Are you looking for a present for a 1 year old boy? With so many options out there, finding the right toy can be intimidating. Luckily, we have researched hundreds of toys and pulled together a list of the 10 best toys which aren't only super fun but also critical to assisting 1 year olds reach developmental milestones. . Otherwise, keep reading to learn about 1 year old developmental benchmarks.
Also note: this list is terrific for 1 year old girls also. Many of the toys have girl color variations or are gender neutral.
1 Year Old Developmental Milestones
Children between 12 and 24 months create enormous developmental strides that allow them to begin exploring the world. In this enjoyable year they often go from crawling to standing and walking. They develop fine motor skills like drinking from sippy cups and picking up objects. As they teeth, they'll also eat more varied foods which helps them develop the strength for language.
Cognitively, a 1 year old child is just beginning to understand everyday objects like tooth bruses, and balls. They could follow simple directions like "come here". They can make the link between words you say and the objects they represent like their belly, or a picture in a book.
Most 1 year olds will babble. They're just beginning to express themselves with actual words such as"yes, mama." They can recognize family members' names as well. They experience the same emotions that full grown people do like happiness, sadness, and laughter. Occasionally they get frustrated when they can't express themselves. 1 year olds still have limited social interactions with other kids.
With those developmental considerations in mind, here's our list of the greatest toys for 1 year old boys.
Top 10 Toys for 1 Year Old Boys
1. VTech Drop & Go Dump Truck
You may be surprised to see a dump truck toy high on our list, but do not be fooled. This Drop & Go Dump Truck toy from VTech packs a heavy load of developmental value. The toy helps kids improve their motor skills, counting, and spatial reasoning. Boys also just love dump trucks.
Toddlers put balls into the top of the red truck and watch them fall to the yellow bucket. They can then pull the truck with a string, or push it to find the balls rumble inside the bucket. A lever allows the dump truck do what dump trucks to best -- ditch the balls, so your toddler can place them in again.
Whether you're buying this truck as a gift, or getting one for your child, this toy will help your toddler develop both their gross and fine motor skills, all while having a blast.
2.
While toddlers might still not be very proficient at speaking, they begin soaking up vocabulary like a sponge. This beautiful first words board book is fantastic at creating that core vocabulary.
It contains 100 images on thick pages that toddlers may turn themselves. Parents sit with their toddlers and first introduce the words associated with each picture. Then they could ask the child to point to image of the word that they say. This process of learning early vocabulary is a wonderful experience for parent and child alike.
3.
This versatile toy train will grow along with your child as they transition from crawling to walking and standing. It can be utilized as a floor toy, with lots of learning activities to teach letters, numbers, and colors. The second train compartment comes with 13 double-sided alphabet blocks to teach the ABCs. Toddlers can sitride, push, and pull the train until they run out of fuel.
4.
This car dashboard toy is wonderful at sparking a 1 year old boy's creativity, as well as helping them develop fine motor control and strength. This toy is great at sparking their imaginative play. Toddlers love pretending to be like their parents driving also.
5.
If your boy is 18 months or older, they will enjoy this toy workshop. It's numerous kid-friendly tools like hammers and screwdrivers, to help your toddler enhance their fine motor control. It is highly interactive, with activities for learning shapes, counting, colors, and the ABCs. Boys will love hammering, screwing, and building. This developmental playset may be slightly advanced for some early toddlers, but they will likely grow in the toy by 18 months.
6. Mega Bloks 80-Piece Huge Building Bag
This building block set is so good, it is not just on this listing. Children can play with these building blocks for several years. The large pieces are great for miniature toddler hands. 1 year olds will likely just put two or three pieces together. As they get older, they will build increasingly larger and more imaginative structures. At a reasonable $15 price tag, this building blocks set gives you a great bang for your buck.
7. VTech Busy Learners Activity Cube
For 6 months to 3 years old, this toy helps toddlers enhance fine motor control while introducing them to animal names, animal sounds, shapes, and tools. The toy has 5 sides which encourage hours of exploration, play, and movement.
8. TOLO Toys Funtime Fishing Bath Toy
Bath time could be great for both development and fun. This fishing toy comes with 3 lovely floating fish, and a reel using a magnetic worm. Children move the reel to grab the magnetic fish. The toy not only makes bath time a lot of fun, it helps children improve their dexterity and even find out about the properties of water.
9. Baby Einstein Take Along Songs Musical Toy
Provide your child the pleasure of wonderful baby-friendly classical music player. Children from 3 months old to 3 years old will love alternating between 7 enjoyable melodies in this toy.
Many parents bring this toy is along for car trips, since it's an excellent toddler distraction and keeps them from becoming fussy.
10.
This set of 10 durable stacking cups will keep your kid stimulated through many phases of development. Toddlers learn to put smaller cups on larger cups to make a big tower. They practice comparing sizes of items and problem solving. The cups also encourage dexterity. As toddlers stack higher, they improve gross motor skills and balance. They're more likely to begin standing.
There are a range of stacking toys on the market. We've picked one that's safe, inexpensive, well rated, and even helps teach counting. Bonus: each cup has different holes at the bottom for bath time fun.
We hope you've enjoyed this list. While we don't suggest that these are the only toys your child could possibly need, we do believe this list of the 10 best toys and gifts for 1 year old boys is a great start. If you have any suggestions or opinions, please reach out to us.
Criteria for Placement
While listing the best educational resources is never an exact science, we've done our best find products that rank highly on the following standards:
- Developmental effect : lots of toys out there like plush dolls are somewhat restricted in their developmental effect. We've critically assessed the toys on this list due to their impact on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
- Safety: All toys on this list are safe to use, free of toxic compounds like lead and BPA
- Durability: Toddlers like to throw, sit on, and hit everything in site.
- Price: Parenting doesn't need to be prohibitively costly. We looked for the least expensive goods that still meet our quality and developmental requirements.