What To Teach a 1 Year Old

What To Teach A 1 Year Old: 11 Fun Ideas

Are you home all day with your 1 year old and sometimes have no idea what to do with him or her? Maybe you’re just struggling to figure out exactly what to teach a 1 year old. 

In this post we will be reviewing different 1 year old activities that will help your toddler learn age appropriate lessons. This will include educational games for 1 year olds and sensory activites for 1 year olds. Additionally, this post will discuss teaching your 1 year old to talk and how to discipline a 1 year old.

Educational Games For 1 Year Olds Ideas

What are some fun games to play with a one year old that are also educational? Check out the list below.

Block Sorter

A block sorter will help your 1 year old learn shapes and colors. It is also great practice for both gross and fine motor skills.

Ring Stacker

This is another toy that is wonderful for both gross and fine motor skills. Plus, it helps teach your 1 year old to differentiate between colors and sizes.

Pretend Play

Pretend play is a great tool for toddlers to learn many important skills including social development, language development, and thinking skills.

Some examples of pretend play with a 1 year old include working at a restaurant, playing mommy and daddy, or dress-up.

Peek-a-boo or Hide & Seek

Playing peek-a-boo is sure to get a laugh out of your 1 year old. It’s fun and helps build social skills and stimulates your toddler’s senses.

Another fun game with similar benefits is hide and seek. With a 1 year old this consists of disappearing around a corner, then coming back around and reappearing. All my kids thought this game was just so much fun!

Music

Singing and dancing to nursery rhymes or other songs will help your 1 year old’s literacy and counting skills. Music also teaches kids about patterns. On top of that, music can help with your toddler’s sensory development and help build coordination.

Another musical option is a set of percussion instruments for toddlers. This will introduce rhythms and music play to your 1 year old. Percussion instruments are a great tool for improving fine motor skills.

List Of Sensory Activities For 1 Year Old’s

Sensory activities are important for your 1 year old’s development. Here are three fun ideas to try.

Water / Sand Table

Water and sand tables are a great way for your toddler to get down and dirty. Yes, it’s a mess, but just be prepared to change clothes and have towels on hand.

Besides water and sand you could also fill the table with other things. At the end of the day, water and sand tables are a wonderful way for 1 year old’s to explore using their senses.

Sensory Bins

Sensory bins are another tool for keeping your 1 year old entertained all while learning about his senses. And, you can make them yourself with things you have around the house.

Check out this awesome list of sensory bin ideas for toddlers.

Touch & Feel Books

Reading books is always a great teaching tool. But, selecting a touch and feel book adds sensory learning as well. Plus, your 1 year old will love having something to do as you turn each page.

How To Teach Your 1 Year Old To Talk

Watching your toddler learn words is such a wonderful experience. Here are three things you can do to help your toddler’s language development.

Read Books

The more you read to your child the better. Reading books to your one year old is one way to help him learn about communication.

Have A Conversation

One of the best ways to help teach your 1 year old to talk is to just have a conversation with him. Make a point to do this as often as possible. But, remember, don’t use any baby talk. Just hearing a typical word exchange will help your 1 year old with his language skills.

Put Words Together

Another way to teach your 1 year old to talk is to take a word he says and add to it. If your toddler says toy, you would respond by adding a few more words. For example, “Do you want the red toy?” Or, “Are you playing with the big toy?”

Disciplining A One Year Old

I always found setting boundaries with my one year olds to be very tricky. It can be difficult to communicate at this age. What can you really do to discipline 1 year olds if they are not behaving? Here is a list of what to teach a 1 year old about good behavior.

• Ignore bad behavior, but praise good behavior
• Redirect or distract bad behavior
• Strongly say “No”
• Don’t yell, it is not effective
• Set examples of good behavior yourself
• Be consistent

That wraps up our post on what to teach a 1 year old. From educational games to teaching your 1 year old to talk and listen, I hope you learned some new things you can start using for helping with your 1 year old’s development.