What game can a 1 year old play?

Photo: Abi Walker

Preparation time: 3 minutes | Materials: toy animals, tape

Our favorite games to play with 1-year-olds

1. Baby Tennis

Baby tennis is a good deal. It’s not quite like playing Wimbledon. It’s better!.

Peek-a-boo

Just like six-month-olds, 1-year-olds love the family fun provided by a game of peek-a-boo. Use your hands to hide your face and peek… or hold a scarf or tea towel over your face and (gently!) surprise your baby that way.

Place your baby in the high chair with a blob of non-toxic paint on the high chair tray and watch him get creative! It’s a good idea to have the bathroom ready after this activity, and supervise any other children around the water, so you can quickly tidy up your child.

Sing nursery rhymes and have a dance party

Have a dance party at home (as well as develop those gross motor skills)! Turn up the music you like and dance along with your little one. If she still can’t stand, carry her in your arms while you dance to the music.

Bonus points for singing and dancing nursery rhymes with movement! Some interactive songs include:

Top 10 games to play with your one-year-old

1. ThinkFun Roll and Play Game: This award-winning game is perfect for parents and babies to play together to develop skills that inspire creativity and imagination. You play ThinkFun Roll and Play by rolling the big plush cube to determine a color category, then draw a card that contains an activity that needs to be acted out. Some of the activities include “roaring like a lion” or “making a happy face”. There are endless learning opportunities and you don’t even need the cube to play if you want to make the game even easier.
2. Puppets- Little ones love puppets and playing with puppets that represent animals or even people is a great way to include imaginative play with your child. Puppet games can include pretend feeding, petting, singing, storytelling, or even playing house! There are endless games you can play with puppets. Full hand puppets are great for games, but you can often find finger puppets that will also fit in your child’s hands so they can play pretend with you.
3. Finger painting- Most kids love to be messy, but when that mess is easily cleaned up, it makes mom and dad’s life so much easier. Washable paints like those from Crayola are perfect for beginners to learn finger painting. You can also use these paints with foam pieces or stamping brushes and learn how to make brush strokes. Another painting activity that can be fun and help avoid the mess of arts and crafts activities on the kitchen table is tub paints that double as soap!
4. Pretend Play- When you play with your child through role-play, imitation and more, you are developing critical skills and brain functioning. Some one-year-olds really love playing with toy cleaning supplies like vacuum cleaners or rags, and if your toddler is standing or walking he might even be ready for pretend shopping carts, play kitchens, or even start a cleaning station. clothing! This age is also the perfect time to introduce sets like the Fisher-Price Little People Caring for Animals Farm Playset or a play tea set that can teach skills like manners and sharing.
5. Shape Sorters- One-year-olds love to play with shape sorters and these toys are suitable for quiet, learning-focused play. Sorting the shapes helps develop fine motor skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills. You can also use the shape pickers to get started on identifying shapes and colors. The Fisher-Price Shape Sorter is a tried and trusted product that thousands of parents have used with their children, including us!
6. Puzzles- Kids love puzzles, especially big ones like Melissa & Doug puzzles and puzzles with knobs or little handles for them to grasp. Puzzles are a great way to interact with your child as he or she begins to think critically and solve problems. Most families end up with dozens of puzzles and our family is no different. We have many different puzzles from animals to vehicles to shapes to people in our house. Puzzles also provide you with opportunities to identify and label things in our world for your child to develop early language skills. We also used puzzles for sorting and pretend games.
7. Build it and tear it down- One of the simplest ways to delight a one-year-old is to build a giant tower and then tear it all down. Megablocks are a great first block for little ones who are learning to build because the blocks are easy to stack and put together. You’ll probably have to work side-by-side with your child to build amazing structures, but interactive play is great for you and your child. If you don’t have mega blocks, you can also use wooden blocks or large soft plush blocks that won’t hurt if thrown.
8. Piano mats- If you want to get your one-year-old to stand up and encourage him to take steps, try a piano mat. We love the Play22 keyboard mat because it feels just like a real keyboard with 24 keys and the ability to record and play songs your baby plays. You never know what kind of musical genius might be waiting to show itself! Another reason we really love the Play22 playmat is that there are seven other modes that allow notes to play like a saxophone, violin, clarinet, trumpet, banjo, guitar, and xylophone. The volume is also adjustable which is a great relief for parents who want a quieter music experience. If you want a musical mat for toddlers that is less instrumental and can also teach numbers, colors and animals, check out LeapFrog’s Learn and Groove Musical Mat.
9. Take him over there – I know, it sounds silly, but kids love having jobs to do. We’ve already called childhood the “cargo and bag stage” because of how happy it makes them carry things around. Filling a bucket or basket with blocks or other toys and taking them to another place to dump them can be a satisfying game.
10. A board game for kids – Most board games for kids aren’t so much about sitting still, they’re about giving some ideas for active play. Having an easy-to-play game like Seek-a-Boo around can make playing with your child fun and easy. You can find the rest of our favorite kids’ board games here.

Playing with your one-year-old is the best way to teach him new skills and help him explore and learn about his world. Making sure toys and games are age appropriate is essential, but there are many games and toys that can be adapted for young children to grow with them. The best way to engage your one-year-old is through physical interaction and games that engage her senses. Along with games, don’t forget that reading to your child is the best way to teach words and develop language skills.