Toddler Tuesdays: What Toys Do One Year Olds Like?

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Today I want to talk about toys.  I’ll be honest, I feel like I’ve asked every friend, family member, and group that I’m a part of what toys a one year old would like before J turned one.  I got a ton of different answers which is to be expected as every baby/toddler is different.

Toddler Tuesdays: Toys for One Year Olds

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There are a few toys that were recommended to me by a lot of different people.   I feel that these toys are a good deal for the money, are something that your one year old will play with for more than a week, and are toys that are made well.   I’d like to share a list of these toys in hopes of helping out those of you looking for toys for your one year old!

Mega Bloks

Mega Bloks

These brightly colored blocks have big, easy to grip shapes and are made especially for toddlers.  For young toddlers the are fun to dump out of the bag, put back in, and to bang together.  As toddlers grow they can begin to put the blocks together and build!

Tobbles Neo

Tobbles Neo

Stackable cups and toys like this grippy tower promote fitting pieces into other pieces and hand manipulation, which is both fun and good for todder’s development.  The weighted cracked-egg-like components can not only be stacked but also toppled, spun, and balanced.  They can be used in several different ways as grow with the toddler.

Manhattan Toy Tree Top Adventure Activity Center

Manhattan Tree Top Toy Adventure

An activity center that has tracks for wooden beads and hidden animals.  Toddlers have to figure out how to make the wooden beads follow the tracks.  They can also use the beads to play with or look for the hidden animals.  While this specific toy is tons of fun any activity center with beads on a track is a great toy for toddlers.

Pound and Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone

Pound and Tap Xylophone

This is another toy with several different functions so it grows with your child.  Pound the wooden balls onto the xylophone to hear music or slide the xylophone out and play it on its own.  Children can also remove the balls and play with them on their own.  Great for kids who love music.

VTech Drop and Go Dump Truck

VTech Dump Truck

This dump truck is full of fun!   It’s a pull toy that bumps up and down as it is pulled.  There are “rocks” that can be put into the dump truck and blast into the back of it.   There is music that plays as the child plays with the truck.  This and any other pull toy that plays music is fun in so many different and ways!   My child actually loves this toy and will pull it around, just listen to the music, take the balls to play with on their own, or put things in the back.

Books

Toddler Books

Books are definitely a toy that keeps on giving.   At this age toddlers are old enough to sit through a short book, turn the pages in a board book themselves, and look at books on their own.  As they get older they will begin to understand the books and may being to repeat lines from the books that they love or say a word or two here and there while you read to them.  I encourage any parent to read to your child every day.  We read J two books before each of his naps every day and he often chooses to look at books himself.  Some of his favorites are Little Blue Truck, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Veggies with Wedgies.

Cups, Lids, and Bowls

A great toy for kids this age is something that is right in your own home.  Cups, lids, and plastic bowls can become music makers, stackable blocks, or containers to fill and empty.  It’s something that’s available in your own kitchen and your child will have hours of fun with these!

Boxes

Boxes

Another toy that is probably already in your home.  Many toddlers enjoy playing with different sized boxes.  Huge boxes are fun for toddlers to sit in and play in.  Medium size boxes are fun to crawl in or push along the floor.  Small boxes can be filled and emptied, turned upside and played like a drum, or used like cars.

These are just a few ideas for toys to buy your one year old that will be something they can enjoy for more than a week or two.  There are so many toys on the market that it can sometimes be overwhelming.  While we don’t have all of these toys we do have the Mega Bloks and VTech Dump Truck and J loves playing with both.

He also has a blast in the kitchen on a daily basis.  There are several cupboards he is allowed in and he takes out the lids, cups, and bowls, bangs them on the floor, scoots around with them on his hands, and pretends they are hats.  He does this over and over again.  He also enjoys playing with empty boxes.  Just remember, with enough imagination anything can become a toy!

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