if your child isn’t walking yet, they can still enjoy a walk through the neighborhood, park, or walking trail. Load up the stroller or use a push car!
Indoor Activities for 1 Year Olds
Depending on where you live, it might not always be possible to get outside and play with your 1 year old. so, here are a few indoor activities to try:
Build a Simple Fort: Children this age love to climb and explore! Use your couch cushions or cardboard boxes to make a simple fort. I also highly recommend The Nugget or the Explorer Couch! We have both and love using them to build fu forts in the living room. It’s so much fun and the possibilities are endless!
Stack cups. Simple, I know. But, give it a try! Plastic cups are cheap and fun to stack and build with!
Everyday Egg Hunt: Who says that egg hunts can only be at Easter? Little ones love finding plastic eggs or other objects any time of year!
Flashlight Find: Turn off all the lights in the room and give your child a flashlight. This is a fun way to develop language skills too and name each item in the room as they shine the light on it!
Play with Fridge Magnets: This magnet set is perfect for little hands and has the most fun pictures for kids! Playing with magnets on the fridge also encourages little ones to sit or stand upright, plus it’s easy clean up!
Read a book: Reading books to your one-year-old is such a powerful way to model language and connect! Don’t forget, that your child doesn’t have to be sitting down to listen and enjoy a book. You can read a book while waiting for an older sibling in a parking lot, in the bathtub, or even while playing with another toy. Need a book recommendation? Check out Best Board Books for Babies.
Sing a song: Singing a song and teaching your little ones that motion is a fun activity that is also wonderful for language development. Here are a few great songs for this age.
Songs to Sing with 1 Year Olds
- The Wheels on the Bus
- The Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Old McDonald Had a Farm
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
- Head Shoulds Knees and Toes
- If You’re Happy and You Know It
Make a craft: Is there anything cuter than a footprint craft? Take it from me, footprints are much easier than handprints at this age! You can find cute footprint crafts for almost any holiday! This Easter Footprint Craft is still a favorite.
Have a dance party! Turn on some music and check out your 1 year old’s dance moves! Tell Alexa to play Dinosaur Dance! It’s our favorite!
Make an obstacle course: Set up a simple obstacle course in your living room! Use objects like couch pillows, blankets, and tables for your child to climb over and crawl through!
Build a tower: Children at this age and exploring cause and effect. Building a tower and knocking it down is a fun activity for one-year-olds. There are many different types of blocks that can be used for this activity. We have the wooden block set from LOVEVERY and I can’t recommend it enough! It’s definitely a toy that has given us a lot of bang for the buck.
Play a Simple Game: One year olds enjoy simple games like peek-a-boo or hide and seek. This is especially fun with an older sibling that can find you and your one-year-old hiding together.
Ball Drop: You can create a simple ball drop for your child to explore using a cardboard paper towel and toilet paper rolls and ping pong balls. Put all of these materials in a bucket
Pasta Threading: Large uncooked noodles (like penne) can be used for threading practice. Just put a pipe cleaner or straw upright into play dough or another material to hold it vertically. Next, show your little one how to thread the pasta noodles onto the pipe cleaners or straws.
Complete a simple puzzle: Wooden puzzles with just a few pieces (3-5) can be fun for children at this age! They foster teamwork and your child will take pride in completing them together with you!
Places to Go with a 1 Year Old
Sometimes you just need to get out of the house for a little bit! Getting out and about can be fun for you and your child and give them opportunities to interact with others in social settings and experiences: Here are a few places to go with your one year old:
Parks: Check out your town or city’s website to find a list of parks and plan your visit! I always recommend visiting parks with easy crawling or walking surfaces like turf grass. Parks will wood chips and rocks are tricky at this age.
Children’s Museums: If you are fortunate enough to have a children’s museum nearby, definitely check it out! Admission is usually free for children under 2! Many of them have family passes and yearly memberships to save money too!
Library: Be sure to check our local library’s website for storytimes and other special events that may be of interest! Some libraries even have play areas for children set up with toys for dramatic play, puzzles and more.
Zoos: Seeing animals in real life can really promote your child to learn animal names and sounds! Many zoos also have special petting areas so your 1 year old can actually interact with animals.
Barnes & Nobles: Bookstores are the best! Barnes & Nobles is a fun store to check out with your little one. Some locations have storytimes too!
Sporting Events: So this probably isn’t an ideal age to try and sit through a major league baseball game, but there are definitely some fun sporting events your child might enjoy. Check out minor league events where entry costs are much cheaper.
Farmer’s Market: Does your town have a farmer’s market on the weekend? Load up your little one and check it out! This is a great way to support small businesses and find some new favorite items for you too.
Coffee Shops and Restaurants: I have actually had some really great experiences at coffee shops and restaurants with a one-year-old. We love visiting Hat Creek Burger Company because they have a fenced-in playground attached to the restaurant! I have also visited a few coffee shops with play areas for kids too!
Indoor Church Playgrounds: if you live in a bigger city, many bigger churches have indoor play areas that you can access for only a few dollars. Some of them also have a toddler-only time too.
I hope this post gave you some ideas of activities for 1-year-olds that you can try with your child today!