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51 Engaging Activities for 1-Year-Olds

Looking for ways to keep your little ones busy? These very engaging activities for 1-year-olds will help you do just that!

They say it takes a village to raise a kid, and they are not wrong. It’s tough to keep these young ones occupied, so here we are with 51 Engaging Activities for 1-Year-Olds. These activities are highly amusing for kids who are one year or older.

With these engaging activities, you can keep your kids occupied for a long time. Most of these activities encourage independent play.

activities for 1 year olds

So, if you are a parent with multiple kids, these might just be the thing you need. Let’s get started.

1.  Winter-Ice Sensory Bin

Winter-Ice Sensory Bin

Source: simplyfullofdelight.com

What’s summer without a bit of Ice play? Our first activity is a sensory ice bin; sensory play is a great way to help kids understand different textures and help them get used to them as well.

Sensory play is the best way to engage all senses, such as touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing.

For this DIY toddler project, you will need a bin or tote, arctic animals like polar bears, and a washcloth. Order your arctic animals here to make your arctic bin a huge success with your kid.

2. Loom Band Sensory Bottles

Loom Band Sensory Bottles

Source: intheplayroom.co.uk

A loom band sensory bottle is a great way to calm your hyper kid. This one engages the sense of sight; with the colorful bands going up and down, you will find your kid relaxing.

With this fantastic sensory activity, you can teach your 1-year-old how water works and how different objects react when put in water, i.e., float, swim and sink.

To make your DIY Loom Band Sensory Bottles, you will need plastic jars or bottles filled with water and glycerin. Order bottles suitable for this activity here. Add your colorful bands to your bottle and let the fun begin.

Check out more activities for kids at home.

3. Fizzy Ice Cube Sensory Bin

Fizzy Ice Cube Sensory Bin

Source: liltigers.net

There is no kid who doesn’t like ICE! Summer is the perfect time to do some ice-related fun activities. For this one, the two main things you need are an ice cube tray, order here, and baking soda.

With this activity, you will help your kid practice fine motor skills, observation, and communication skills. Moreover, it will also help your kid build focus and encourage critical thinking.

4. Halloween Sensory Bin

Halloween Sensory Bin

Source: momafterbaby.com

With every season and holiday, you can create a sensory bin. Sensory bins are great for a lot of reasons. The biggest reason is that it engages all senses of your child’s senses.

For Halloween, you can create a sensory bin using the staples of Halloween, such as a bin, a bin scoop, and some pumpkin seeds. Order your sensory bin scoop here. Add your pumpkin to the bin, with eyes and mouth cutouts buried in the seeds. Let your kid explore the bin and dig out the cutouts.

Help your kid glue them on to create their Halloween pumpkin. You can use plastic or foam pumpkin for this activity.

5. Rainbow Spaghetti

Rainbow Spaghetti

Source: twopinkpeonies.com

Before we get on with explaining how to make this DIY Rainbow Spaghetti sensory bin, we would like to add that this is not only a fun activity for one time but can be used on many occasions.

You can use red and pink for Valentine’s, and red and green for Christmas.

Sensory bins encourage independent play, which is why we love them so much. For this colorful activity, you will need food color dye, a rainbow pack, and spaghetti. You can add all sorts of tools to make this more fun.

Let your kids dye the spaghetti with you, add them to the bin, and just play around. Kids can move the rainbow spaghetti around with tongs, plastic forks, cut them up with scissors, or just use their hands to have some fun with the slimy textured noodles.

Bonus points, you can also serve this dyed pasta for dinner.

6. Easter Egg Puzzle Activity

Easter Egg Puzzle Activity

Source: littleladoo.com

Puzzles are great for your child’s cognitive development. To start with, you can introduce simple two-piece puzzles and progress to multiple pieces with time. For the easter egg puzzle, you will need felt and foam sheets to make them sturdy and easy to grip.

You can order your colorful felt sheets here. To make the puzzles, download the template, cut the pieces out and use these to cut out the foam and felt.

Now layer them and sew to complete your puzzle. Sit with your kid, help them once and let them do the rest independently.

This activity helps your toddler match, learn color and also use precise hand movements to join the pieces together.

