By age one, your baby will have accomplished many major milestones, such as uttering his first words and taking his first steps. With each new development he is given more tools to explore his world. Offer him developmentally appropriate toys to challenge him and give him the confidence he needs to master new skills in his toddler years.
Push Toys
Push toys offer a one-year-old the chance to work on her walking skills. The extra support will help her feel more stable, and the fun "pop-pop-pop" or "ding-ding" sounds made by many push toys will make her want to play with them again and again. Some push toys come with fancy add-ons such as activity trays, but anything a one-year-old can propel on her own two feet will work just fine.
Nesting Toys
Nesting toys, such as small plastic or wooden multi-colored cups or bowls, are multifaceted--they can be used as pouring devices, and they can be stacked within each other, knocked down and assembled in various ways. These activities allow a one-year-old to build an understanding of spatial relation concepts such as volume, order, distance and size, according to BabyCenter online. They also help him work on his motor skills.
Stacking Toys
In the same way that nesting toys help a one-year-old work on her fine and gross motor skills, stacking toys like good old-fashioned wooden blocks are winners among one-year-olds. You may receive multiple sets of stacking toys from relatives on your child's birthday, but that's all the better for your one-year-old. She will love to mix and match the sets to combine different colors, shapes, textures and sizes. She may also love the big crashing sound they make when she topples them at full speed.
Shape Sorters
Shape sorting toys, such as a peg in the hole game, help a one-year-old work on his hand-eye coordination and help him develop problem-solving skills through trial and error, according to Parents Magazine. You and your child will feel a great sense of accomplishment when he finally succeeds in matching a round peg with a round hole. Shape sorting toys come in various styles, including hollow wooden cubes, plastic buckets and flat puzzle boards.
Noisy Toys
When in doubt, get your one-year-old a noisy toy. That is, if you can stand the consistent clanging and squeaking sounds, as your child will certainly favor many of her noisiest toys. Noisy toys, like plastic baby musical instruments, give her a sense of cause and effect and reward her with the attention she seeks. You may pick up one or many elaborate noise-making toys from the toy store, but don't be surprised if she decides that her favorite pastime is clanking her spoon and bowl together.
