Sensory Activities for 1 Year Olds (Over 65 Ideas!) (2024)

FAQs

What is the best sensory play for a 1 year old? ›

Playing outdoors is an important sensory activity for 1-year-olds as it helps babies engage all their senses in the natural environment. Go on nature walks with your toddler and encourage them to explore the sights, smells and sounds of nature. Give them objects like pinecones or rocks that they can touch and examine.

But it doesn't have to be complicated—fill a water bottle or bag with beads, little toys, and other trinkets (and make sure to seal it well); or glue different textured fabric to the sides of wooden blocks. These are just a few great examples of how to use simple materials to light up your child's mind.

Sight: Eye control, hand-eye coordination, and depth perception improves. Smell: Begins to associate smell with taste, and place location of smells. Hearing: Able to identify the direction of sounds & recognize familiar words. Touch: Recognizes textures and begins grabbing with thumb and forefinger.

12-18 months: Engages in functional play by using a toy for its proper function. Cause-effect play is important (learning how to dump, fill up, turn, crank, twist, make noise, or light up toys). Learning to play games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”.

Pros: Baby sensory videos can help stimulate a baby's visual and auditory senses as well as help improve eye coordination and movement. They can also be relaxing and stimulating for babies in the rhythm and the videos can help calm babies which is extremely handy for tired or stressed parents in a pinch.

Wooden or soft blocks are also good for 1-year-olds, as are traditional ring stackers on a pole. Found objects work for stacking, too; assorted small gift boxes and plastic measuring cups are fantastic.

Avoid toys made from thin plastic that can break easily. Also avoid giving toys with metal parts to toddlers and babies. Small toys and toys with small parts. To prevent choking in kids 3 or younger, make sure that toys and parts cannot fit inside an empty toilet paper tube.

A plastic bowl and Tupperware containers with dried pasta and/or dried rice in. Put the pasta or rice in the bowl for your child to move their hands through with you assisting and encouraging them hand over hand if required.

Are sensory videos good for 1 year olds? ›

Is it OK for babies to watch sensory videos? Watching baby sensory videos is perfectly safe for your little one and can help to enhance visual and auditory stimulation, eye coordination and movement, particularly if your baby chooses to dance along to the music.

Kids this age make big gains in understanding language and figuring out how to communicate. By 15 months, most say their first words and point to ask for something or to get help. They can follow directions when given with both words and a gesture. By 18 months, they follow 1-step directions without gestures.

Everything you need to know about your growing 1-year-old

Toddlers are more active, curious and expressive. At this age, your child may begin to use words, be able to stand on their own and take a few steps. To help your little one learn and grow, read books to your child and encourage active play.

"Toys can also pose fun challenges for 1-year-olds to figure out — think about a stacking ring, nesting cups, shape-sorters, a busy-box or simple wooden knob puzzles. And it's never too early for set of cube blocks, plus a basket or bucket to drop them in and dump them out of.

All toddlers complain about this and that — because that's what little kids do! Plus, they're naturally sensitive to temperature, texture and other sensations at this age. But a few kids are touchy-feely to the extreme — and these children may have sensory processing issues.