7. Oats Sensory Bin

Oats Sensory Bin

Source: easiermotherhood.com

You can create your sensory bin with anything in the house. There is no need to get special tools and fillings for your bin.

Just like this Oats bin, put in some instant oats and an egg carton, and give your kid some colorful spoons. And you can use a Ziploc bag like this to store the oats for next time. 

Armed with the spoons, your kids will have the time of their life spooning oats and pouring them in the egg tray. To make your bin look vibrant, you can even paint the egg with your little toddler.

8. Summer Sensory Bin – Food Edition

Summer Sensory Bin - Food Edition

Source: mamaofminis.com

Eat and play. Is there anything better for a toddler or even a preschooler? Well, this next idea is full of play and flavor, make a Food Safe Summer Sensory Bin.

It’s a great snack time activity where you can let your kid explore different flavors and also have tons of fun while doing that.

Who said snack time has to be boring? Let’s create some fun food sensory bins.

This summer food sensory bin encourages many actions such as scooping, pouring, squeezing, tasting, and squealing with joy. All you need are some fruits cut in halves, cold water, and some tools like a water dropper and scooper to play with.

9. Puzzle Craft Toddler Activity

Puzzle Craft Toddler Activity

Source: happymomentsmom.com

Puzzles are great for kids of all sizes and ages; they are also great for your kid’s brain development. With puzzles, you can help your kid develop fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination, and critical thinking.

To make this puzzle activity, you will need cardstock and a coloring book. Color your picture, cut it into fun pieces, and work with your kids to put them together.

Our favorite is the farm animal coloring book. If your little one loves animals, you can order yours here.

10. Hammer Painting

Hammer Painting

Source: liltigers.net

Just two things are needed for this excellent toddler activity, hammer and paints. If you are looking for a new hammer for both your toolbox and this project, you can get one here.

Once you have gathered all the supplies, explain the rules and safety measures to your kid and start the fun. Smashing paint and creating masterpieces will soon become the favorite pastime of your baby.

11. Edible Yogurt Finger Paint

Edible Yogurt Finger Paint

Source: easiermotherhood.com

Whoever said food and fun don’t go hand in hand was highly mistaken. You can do a lot of fun activities with food while enjoying a bite or two. This cool Edible Yogurt Finger Paint is one of those fun activities.

This is just like any other painting activity, but with Yogurt. Toddlers are curious beings, they love putting things in their mouths, and paint is no exception.

So, give them edible paint and watch them eat and paint and have the time of their life. The only thing you need to worry about is getting high-quality food-grade color; get yours here.

12. Ice Cube Sensory Bags

Ice Cube Sensory Bags

Source: mimosasandmotherhood.com

I can’t stress how important sensory play is for toddlers. It encourages independent play and helps your kid become confident in exploring their environment. It’s highly important for your kid to be able to explore and be curious about their surroundings.

Use water and glycerin to fill your zip lock pouch or bottle, add colored or uncolored ice cubes to the bag, and seal. Give this to your baggy to explore and play. You can add beads, cereal, rice, corn, etc., to the bag if you aren’t comfortable with ice or need more options.

13. Painting With Foil Activity

Painting With Foil Activity

Source: taminglittlemonsters.com

Kids love to explore, and if you have ones that love exploring and experimenting, this activity is made for you. Painting on foil is a lot more different than painting on paper. The texture and resistance of the foil are very unique, unlike paper.

Help your kids learn the difference between painting on foil and paper. If you are fresh out of foil, click here to order more for your kids.

14. DIY Paper Mache Activity

DIY Paper Mache Activity

Source: craftsyhacks.com

Paper mache is super fun to make, and you can use this simple dough to make all kinds of fun stuff. This squishy dough-making is a fun activity, and at the end of this fun activity, you get a dough that can be used to make ornaments, different shapes even alphabets.

The supplies are easy to get, you will need toilet paper rolls and a cheesecloth. You will also need a blender to make your paper mache dough.

15. Bubbles

Bubbles

Source: redtedart.com

Soap bubbles are captivating, and kids of all ages love them, especially toddlers. Here’s one excellent activity involving bubbles and squealing kids.

With this bubble activity, not only can you keep your kids amused for hours but also teach them a thing or two. With chase the bubbles, you can develop their gross motor skills, and with catch the bubbles, you can develop their motor skills.

