What we get up to.
These are a few activities that are great for children around a year of age that we love to do, the older ones tend to love them too!
When I look at activities for this age, I want something quick and easy to set up because they are unlikely to play with it for very long. It also needs to be safe in case it gets eaten!
Pasta Posting
This is a really easy activity that is good fun, children love posting items at this age and it’s a great one for their fine motor skills as well. Just find a box and pop a few holes in, some bigger than others for easier options. Pasta is a good thing to use and something you tend to always have in the cupboard. My three year old enjoyed doing this as well.
This tissue box was great as once they had finished posting them through we lifted the box and they were all sat underneath on the floor ready to do it again!
Gloop
This activity is a bit messy but it is really fun and good for multiple ages ( I enjoy playing with it too!). Really easy to make; two cups of cornflour to 1 of water. Add some food colouring if would like to change the colour.
We start with playing with just our hands and then often add some animals or cars (ones you can wash easily). My three year old like to have some containers and spoons and move it around (the one year old would just spoon it into his mouth; while it is edible, probably not ideal to eat lots of it).
You can do this in a large bowl or tray, unless your feeling up for full mess then in a tuff tray is great, feeling the way the gloop moves using their whole body is a great sensory activity.
One of the things we have found really valuable for any messy play activities is a tuff tray, you can use this inside or out and we use it for water play in the summer. You can also get a stand for them so they can be set to different heights, the children can then play around them or you can put some blankets over and turn it into a den.
Drawing
Often this isn't one of the things you think about for those so young but they will really enjoy. Easy to use big crayons or chunky pencils are best and if you use some card, they are able to move it around without ripping it. You can even use the same piece a few times!
Filling & Emptying
This is a favourite game here. We have a few toys which are this concept which are really great, such as this one here . Please note that these do state from 18 months plus, they are not small and we have used them from a year.
If you don't already have something like this, we also use a box and fill it with a few different toys, he loves to open it up find what is inside, take it all out and then put it all back in.
Talking, Singing & Reading
This really helps their communication skills and when your busy, the best way to make sure your helping them develop is by just talking through what you are doing.
Having your buggy parent facing when out and about so you can talk to them about what they see is also really great, it helps with bonding, listening and communication skills. If you enjoy a bit of research here a is great link about this. National Literacy Trust.
Busy Board
If you are a bit creative these can be really fun to make. These are everyday items that your child can play with. You can put all different bits on them, our favourites have been a light switch, a lock and key, a spin fidget toy and a bell. If you search for these you will find lots of ideas, you can also buy them ready made.
Outdoors
We try to make sure we spend time outside each day, the children all love it and is great to get rid of some of that energy. I find it a tricky age around now when they want to crawl around everywhere and eat all the stones or leaves! So the park for a bit of a swing and a crawl through the tunnel is good or just a nice walk in the pushchair.
Let me know in the comments what your favourite activity is, and if you have given any a try.