Developmentally Appropriate Gift Guide for 1-Year-Olds
Are you searching for the perfect gift ideas for a 1-year-old? These curious little learners can be challenging to shop for, but we’re here to make it easy with our comprehensive gift guide! Our curated list of toys is designed not only to be super fun but also developmentally appropriate for toddlers.
In this guide, you’ll discover the “why” behind each recommended gift, with a focus on how they support different play schemas. If you’re new to play schemas, check out our “What are Play Schemas?” blog post for more insights.
Why? Balls are perfect for trajectory and transporting schemas. They support gross and fine motor skill development and encourage social interactions like turn-taking. They also enhance language skills by introducing verbs and tenses, such as “You threw the ball,” “I’m going to throw the ball,” and “The ball is rolling.” For toddlers just beginning to walk or crawl, balls encourage movement and gross motor development. Balls can also be incorporated into enclosing schemas, like placing them in tissue boxes or cupboards.
Top Recommendations:
Stacking Cups/ Bowls
Why? Stacking bowls encourage fine motor skills and introduce concepts like colours, sizes, and prepositions (e.g., “The small purple cup fits inside the big green cup”). They also support enveloping and transporting schemas. Between ages 1 and 2, toddlers enjoy stacking and knocking objects over, which can extend into positioning schema play.
Top Recommendations:
Prams/ Strollers
Why? Prams are excellent for transporting schemas and imitative play. Toddlers love mimicking household tasks, like taking their “baby” for a walk. A sturdy pram can also provide stability for children learning to walk. This versatile toy remains a favourite for years to come.
Top Recommendations:
A Doll
Why? Dolls are ideal for helping toddlers identify body parts, such as eyes, nose, and hands. They also promote empathy and language development. Dolls encourage imitative play, as toddlers enjoy replicating parenting tasks like feeding, bathing, and soothing the doll. They’re also great for transporting and enveloping schemas.
Silks
Why? Silks are versatile tools for imaginative play. They’re excellent for transporting and enveloping schemas, allowing toddlers to carry or wrap toys. Silks also support sensory development with their soft, lightweight texture. They’re perfect for imitative play, like setting up picnics or “making beds.”
Top Recommendations:
Things with Wheels
Why? Toy vehicles are a hit with toddlers exploring the rotation schema. They also support concepts like gravity and friction. Wheels encourage positioning, enveloping, and enclosing schema play, such as lining up vehicles or surrounding them with barriers.
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Why? As toddlers begin exploring climbing, providing safe equipment encourages gross motor development. Early climbing strengthens muscles critical for fine motor skills like pencil grip. Giving them a safe outlet for climbing fosters independence and exploration.
Top Recommendations:
Why? Art supplies are fantastic for fine motor development and creative expression. By age 1, toddlers may start making marks on paper, observing cause and effect while creating their first masterpieces.
Top Recommendations:
Board Books
Why? Reading to toddlers enhances social, language, and relational development. Books with mirrors, faces, and body parts engage toddlers, especially as they develop self-awareness around 18 months.
Top Recommendations:
This gift guide has been adapted, the original copy was written by Alicia Mason specifically for Growing Kind. You can contact Alicia over at @filltheirbucket
2 comments
This is THE list I needed. I just discovered play schemas and have been making a list similar to this so I could get ready for Christmas and upcoming birthday. This is super helpful because I didn’t want to inundate my LO with a million toys, but rather a few curated ones that they will get a lot of use out of (quality over quantity). Many thanks from Texas!
You are so very welcome! I hope it helped