Whip up a large batch of liquid and spend your weekend blowing bubbles.

16. DIY Colourful Scarf Magic Wipes

DIY Colourful Scarf Magic Wipes

Source: glitterinc.com

The kids in my house love taking out wipes and tissues from their boxes. There is no stopping them once they get hold of the box. Seeing their eagerness to play this game, I got them their own DIY wipes activity box.

For this, all you need is a reusable empty wipes container and some organza scarves; that’s about it for your DIY wipes toy box. To see your toddler getting the last one out with that triumphed smile is a huge win.

17. Water Balloon Painting

Water Balloon Painting

Source: liltigers.net

With balloon painting activity, you can make your kid’s communication skills stronger, improve their focus and also help them develop hand-eye coordination.

For this cool activity, all you need are some balloons. So order a new pack and some paints. Painting with water balloons is a summer-friendly activity. Better to do it outdoors so that you don’t have a lot of mess to clean.

18. Cups and Flowers Toddler DIY Project

Cups and Flowers Toddler DIY Project

Source: livinglifeandlearning.com

Who knew a bunch of flowers and paper cups could keep the babies busy for a good 15 to 20 minutes. If you have paper cups and fake flowers lying around the house, you are lucky because this is all you need to create this super fun activity.

Place some cups on a tray and put some flowers in them; let your toddler explore the tray, cups, and flowers. Soon they will be taking out the flowers and putting them back in again. Again a fun activity that can teach kids a lot about different textures and colors.

19. Ball Drop Box

Ball Drop Box

Source: taminglittlemonsters.com

Since baby toys are expensive and, half the time, toddlers aren’t even interested in their toys, here’s a fun idea for you. Let’s create a ball dropbox with a nappy box. This is a cool project that will get you a fantastic DIY toy for your toddler to play with.

To make a ball dropbox, you will need an empty nappy box, paint, and of course, a pack of balls. If you don’t have enough colorful balls, you can get some here.

This excellent project will keep your toddler engaged for half or a full hour.

20. Fridge Door Pom Pom Drop

Fridge Door Pom Pom Drop

Source: taminglittlemonsters.com

Here’s another ball-dropping game, but this time you can use pom-poms. Kids love squishy things, and pom-poms are the coolest. Aside from pom-poms, you will also need empty tissue rolls and some tape.

You can use your fridge or even the wall to stick these rolls and a box of pom-poms to your toddler. Your kid can shoot some hoops while you do your cooking. 

21. Edible Peanut Butter Playdough

Edible Peanut Butter Playdough

Source: conservamome.com

Slime and dough are the two most favorite things for every kid nowadays. If your kid is like most kids, they must also be crazy about play-dough.

But here’s the thing, kids also love to put slime and dough in their mouth, which is the reason why most mums aren’t crazy about letting their kids play with play dough,

Here’s our awesome solution to this problem. Make peanut butter dough. Fun to play with and safe if eaten. Isn’t this the coolest dough ever? You can also help your kid learn different shapes with this edible dough.

22. Fine Motor Play from Recyclables

Fine Motor Play from Recyclables

Source: teach-me-mommy.com

Enhance your little one’s fine motor skills by giving them activities made of recycled material. Use tissue rolls and pom-poms to make color sorting games and increase their hand-eye coordination.

This fun activity is also a good one to teach your kids different colors and help them learn matching colors.

23. Recycled Paper Roll Building Blocks

Recycled Paper Roll Building Blocks

Source: swoodsonsays.com

If you throw away those empty toilet paper rolls, you need to stop right away. These rolls are precious. You can do tons from these for your kid’s activity time.

Create a colorful stacking game with these rolls. All you need is some paint and colorful printed sheets. Add circular tops and bottoms to make a flat surface, and let your kids have a ball stacking these.

24. Dyed Pasta

Dyed Pasta

Source: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Do you know the ideal filling for a kid’s sensory bin? PASTA! Dyed pasta is perfect as a filler for all kinds of sensory play. When you have the pasta, the rest is all the details.

To dye pasta, all you need is some food coloring, a tablespoon of vinegar, and a big container. Once your pasta is ready, fill the sensory bin, add your toys and give tools like scooper and cups to your kids for a fun-filled dump and pour sensory play.

