Would You Like Activities for 1-year-olds?

As a child in my care approaches their first birthday, I prepare activities for 1-year-olds. During this year, little ones develop so many skills; it's amazing. 

The most notable are walking and talking. I feel like people worry too much about when these milestones are achieved. Developmental norms are much more flexible than most of the population realizes.

Did you know that crawling integrates both sides of the brain? Additionally, communication involves many more elements than the amount of vocabulary a little one can express.

I have reassured many parents of the 1-year-olds I've cared for that their development is just fine, and time has proven me right. I'm not suggesting ignoring significant developmental delays, though. Early therapy can really help when needed. 

Fun Ball Pool Activities for 1-year-olds 

I have been unofficially studying toddler logic for 20 years by observing many of them. I've noticed that the highest priority of toddler logic is fun. Here at Practical Playthings, this is taken very seriously.

Ball pools or simply baby sensory balls with household items can create a variety of activities for 1-year-olds. Check out the Ball 1-Year-Old Activities page for inspiration. 

 Sensory Play Activities for 1-year-olds 

I haven't met a 1-year-old who doesn't enjoy sensory play. However, the level of mess they create varies. I believe the benefits of messy play, as I call it, are worth the cleanup .

They can learn so much from the texture, weight, smell, taste, sight, flow, and sound of the materials interacting with each other, including how they respond to movement and other objects. 

From simply pouring and scooping with measuring cups and spoons or even small containers and reused scoops, little ones can be introduced to mathematical concepts such as mass, volume, and area. 

Choking is a real hazard for 1-year-olds especially. Some put things in their mouths more frequently than others, but they are all at risk. To prevent sensory play from becoming a struggle over choking hazards, stick to edible options.

Did you know that little ones put things in their mouths to explore them? The front of the tongue has double sensory receptors that provide them with plenty of information to learn about their discoveries. I try to offer 1-year-olds opportunities to explore while utilizing all of their senses, including taste.

For the last 20 years, I've been experimenting with which sensory activities are safe and enjoyable for little ones. I've found that older babies and 1 year olds love the same sensory play ideas. Explore the successes by clicking on the Baby Sensory Play Page. 

Creative Toddler Play Ideas

Are imaginative play scenes coming to mind? 1-year-olds do play with play figures, but I find they lose interest very quickly, unless they are chewing on them. Pretending is something they can learn. I often teach 1-year-olds how to pretend to eat, for example.

The foundation of creativity is freedom. When I think of toddler creative play, I think of open-ended opportunities for them to play their way. This is essentially what heuristic play is. Heuristic play allows young children to discover, experiment, problem-solve, and evaluate through trial and error. Child psychologist Elinor Goldschmied developed heuristic play over 40 years ago.

Have you also noticed that your 1-year-old loves playing with everyday items around the house? Heuristic play enables toddlers to safely explore things that are ideally made of natural materials.

Natural materials provide greater sensory contrasts than many synthetic ones. The temperatures, weights, textures, and sounds of natural objects being banged together vary more than just plastic items, for example. However, I personally have included plastic objects in heuristic sessions because they are hard to avoid.

"Use what you have" is my motto for activities in general, and it particularly fits heuristic play. I and others have included open-ended toys in heuristic play sessions as well.

Treasure baskets are the most famous form of heuristic play. They are meant for babies from 6-12 months to answer the question, "What is it?". Whereas heuristic play sessions are designed for 1-and 2-year-olds to answer the question, "What can it do?". They are often done in groups, but I have found that one to two toddlers still get a lot out of smaller versions of these sessions in their homes. 

The reason I think of it as creative play is that the adult 's role in heuristic play is to simply let them play with the items however they like. Safety is undeniably still important. I keep that in the front of my mind when choosing which items to include and exclude for the play sessions.

If you would like more guidance on what you can use for authentic heuristic play sessions, click through to the Creative Toddler Play Ideas Page.

DIY Toddler Toys 

In line with toddlers loving random items we use, I've found they enjoy activities for 1-year-olds made out of packaging we usually throw away. I've noticed others online making their DIY playthings look super cute, whereas mine look a lot like the items they were made from, and the toddlers really don't care. I ended up painting an egg carton for color matching only to realize that the tot preferred to play with a plain one. 

I've observed many 1-year-olds, noting what they naturally do and which skills need help to develop. Fine motor skills ( successfully using their hands) and hand-eye coordination often challenge 1-year-olds. I designed and made these simple practical playthings to help them develop those foundational skills. 

Don't worry if you're also not handy with tools; I don't even own any construction tools. All you need are kitchen or stationery scissors. Most households can save the suggested food containers. Regular kids' paint is handy for color matching. I used sandpaper for one plaything. That's seriously all you need. No special craft skills are required either.

To find out more about these Easy-To-Make DIY Toddler Toys, click the link. 

Cooking With Toddlers

Be inspired by these cooking with toddlers ideas. Toddlers love to get involved with fun looking tasks like cooking. They can learn foundation skills too. Safety is my first priority so only cold food are involved.

Check out what simple skills you can share with your 1-year-old while Cooking with Toddlers.

Toddler Safety Games

Most child predators carefully pick and test their victims. Even though children are not responsible for any abuse, they might prevent it by how they act or what they say. Safety games are effective ways of keeping children safe by training them in a fun way. You my think it's too early, but I start all these safety games with 1-year-olds.

Check out these easy Toddler Safety Games for child abuse prevention and help with road safety.

Would You Like Activities for 18-month-olds?

I am probably one of the few people in the world who thinks the 18-month-old milestone is a big deal. Not that I celebrate it, but I do introduce more activities for 18-month-old because their development tends to take a leap forward.

Don't worry if your little one doesn't do what I suggest. I've found that 18-month-olds love to explore new items, which is the main point of these toddler play ideas. Remember play has great value, even if we don't see the point.

Discover these Activities for 18-month-olds via the link.

I hope you enjoy providing these activities for 1-year-olds.

For activities for other ages, check out Practical Playthings Home Page.