A baby’s first year is full of growth and learning. They are witnessing the world around them and learning everything. Experts agree that narrating daily activities helps babies learn about language and become familiar with common sounds like their mother’s voice. At one year old, babies start to say words, and most are going from crawling and scooting to walking. It's an exciting time for parents, and a way parents can help their babies grow and learn is by giving them educational toys to help them develop. We have compiled the best educational toys for one-year-olds to help parents find amazing toys for their one-year-olds.
What Makes a Toy Educational?
Educational toys are toys that provide entertainment and engage kids while teaching something. They can teach the letters and numbers or motor and sensory skills. Kids are always learning, and exposing them to educational toys helps them learn, understand, and interact with the world around them.
Child Development Milestones for 1-Year-Olds
Developmental milestones for children are a guide to help parents, but every child develops differently. By the time a child reaches one year, they should be able to do certain things like:
- Wave bye bye
- Say mama and dada or equivalent
- Drink from a cup.
- Hold something between their pointer and thumb.
- Stack blocks.
- Recognize music and dance.
Best Educational Toys for 1-Year-Olds
These toys provide a stimulus for a one-year-old and are created to help them learn and reach important milestones. Milestones are general markers of age-appropriate abilities, and parents should use them as a guide. If parents are concerned that their child is not reaching milestones, it is essential to speak with their pediatrician.
1. Mingkids Montessori Toys
Mingkids Montessori Cube and Shapes is a modern reinvention of the classic child’s toy featuring shapes. The cube has six different shapes, and the pieces fit into the cube. In this modern version, each shape also has a texture that invites babies to explore tactile sensations. The toy encourages children to understand shapes and sorting. It helps develop fine motor skills and spatial reasoning.
2. Hellowood Wooden Activity Cube
The Hellowood Wooden Activity Cube is not just another cube-shaped toy; this toy is actually eight toys in one. It has six sides and with activities, including a bead maze, baby xylophone, shape sorter, learning clock, abacus, spinning gears, sorting and stacking blocks, and word cards. The toy is one of the best educational toys for one-year-olds because it develops their senses and coordination. You can be sure that your child will stay occupied and engaged with this multi-functional toy.
3. LeapFrog Dino's Delightful Day Alphabet Book
LeapFrog Dino’s Delightful Day Alphabet Book has sixteen interactive pages of letters and sounds to entertain and teach your child. This toy introduces phonetic sounds and alphabet order with delightful images and lets your child interact with the sounds. In addition, it introduces numbers and gives a child a head start on reading skills.
Kids will love learning numbers and colors with this interactive book.
4. Benresive Wooden Toddler Puzzles
Benresive Wooden Toddler Puzzles are a great way to stimulate a child. These animal theme puzzles help children develop motor skills, learn about animals, and identify shapes. The wood puzzle pieces are large enough not to be a choking hazard and small enough for tiny hands to use. The bright colors and fun images help develop image recognition, spatial skills, and memory.
This toy develops hand-eye coordination and introduces kids to animals and the cognitive skills for understanding puzzles.
5. Montessori Toddler Busy Board
Little ones are busy, and keeping them engaged is easy with this Montessori Toddler Busy Board. The busy board has light switches and a sensory board to keep little hands busy and little minds occupied, perfect for on-the-go families. It is compact and entertaining. It improves hand-eye coordination and sensory skills, improves focus, and develops color-matching skills.
This compact busy board is perfect for car rides and travel. It has lots of things to keep a little one occupied.
6. City Themed Activity Center
This City Themed Activity Center is designed to entertain and excite little minds. The seven-sided toy has all kinds of interesting movable parts. All parts are fixed on the toy and safe for a one-year-old. The bead maze, hidden doors, spinning gears, bright colors, and moveable clock are just the start of the fun. On top of the toy are little cars and a cityscape with attached but moveable pieces. It is one of the best toys for one-year-olds and will keep them occupied while stimulating their sense. It enforces fine motor skills and spatial recognition.
This wooden activity cube offers hours of fun for little minds.
7. Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker
At one year old, many kids are starting to move from crawling to walking, and this Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker is the best toy to get them moving around safely. The walker is perfect for small hands to push and is a safe way for new walkers to practice walking with the support of a push toy. The play panel on the front has piano keys that play music. It has three light-up buttons, three shape sorters, and a plastic phone. It is an excellent choice for developing motor skills and sensory development.
Little ones learning to walk will love pushing this as they start to move around.
8. Crayola: My First Palm Grip Crayons
Coloring isn't just for big kids who can stay in the lines. Little ones can also enjoy coloring with these First Palm Grip Crayons. They are perfect for small hands to grip. The non-toxic washable crayons come in six colors and have an egg-shaped form, making it easy for little hands to grasp them. One-year-olds will love scribbling and seeing colors and shapes. Babies start with a scribble, which turns into a doodle, and before you know it, they are drawing pictures. These colorful crayons are a great introduction to art and self-expression. They help develop motor skills, color naming, recognition, and a cause-and-effect understanding. Try taping a large piece of paper on the floor and let your one-year-old color to their heart's content.
These egg-shaped crayons are for little hands to hold onto and explore their creative side.
9. Mega Bloks Big Building Bag
One-year-olds are not quite ready for the fun of LEGOS, but they can enjoy Mega Bloks Big Building Bag. These large, colorful blocks are for stacking and sorting. Kids can organize by color and stack. The blocks are big enough that they pose no choking hazard but small enough for a little hand to grip. Kids develop motor skills, spatial reasoning, and sorting skills with these bright blocks.
These big, colorful blocks are for little hands-on learning. There are 80 blocks and come in a convenient carry bag.
10. Boon PIPES Toddler Bath Toys
Bathtime is for learning, too, with these Boon Pipes Bath Toys. The set includes five pipes, five cogs, and three tubes. The colorful pipes, cogs, and tubes are suctioned on the back to stick to the bathtub, making water play even more fun. Your child will love funneling water between the toys and seeing how the different shapes interact with bathwater and bubbles. These are excellent choices for developing motor skills and creative thinking. Plus, they are great for introducing beginner STEM ideas. When your child is playing with these, they will stay focused and enjoy bathtime even more.
11. Bright Baby Touch & Feel Boxed Set
These bright, colorful books, the Bright Baby Touch & Feel Boxed Set, are an excellent choice for one-year-olds. The set has four books all about animals: At The Zoo, Perfect Pets, On the Farm, and Baby Animals. Each board book page has texture so kids can feel the animals. The book uses rhyming language and simple words to teach children about animals. Kids are fascinated with the different animals and will love hearing the rhymes. It is never too early to start reading to a child. The more exposure they get to language, the better.
These little animal books are so much fun for kids. The board book has sturdy pages with textured feel spots to excite early readers.
12. Talkfun Bilingual Musical Learning Cube
Kids are little sponges ready to soak up everything, and the Talkfun Bilingual Musical Learning Cube exposes them to another language and music. The best time for kids to learn another language is before they are seven. But you don't have to wait until they are talking; you can start them at one year old. The bilingual cube has six different themes: seven instrument sounds, ten baby songs, numbers and letters, thirteen animal sounds, and colored lights. It develops fine motor skills and basic cognition and helps children explore their own imagination.
It is never too early for kids to learn languages, and this bilingual English and Spanish toy is perfect for little ones.
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