25. Leprechaun Snow

Leprechaun Snow

Source: team-cartwright.com

Who doesn’t love some magical fun? Use Leprechaun Gold and ice to create your next super extraordinary activity, and have tons of ice-filled fun with your kids on St. Patrick’s Day.

To make the green ice, you will need baking soda and conditioner, but that’s not the fun part. The fun part is finding the buried gold coins in the green snow.

It’s super fun to race and find gold coins buried in green snow; I am certain your toddlers will have a blast with this amusing activity.

26. Texture Balloon Sensory Play

Texture Balloon Sensory Play

Source: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Did you know Tactile activities are super fun and highly relaxing? You can use the sense of touch to teach your kids about hot/cold, dry/wet, and other sensations such as vibrations.

Making texture balloons at home is easy and cheap; all you need are some balloons and fillings like rice, play dough, marble, and sand to create your sensory balloons.

Kids are curious beings; they love to explore and experiment. These sensory balloons are also known to calm hyper kids and help them relax.

27. Scented and Dyed Rice

Scented and Dyed Rice

Source: intheplayroom.co.uk

Do you need a sensory bin that engages both senses of smell and touch? Well, here’s the perfect scented and dyed rice sensory bin for you.

Colorful dyed rice is easy to make and a great filler for all kinds of sensory bins. You can add all sorts of senses to engage your child; adding lavender-scented oils has calming effects as well.

28. Bubbles and Letters – Sensory Play

Bubbles and Letters - Sensory Play

Source: booksandgiggles.com

Look around the house with a child’s eye, and you will find tons of material to use for your DIY activities. Bubbles and letters are a great sensory play to teach your kids ABC.

If your child finds it hard to remember all the letters in the ABC, all you need are some bubbles and some plastic letters.

Make a bubble bath, scoop up the bubbles and add them to a container filled with plastic letters. Let your kid find the letters one by one and take your time explaining the letter, the sound as well as what comes with each letter.

Things are easier to remember when you make learning fun.

29. Fine Motor Skills Coins

Fine Motor Skills Coins

Source: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Who said you couldn’t play and learn at the same time? Here’s another fantastic coin activity to learn maths and develop fine motor skills simultaneously.

You can use things like a card box to make a piggy bank or old jars to play the filling game. Or you can also use dough or sand to bury your coins for the kids to dig out.

These simple yet effective activities will help your kid do simple maths and also work on their fine motor skills. You can use both real and fake coins for this activity.

30. Salt Writing Tray

Salt Writing Tray

Source: activelittles.com

Now, this is a Montessori favorite, the teacher in me loves this activity so much. With salt writing activity, you can help your kid learn a lot and also work on their handwriting.

Moreover, it’s a highly affordable activity that you can do anytime at home with very few things. All you need is a flat tray, a pack of salt, and any color food dye.

Once the salt is colored and dried, you can teach your kid how to trace letters in salt and practice their writing.

31. Penguin Alphabet Sensory Bin

Penguin Alphabet Sensory Bin

Source: abcsofliteracy.com

This one may take a little bit of effort to make, but once done, you will have an educational DIY activity at your hand. Print and laminate your capital letter penguins, and fill up your sensory bin with fake snow (shredded paper), rice, salt, or pom-poms.

Bury your penguins in the sensory bin, ask your kids to take one out, and find the letter on the recording sheet. Mark the letter and go back for another. This one activity helps enhance memory, motor skills, hand-eye coordination as well as keeps the kids amused for a long while. 

32. Dinosaur Play Setup

Dinosaur Play Setup

Source: emmaowl.com

Almost all the kids I know are fascinated by dinosaurs; if you have a toddler who loves these ancient animals, this one is perfect for you.

For this dino-play setup, you will need a container or flat tray, sensory fillers like rice, sand or dough, plastic or rubber dinos. Click here to order yours and detail pieces like bones and rocks, the more, the merrier.

Once your dino tray is ready, let your kids have all the fun in the world visiting the lost world of dinos.

33. Christmas Pom Pom Water Play

Christmas Pom Pom Water Play

Source: activelittles.com

The main ingredient for this sensory bin is WATER! Isn’t it the easiest thing in the world? All you need is a big plastic bin or container, some pom-poms, and water.

