Activities for 1 Year Olds September 11, 2011 By Rachel

Our tots love to explore their surroundings. Through our weekly play activities link-party, It’s Playtime, and from roving the internet we have found lots of activities to help stimulate and engage our toddlers. If you have any suggested activities, please feel free to submit them in the weekly link-up or leave a link in the comments.

Here are our favorite toddler activities:

• Sensory Activities
• Discovery Toys
• Baby Toys
• Craft Ideas for Toddlers

Sensory Activities:

A lump of clay and household items or toys can keep a toddler entertained for hours! You and your tot can go on a texture hunt, make a book of different textures to explore (via Bloesum Kids), use the lid to a box to create a sensory version of hide-n-seek with family photos (via Inspiration Surrounds), enjoy a washrag maze (via Lilla A), or match textures as you feel them inside balloons (via Tutus and Turtles).

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Discovery Toys:

Toys don’t have to be fancy for kids to enjoy them! Some of my infants favorites are created with items found around the house. We made I-Spy shaking bottles, Imagination Tree added glitter to her oil and water bottles, over at Pre-school Play they have a smorgesboard of bottle ideas including one where they added marbles to shampoo, Southern Thomas added colorful items to plain water to create a collection of visual effects and Cluck, Cluck Sew made a bottle-free discovery bag for her kids to play with.

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Baby Toys:

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One of our most popular DIY creations is our toddler clipping toy – sure to entertain! But there are other ways you can create toys from everyday objects! Counting Coconuts made blocks from tree branches, mix pipe-cleaners and a sifter and you have toddler poking fun (via The Imagination Tree), an old cereal tub or a large tin can when decorated becomes a drum (via No Time for Flashcards) and help your tot practice fine motor skills with pom-poms and a tupperware tub (via Engaging Toddler Activities).

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Craft Ideas for Toddlers:

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Finger paint with edible paints. A Bunch of Keys made finger paint from condensed milk and The Imagination Tree made paint from flour and food coloring. Don’t want to risk the mess? Angelyn’s Life has a great solution. Put the paper and the paint in a bag. Tape it shut and watch your tots squish to their hearts content. Have dried out markers and maybe a tot like mine who likes to color on herself? This blogger made watercolors out of her old markers.

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Do you have any ideas for baby’s, toddlers, preschoolers, or elementary aged kids? Favorite family crafts or activities? I’d love to feature them – link up to It’s Playtime. I bookmark my favorites for days like today!
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