14 Activities Your 1-Year-Old Will Love

Yes, it is. The Montessori philosophy promotes child-led play and education. That is just what 1-year-olds crave to do. They have an innate desire to learn about the world around them. Soon-to-be-toddlers have just started exploring the world around them properly and are having so much fun with it. They’ve gained new abilities in walking and climbing and can now reach places they could only observe before.

However, they’re interested in more than that. They’re also fascinated by people in their surroundings and the stuff they do. That’s why you’ll often see your child try to copy your actions - and this is where we introduce the Montessori method.

We want to include our kids in our daily activities as much as possible. You’ll hang out together, they’ll learn a lot from you, and you might even get some stuff done around the house. So, depending on what your child can do and what developmental milestones they have reached already, you might be able to do some or even all of the activities for 1-year-olds that align with Montessori.

Here are a few ideas that aim at helping boost the 1-year-olds' cognitive skills, problem-solving skills, and hand-eye coordination - all while enjoying fun activities:

Here’s one for starters. You’re bound to do laundry anyway, so why not include your little one in that activity? Turn this learning opportunity into a fun activity. You can start your busy toddler by learning to sort clothes by color. After you’re done with that, start loading the washing machine. They’ll find this to be a fun activity.

Your toddler will work on their grasping, gross motor, and color recognition skills and explore different textures. You can turn laundry sorting or folding into one of their favorite sensory activities. Once the drum starts rotating, they’ll watch it with so much joy and a smile on their face.

Fruit should be essential to any child’s diet. Therefore, we should turn fruit munching into a fun game that exercises hand-eye coordination, among other things. Let’s include our kids in the preparation process, and maybe we’ll motivate them to enjoy them more.

So, you can use an orange or a banana, start the peeling process and let your child finish it. Again, this is a great example of sensory play, as the fruit will help your child explore different textures, tastes, smells, and more.

They can’t do it on their own at the beginning, but they can definitely finish it off. This is the first step in including them in their food preparation process. If they “prepare” it themselves, they’re more likely to eat it.

Now we get to the really messy part. You can make your own edible paint (there are a lot of excellent and simple recipes online) or buy one. Why edible? We know the first thing all 1-year-olds will do with that point is put it in their mouth. Better safe than sorry.

Once you have your paint and equipment (hands and fingers) ready, let your child exercise their motor skills. Try to place them somewhere they’ll cause the least mess or damage to your furniture. This open-ended activity will boost their creativity and imagination and get them to experience new textures and sensations.

You have everything you need right in your cupboard to keep kids entertained. Take a few plastic containers with lids and spread them out on the table or on the floor. Try not to have more than 5 or 6, as it might get too complex for 1-year-olds.

This great sorting activity will teach your child colors, shapes, and sizes. They’ll work on their fine motor skills as well.

If you want to give your kid just a few toys to keep them entertained, make sure that puzzles are on that list. Getting your kid interested in puzzles at a young age can be such a clever move - they help with short-term memory and increase focus and attention. The best way to start is with less complex puzzles with fewer pieces. A perfect example of a beginner toddler puzzle would be Montessori Puzzles (6 Pack).