Prepare your bin by filling the container with water and adding the pom-poms. Now give your kids a scoop or a big spoon to get the pom-poms out. Make this a race so they will have even more fun trying to collect the pom-poms faster than each other.

You can choose any colors for the pom-poms, red and green for Christmas, black and orange for Halloween, or green and gold for St.Patrick’s Day.

34. Jell-o Alphabet Play

Jell-o Alphabet Play

Source: inthekidskitchen.com

Up for some messy but extremely fun activity with jello? If you aren’t afraid of a bit of mess, this activity will have your kids squealing with joy all day long. This is one activity they can never have enough of, and you only need two things for this one, three if you count the container.

All you need is some jello and plastic alphabets; order a pack here if you don’t have them at hand. Cook and pour in the jello in your container, add in the alphabets when the jello is semi-set. Once it’s cooled down, let the kids dig in.

35. St Patrick’s Day Shaving Cream Play

St Patrick's Day Shaving Cream Play

Source: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

We have just two words for you: Treasure Hunt! No kid will ever say no to a good old treasure hunt game, and if it involves shaving cream, we are sure your toddlers will come running.

To put together a St Patrick’s Day Shaving Cream Play, you need shaving cream, green food coloring, glitter, and some fake gold coins. Add the shaving cream to your sensory bin, bury the coins, sprinkle some glitter, and holler!

Your kids will love digging their hands in the cream to get the coins out. Make sure you add tons of coins, so the game lasts forever.

36. Paper Tearing

Paper Tearing

Source: reachformontessori.com

There are many reasons for page ripping; one of the most common reasons is fun. The paper tearing is very satisfactory for many kids, even for adults.

If your child is the same, you need this paper ripping, Montessori-approved activity. Get your kids some colorful paper and explain the difference between ripping books and ripping activity paper.

Once they understand, start the activity. Create fun shapes and pictures like a house and tree with colorful ripped pieces. Glue them on white paper. That’s killing two birds with one stone.

37. Water Beads

Water Beads

Source: glitterinc.com

Looking to develop your toddler’s fine motor skills and also keep him engaged for hours, here’s the easiest possible way—our water beads sensory bin activity.

These squishy water beads make the perfect sensory bin filler. You can order your pack here. One small packet will be enough for hours of play.

Once you have your beans ready, you can add any toy, rubber unicorns, plastic farm animals, etc. to your bin and present it to your toddlers for endless hours of play. They can use scoopers, spoons, and any other kinds of tools to dig out the toys from the squishy bin.

38. Pom Pom Rainbow Collage

Pom Pom Rainbow Collage

Source: danyabanya.com

Everyone loves rainbows, even when you have never seen one. Rainbows fill our hearts with love, hope, and peace. This is why every time I sit with kids and colors; I draw a rainbow.

This pom-pom rainbow activity is yet another terrific way of helping kids learn colors and enhance their fine motor skills. Draw a rainbow or print one, let your kid color the printed page, then help your kid glue the colorful pom-poms on the drawing.

If you are fresh out of pom-poms, you can order some here. This is a great activity that lets your kid feel in control of the situation so that you will hear more fun fewer tantrums during the activity.

39. Colours and Letters Water Play

Colours and Letters Water Play

Source: activelittles.com

The kids I know jump with joy every time I say water! They adore anything and everything to do with water. So, the most prevalent sensory bin I know is the water sensory bin.

For this one, you will need blue or any specific color toys and foam letters. Looking for foam letters for this activity, get here. Once you have your letters, just add them and the blue toys to the bin.

Hand out big spoons or ladle to your kid and help them fish out letters and blue toys; name each letter and toy loud and clear for your kid to learn.

40. Valentine’s Pom Pom Sensory Bin

Valentine's Pom Pom Sensory Bin

Source: taminglittlemonsters.com

Sensory bins are great when it comes to teaching; you can do loads with a basic sensory bin. You can even teach kids about special occasions like Valentine’s, Christmas, and thanksgiving through sensory bins.

 A Valentine’s sensory bin is extremely easy to create. You need a few basic things like a large container, red yarn, tongs (click here to order some), and pom-poms. It’s all in the details, and you can add anything related to love and kindness.

