Best Toys For A 1 Year Old

The Best Developmental Toys for a One Year Old

At 12 months, your child is becoming so much more aware and active. At this point, it might be tempting to offer more and more activities and toys. 

However, it's good to keep in mind that children this young will benefit more from repetition and slow but consistent skill building. This is not only part of the Montessori approach but has been well researched by other infant and toddler developmental experts.

Repetition helps cement neural connections that are forming in children. They don’t just do something once and learn it. They need to do it over and over to build that neural pathway.

Repetition also brings order and structure to a world that can otherwise feel very overwhelming to young children. They don’t need constant stimulation and novelty at this age, they need predictability and consistency so they can begin to make sense of this confusing world.

Invest in a handful of good quality toys and rotate them out to keep your child's interest in them longer. 

What to look for:

• Puzzles with knobs and simple jigsaw puzzles are great for this age group. Knobbed puzzles are the perfect toy for developing the pincer grasp. 

• Books are a wonderful gift for any age but it's especially wonderful to do as much reading as possible with your 1 year old. This helps them learn about the world around them when their real life experience is still so limited. 

• Open-ended wood toys and cars are great for developing a young child's imagination, while also improving their hand and wrist strength. 

• Easy to play musical instruments. Simple instruments like a tambourine or maraca are perfect for children between 12-24 months. They allow children to easily follow the beat of a piece of music. 

• Block sets help lay the foundation for understanding math in later years. The help children explore balance, compare shapes, recognizing patterns, learn basic counting, and more.