The first year of a baby’s life is full of milestones. Babies develop incredibly quickly in those first twelve months, learning new ways of thinking, communicating, and moving. In just a short time they’ve gone from a newborn to a busy little explorer full of personality!
Here at Wicked Uncle HQ, we know how important play is for children’s development, including:
- Growth
- Movement
- Motor Skills
- Communication & Language
We pulled together some of the best learning toys for 1 year olds, to engage their curiosity and support those exciting milestones:
Growth
The first twelve months of a baby’s life are one rapid growth spurt. By their first birthday, babies have grown by 50%, their weight has tripled, and their brain is already about 60% of its adult size! Toddlers continue to grow at a slower but steady rate, becoming stronger and more capable.
A fun way to keep track of all these physical changes is with a growth chart, such as this Animals Height Chart, which can document a child’s progress from tot to tall over the coming years.
Movement
Most 1 year olds can belly crawl, scoot, or move about on their hands and knees – nothing will stop them from exploring! And over the next few months, a baby will learn to stand up and eventually take their first tentative steps.
In the beginning, those steps will be unbalanced and unsteady. But as the child gains confidence and strength, they’ll soon be bounding around the house!
Push-along toys, like this sturdy 2 in 1 Rider Walker, are perfect for helping little ones build confidence as they develop from sitting to crawling to walking. And once a child is walking, pull-along toys such as our fun Pull-Along Jungle make brilliant companions to accompany them on their adventures.
Motor Skills
At twelve months, a child will become better at doing things by themselves. As such, they’re eager to test out their fine motor skills by picking up objects between their thumb and forefinger (known as the “pincer grasp”), helping with buttons and zips as they’re dressed, and turning the pages of a book during storytime.
Their eagerness may outpace their skills, but they keep learning from these everyday actions. Give 1 year olds lots of opportunities to let their fingers do the exploring!
Small children will enjoy touching and manipulating various objects – the more buttons to push, blocks to stack, or noises they make, the better!
Brilliant toys for this are sturdy and colourful stacking block sets, such as this Farmyard Counting Stacker which will support motor skill development and help with basic counting skills and colour recognition. To inspire budding young musicians while encouraging motor skills, you can’t go wrong with the Rainbow Lion Xylophone – sure to be a hit with your one year old!
Communication & Language
At year one, a baby’s vocabulary is expanding quickly. Babies learn language by imitating the speech they hear around them. They’re eager to engage in two-way conversations – although their contributions might be a bit limited!
Small children are mimics, and you can help grow a child’s vocabulary by talking to them and identifying things they can see. The more a baby hears a word, the faster they will remember it. Start by pointing out things in the world around them, or reading a picture book, asking them to point to or name familiar objects.
This pretend mobile phone has numbers, colours and plays melodies. The colourful buttons, fun sounds, and songs make this toy perfect for little ones to explore whilst learning. Perfect for hand eye coordination and imaginative play with easy to press icons, five different ringtones, and a super cool flashlight!
All babies are unique, and not every little one develops at the same pace. The most important thing is to ensure that all children are supported at every stage of their development. Give them lots of opportunity to play, grow, and explore.
Looking for a gift for a 1 year old? Shop our range at Wicked Uncle, the home of brilliant children’s presents!