Sit your toddler down with the sensory bin and some tools to scoop out the pom-poms. This way, they can develop their motor skills and learn shades of red. Once the pom-poms are out, hand them a plastic fork to twirl the yarn around it and out of the box.

41. Gak

Gak

Source: mamasmiles.com

Do you know how to make GAK? If not, you are missing some serious fun. With Gak, you can do a lot of sensory play. Making Gak takes only three ingredients and a little bit of time, but in return, it gives a whole hour of fun and more.

Mix white school glue (order Elmer’s School Glue here), liquid starch, and water to make Gak. the rest you should leave on your kids. They can mold and play with Gak any way they want.

42. Modern Sensory Blocks

Modern Sensory Blocks

Source: barleyandbirch.com

Sensory play helps your child explore new environments, learn to process and react to them. It’s a modern-day technique that helps kids communicate better and also enhances their cognitive skills.

Plain wooden blocks can be used to make all sorts of sensory play blocks. You can use a world of objects like fabric, denim, leather, buttons, shells, pasta, etc. to stick and paint on the block.

Once your blocks are ready, sit with your kids and let them explore the world of different textures.

43. Wall Mosaic Art

Wall Mosaic Art

Source: mamasmiles.com

Sensory play is great, even more so when there is no mess. Our super cool wall art sensory play will keep your kids engaged and also feel in control of their own DIY project.

Tape white construction paper on the wall and give your kids pattern blocks and foam letters to stick on the wall. This is a fun activity with which you can help your kids understand how shapes work with each other and help them learn how to spell.

If you don’t have supplies like foam blocks, you can click here to order a pack. These foam letters can be reused in other activities like the water foam letter sensory bin activity.

Check out more development activities for 1-year-olds.

44. Playdough Forest

Playdough Forest

Source: barleyandbirch.com

Playdough is a fun medium that helps kids explore the world from the comfort of their homes. With this playdough forest activity, you can teach your kids about the forest and how natural habitats work.

Apart from play-dough, all other supplies can be found in the backyard. Let your kids collect whatever they need to make their play-dough forest and then sit with them to make the actual thing.

Playdough is versatile and can be used in a lot of other sensory play activities.

45. Slime

Slime

Source: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Are you ready for some messy sensory play? If you aren’t afraid to create and clean up some mess, here’s a cool lime and soap experiment to do with your kids.

Exploding soap in the microwave gives you a fluffy residue that you can use to create slime. Isn’t that fun? This sensory play is two experiments in one.

Adding water to the fluff will give you slime, not the usual kind, but it’s slimy and gooey enough for your kids to have a lot of fun. You can also leave this overnight to get even more frim for the next day’s activity.

46. DIY Ball Pit

DIY Ball Pit

Source: lovelyindeed.com

Making your ball pit is a great way to engage your toddler. All you need are bags full of balls and a kiddie pool.

Blow up the pool and add your balls to it. You can also add water for summertime with the balls and make this summer activity double fun.

47. Stack Cups

Source: kidsactivitiesblog.com

Even as an adult, I can’t help but stack cups whenever I get the chance. Imagine giving your kid the liberty to play the attacking game on their own?

The beauty of the sensory play is that you can turn any material into a sensory activity. With stacking cups, you can play all sorts of games like

  • Teaching texting to your teething baby
  • Strengthening hand and eye coordination by rolling the cups away from the baby
  • Teach them to play “Peek a boo” or “hide and seek” by hiding small objects under the cups for the baby to find.

48. Busy Board

Busy Board

Source: wherethesmileshavebeen.com

A busy board is a brilliant activity for a hyper kid who finds it hard to sit still. Kids have a very short attention span, and they are, by nature, curious beings. Hence a busy board is a fun activity that will keep your kids occupied for a good bit.

To make a busy board, you can use a lot of different things like light switches, buttons, old phone dial, door handles that go up and down, door latch, doorstop, bell, zip, etc. to create a busy board you can use almost anything from your junk drawer or visit your local hardware store.

You can even find the door latch here and an electric bell here. These two are super fun and favorites for the busy board.

