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Toys for 1 Year Olds
Everyday play for 12 to 24 months: pull-alongs, shape sorters, stackers, chunky puzzles and first dolls, many in wood. Toys for this busy, on-the-move stage.
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See the 1 year guide on Stage by Stage →Looking for a present? See our gift ideas for 1 year olds
Toys for 1 year olds
Between their first and second birthday, many children go from crawling to walking, and from babbling to their first words. The best toys for 1 year olds keep up with all that movement and give them simple problems to solve, like posting a shape or stacking a tower.
Many of our picks are wooden and Montessori-style: open-ended toys with one clear job that a toddler can master, then come back to again and again.
What helps at this age
- Moving: pull-along toys and busy boards reward those first wobbly steps and keep curious hands busy.
- Fitting and stacking: shape sorters, stacking rings and chunky puzzles build hand control and a sense of how things fit together.
- Noise and words: the NHS says toys and books that make a noise help a child's listening skills at 12 to 18 months. Sound puzzles are a lovely fit for this.
- Caring play: a soft doll or cuddly toy gives them a first chance to copy what they see you do.
How to choose toys for a 1 year old
- Go for chunky pieces with no small parts, and check the label says suitable from 12 months or younger.
- Pick toys that do one thing well. A simple sorter holds attention longer than a toy that flashes and talks.
- Wood and recycled plastic both wear well. Choose what is easy to clean.
- Think ahead: stacking cups, sorters and puzzles stay useful well past the second birthday.
Questions parents ask
What are the best toys for a 1 year old?
A shape sorter, a stacker, a chunky puzzle and something to push or pull cover most of what a one year old loves. Add a soft doll and a few board books and you are set.
What are Montessori toys for 1 year olds?
Simple, real-looking toys, often wooden, that let children work something out for themselves, like a shape sorter, a stacking tower or a bead maze.
When can my child have toys with small parts?
Toys marked not suitable for children under 36 months are not for 1 year olds, because small parts can be a choking risk. We have picked these with one year olds in mind, but it is always worth checking the label.
Buying for a first birthday? See our first birthday gifts, or find toys for every age on our Stage by Stage page.
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