Activities For The One-Year-Old

We're being kind to the littles today with round up of fantastic activities that one-year-olds just love. Turning one is a huge milestone, the first year around the sun, and all young toddlers at this age go through a crazy amount of gross and fine motor development as well as language development. So here are some fun activities that they will not only love to do but will also help them develop essential skills :)

1. Posting Activities - Young toddlers are fascinated by posting items (putting an object into another) and this activity helps them understand object permanence (that an object is still there even though we can't see it), helps develop hand and eye coordination and works on those fine motor skills that are essential for daily life. Posting activities can be really cheap and easy to make and set up yourself or you can purchase wooden toys specifically for the skills, here are some ideas;

2. Water play - I've never met a toddler who didn't LOVE water play! Toddlers love to practice scooping and pouring so water play is more than just fun, its actually helping them develop essential life skills. Add cups, spoons, pots, pans, animal figurines, anything really, the possibilities are endless!

3. Play Silks - Young ones love playing peek-a-boo and playsilks are awesome for this as they are super light. They are also provide a beautiful tactile experience as toddlers love to swing them around and feel the beautiful, light, supple fabric. Use them for dress ups, place them in an old wipes container and let the toddlers pull them out (they are obsessed with this!) or use as playscapes for imaginative play. Play silks are a toy that will literally be used for years

4. Musical Instruments - What toddler doesn't love making noise? Banging and shaking, drumming and singing are so much fun and help develop the auditory senses as well as rhythm. A basket full of musical instruments keep them occupied for a long time!

5. Sensory play - All children learn through their senses so sensory play is compulsory for healthy child development. You do have to be careful what activities you use as toddlers are prone to mouth everything but some safe sensory play ideas include trays of lentils, rice, pasta, cereal, oats and cooked spaghetti. Add some cups, spoons, bowls for pouring and scooping and let them have it! Sand and mud pits are also excellent types of sensory play, as is finger painting (easily made at home with simple recipes that are non-toxic) and home-made playdough that doesn't contain toxic ingredients (the recipe on the back of cream of tartar jars is great). Please note: we definitely do not recommend the popular water beads or kinetic sand for under 3's as they can be very dangerous if swallowed.

Let your little one explore, get messy and have fun!