10 Activities For Your 1 Year Old

Children learn and know their environment through play,  as shown in this study published in the Education Magazine. At this age they are great explorers and want to understand the environment around them. Therefore, below, we will give you some suggestions so that you can have fun with your child while you explore together the world that your child is discovering.

1. Play with textures

Play with your baby to try different textures such as flour, water, shaving foam. .. These elements can become an inexhaustible source of fun for younger children.

The texture, volatility and color of the flour attracts a lot of attention. Thus, place flour within reach of your child, try to give it to him in several containers, play to throw it in a sieve so that he sees it fall like snow. You have many options!

Let him enjoy that little mess that will be valuable and fun-filled time for both of you. Then, try different items like water (which you can tint with natural food coloring), shaving cream, or whipped cream.

2. Let’s select and group

A 1-year-old loves to sort objects by categories and group them. Use your child’s socks so he can put them together and thus take the opportunity to teach him colors. Do not put many pairs, with five will be enough to entertain him, but they are quite different, both in their drawings and in the colors.

3. It’s time to dance, one of the activities for your 1 year old

This is undoubtedly one of the best games you can play with a 1-year-old child, because little ones love to dance and move to the rhythm of music. In this sense, you can play to stand still when the music stops playing.

It is a very fun way to entertain you. With this, motor and cognitive development is stimulated, as evidenced by this work carried out by researchers from the Technical University of the North, Ecuador, and also practices the arrest and start of the movement.

You just have to be careful that there are no objects or furniture nearby that your child can hit, since he still does not control all his movements well.

4. From one container to another

You can use several containers or containers of different sizes and in them you can add different grains, pasta or cereals so that your child can transfer them from one container to another. This activity helps them to have greater precision in grasping objects and hand-eye coordination to transfer from one to another.

5. To order the stones in the garden

When you play in a park or in a garden, help your child find stones of different sizes so that they can later sort and group them by some characteristic they have in common, such as size or color. Thus, you would be working on math and motor skills with your child. After you finish grouping them, you can throw the stones, which will be another fun part of this activity.

6. Walked on textures

Trace “paths” on the floor of your home. To do this, the first thing you have to have is a sticky paper and stick it on the floor, but you have to leave the sticky side up. With the help of your child, you can stick different materials with different textures on the adhesive, such as dry leaves, cotton, fabrics, crumpled paper, etc., which allow him to perceive sensory stimulation.

Then take off his shoes and socks and let him walk on these textures. You can also try on other surfaces, like dirt or concrete. By stimulating the soles of their feet, you help them build the stability they need when walking.

7. Let’s paint, another activity for your 1 year old

This is a wonderful activity to do with your 1-year-old, as fun is guaranteed. Dress him in clothes that can get dirty or leave him alone with the diaper. All you need is water soluble paint, preferably non-toxic.

To carry out this activity, place a plastic tablecloth on the floor to protect the floor from paint. On top, put a large white paper and pour small amounts of paint of different colors on it. Lastly, show him what to do with his fingers.

In a few minutes you will be painting with your fingers, hands, arms or feet. This allows him to improve his motor skills and his visual coordination, in addition to sharing a spectacular moment of relaxation with you. And not only does your child have to paint, but everyone in the family can participate.

8. To recognize your body

On a large sheet, put your child to bed and, with a striking color, draw his silhouette. When you stand up, you will see your body stamped on the paper.

This is a good time to talk about parts of the body, to teach him new vocabulary, and to get to know the space his body takes up. Then let him paint freely on top of the drawing to develop motor skills as he scribbles and sparks creativity.

9. Block by block, another activity for your 1-year-old

This is an ideal activity for a 1-year-old child, since with it colors can be worked. Using nesting pieces or small blocks of wood, lay out a series for your child to try to repeat. In this game you will be learning to serialize and will be stimulating hand-eye coordination.

10. Painting with water

Place colored cards on the floor or table. Take small pieces of wet cotton and give them to your child to “paint” on the cardboard. When it comes into contact with water, the cardboard will change color and for your child it will be as if he were painting.

Things to keep in mind about activities for your 1-year-old

In short, these are activities to enjoy with your 1-year-old that we propose. With games, you help develop creativity, fine and gross motor skills, visual coordination and knowledge of space, among other skills.

However, avoid worrying about clutter. The important thing is to spend unforgettable moments with your child where you can laugh together. While your child enjoys his curiosity and imagination, you become the best playmate.