49. Bathtub Paints

Bathtub Paints

Source: kidsactivitiesblog.com

Make bathtub paint with a few ingredients like Dish Detergent, Cornstarch, Water, Food Coloring to paint the tub with your toddlers at bath time.

Kids love to paint, but the mess can be unbearable at times. With this bathtub paint recipe, your kids can have all the paint fun they want, and you will have no worries about cleaning up.

Moreover, all this fun at bedtime will tire the kids out, and they will go down for the night without any fuss.

50. Soap Foam

Soap Foam

Source: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

This ivory soap experiment is a massive hit with kids of all ages. For this soapy foam-filled water activity, you will need Ivory Soap and Water; that’s about it. First, heat up the soap in the microwave and watch it explode.

Use the exploded foam to make soapy foam in a big container and let your kids play with it. This thick foam lasts longer than any bubble bath I have ever seen.

Get more inspiration with these 2-year-old baby activities!

51. Edible Frosting Playdough

Edible Frosting Playdough

Source: conservamome.com

Toddlers are curious, and everything they find, no matter how big or small, ends up in their mouths. This is why many parents stay away from any kind of play dough as they fear it’s toxic and a choking hazard.

Lucky for you, we have the perfect play dough recipe that will put your worries to rest. Make your play-dough with 1 cup of frosting and 2 cups of icing sugar. Yes! It’s that easy.

The fun part is that it’s just like any other dough. You can make shapes and animals with it. You can also push toys in to make different shapes. And even if this ends up in your toddler’s mouth, you don’t have anything to worry about.

Entertaining kids and keeping them still in one place is a huge task. But with all the above-mentioned toddler activities, you and your little ones can have a great learning time.

Yield: multiple kid activities

51 Engaging Activities for 1-Year-Olds

activities for 1 year olds

Looking for a way to keep the children busy? These engaging activities for 1-year-olds will keep the little ones entertained and busy!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Active Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $1

Materials

  • 1. Winter-Ice Sensory Bin
  • 2. Loom Band Sensory Bottles
  • 3. Fizzy Ice Cube Sensory Bin
  • 4. Halloween Sensory Bin
  • 5. Rainbow Spaghetti
  • 6. Easter Egg Puzzle Activity
  • 7. Oats Sensory Bin
  • 8. Summer Sensory Bin - Food Edition
  • 9. Puzzle Craft Toddler Activity
  • 10. Hammer Painting
  • 11. Edible Yogurt Finger Paint
  • 12. Ice Cube Sensory Bags
  • 13. Painting With Foil Activity
  • 14. DIY Paper Mache Activity
  • 15. Bubbles
  • 16. DIY Colourful Scarf Magic Wipes
  • 17. Water Balloon Painting
  • 18. Cups and Flowers Toddler DIY Project
  • 19. Ball Drop Box
  • 20. Fridge Door Pom Pom Drop
  • 21. Edible Peanut Butter Playdough
  • 22. Fine Motor Play from Recyclables
  • 23. Recycled Paper Roll Building Blocks
  • 24. Dyed Pasta
  • 25. Leprechaun Snow
  • 26. Texture Balloon Sensory Play
  • 27. Scented and Dyed Rice
  • 28. Bubbles and Letters - Sensory Play
  • 29. Fine Motor Skills Coins
  • 30. Salt Writing Tray
  • 31. Penguin Alphabet Sensory Bin
  • 32. Dinosaur Play Setup
  • 33. Christmas Pom Pom Water Play
  • 34. Jell-o Alphabet Play
  • 35. St Patrick's Day Shaving Cream Play
  • 36. Paper Tearing
  • 37. Water Beads
  • 38. Pom Pom Rainbow Collage
  • 39. Colours and Letters Water Play
  • 40. Valentine's Pom Pom Sensory Bin
  • 41. Gak
  • 42. Modern Sensory Blocks
  • 43. Wall Mosaic Art
  • 44. Playdough Forest
  • 45. Slime
  • 46. DIY Ball Pit
  • 47. Stack Cups
  • 48. Busy Board
  • 49. Bathtub Paints
  • 50. Soap Foam
  • 51. Edible Frosting Playdough

Tools

  • Will depend on the project

Instructions

  1. Choose the activity.
  2. Gather the tools and supplies!
  3. Let the kids get busy.
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