At one, everything is new: throwing, putting in and taking out, climbing, hearing “boom!” and discovering that teddy is still there under the blanket. You don’t need expensive toys — most of these activities use pots, boxes, pillows and a bowl of water. A good activity at this age is short (a few minutes), repeated a lot, and happens with a grown-up sitting right there on the floor.
✋ Fine motor: 9🤸 Gross motor: 8💬 Language: 8👐 Senses: 10💡 Thinking & pretend: 6
You need: A bottle of bubbles
A grown-up blows bubbles and the kids try to catch them, pop them with a finger or stomp on them. Blow high and low and say “up!” and “down!”. At three, they try blowing on their own.
The bottle stays with a grown-up — no drinking bubble solution. Outside is better, because floors get slippery.
You need: A thin cloth scarf or burp cloth
Cover your face with the scarf and ask “Where’s Daddy?” — then pull it off: “Peekaboo!”. Then cover teddy, and finally let your child hide.
The scarf doesn’t stay on the child’s face and isn’t left in the crib.
You need: An empty tissue box · 6–8 cloth napkins or clean socks
Fill an empty tissue box with fabrics in different colors and textures. Kids pull them out one by one, and then you help put them back. Name each color as it comes out.
You need: Sturdy plastic cups or nesting cups
Build a tower — and your child knocks it down. At one, knocking it over is the whole fun; at two, they try building 3–4 cups high; at three, they nest small cups inside big ones in order.
You need: 2–3 pots or metal bowls · Wooden spoons
Turn the pots over and drum. Play loud and soft, fast and slow, and stop when the grown-up raises their hands. Drum along to a song you know.
You need: A shoebox with a slot in the lid · Big jar lids or stiff cards
Cut a slot in the lid and let kids “mail letters” through it. Open the lid — everything is there! At two, cut a round hole for big balls too.
Everything that goes through the slot must be too big to fit in the mouth (see the choke-tube test below).
You need: A big soft ball
Sit on the floor facing each other, legs apart, and roll the ball back and forth. Say “to you!” and “to me!”. At three, roll it at “pins” — empty plastic bottles.
You need: A wide bowl or shallow tub · Cups, a sponge, a colander
Put a little water in a bowl, on a towel or in the yard. Pour from cup to cup, squeeze a sponge and watch the water escape through the colander.
A grown-up stays right there the whole time — toddlers can drown in very little water. Empty the bowl as soon as you’re done.
You need: Board books with big pictures
Turn the pages together, point and ask “Where’s the dog?”. At one, kids point; at two, they say the word; at three, they tell you what’s happening in the picture.
You need: No materials
Sing songs with motions: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “Wheels on the Bus”, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”. Repeat the same songs over and over — that’s the point.
You need: Couch cushions · A blanket
Pile cushions on the rug and cover them with a blanket. Kids climb, crawl, roll and slide down. At three, it becomes a “mountain” to cross to reach a treasure.
On a rug, away from furniture corners, windows and tables.
You need: A big box open at both ends
Crawl in and out the other side. A grown-up peeks in from the end and says “peekaboo!”, or rolls a ball through. Tape two boxes together for a long tunnel.
You need: A thick zip-top bag · Clear hair gel or water with a few drops of food coloring · Wide tape
Fill a bag with colored gel, seal it tight and tape it to the table or floor. Kids press, push and watch the color move under their fingers.
Tape the seal, check for leaks and play only with supervision. A damaged bag goes in the trash.
You need: A shatterproof mirror
Sit in front of the mirror and make faces: happy, sad, surprised. Point: “Where’s your nose? There’s your nose!”. At two, kids copy you and name the feeling.
You need: Toy animals or animal pictures
Take out one animal at a time: “What does the cow say?” — “Moo!”. Then make a sound and ask your child to find the matching animal.
You need: A low basket · Safe household items: a wooden spoon, a small strainer, a soft brush, a big yarn ball, a metal cup
Fill a basket with objects of different textures and sounds and let your child explore at their own pace: take out, touch, bang and put back. Swap items every few days.
Only big items, nothing that can come apart, no long cords and no glass.
You need: Clear contact paper · Tape · Big pieces of colored paper and fabric
Tape a square of contact paper to the wall at your child’s height, sticky side out. Kids stick on and peel off the paper and fabric pieces.
You need: A thick zip-top bag · Two colors of washable paint · Tape
Put a few blobs of paint in a bag, seal it well and tape it to the table. Kids press and smear — the colors mix without a mess.
If the bag tears, stop. Even “non-toxic” paint isn’t food.
You need: A bucket and shovel · A sieve · Molds
Dig, fill the bucket and flip it over, sift sand. At three, build a “birthday cake” out of sand and sing to it.
Watch that sand doesn’t go in mouths or eyes. At a public playground, check the sand for trash first.
You need: A favorite toy · A blanket or towel
At one, hide teddy under a blanket while your child watches. At two, hide it behind a pillow. At three, hide it in the room and give clues: “Warm… cold… very warm!”.
You need: Thin scarves · Music
Dance with scarves: wave them up, twirl them, toss them in the air and catch them. At three, add “sleepy scarf”: when the music stops, everyone lies down.
You need: A laundry basket · Soft balls or rolled-up socks
Toss balls into the basket from close up. Every basket gets a round of applause. At three, move the basket back one step at a time.
Every activity here is meant to be done with a grown-up right next to the child, not “from across the room”. Toddlers move fast, and almost everything ends up in their mouths.
In the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says toys for children under 3 must not have parts that fit inside a test cylinder about the size of a toilet paper tube. If something fits through a toilet paper tube, keep it away from toddlers.
Button (coin) batteries and small magnets are especially dangerous if swallowed. Keep them out of reach, and check that battery covers on toys are screwed shut. If you suspect one was swallowed, go to the ER right away.
Toddlers can drown in a very small amount of water. During water play a grown-up stays right there the whole time; empty bowls, tubs and buckets immediately afterward.
Health organizations recommend very little screen time at these ages. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests avoiding screens other than video chatting before 18 months, and for ages 2 to 5 about an hour a day of high-quality content, watched together with a grown-up.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no sedentary screen time under age 2, and from 2 to 4 no more than an hour a day — less is better.
Every family decides for itself, and sometimes a screen is what makes cooking dinner possible. The activities on this page are simply more options, and most of them need almost no preparation.
Short, repeatable activities with things you have at home. This page lists 22 ideas for age 1 with materials, time and what each one develops.
There’s no fixed number. Several short play sessions through the day, following your child’s interest, work better than one long one.
No. Almost every activity here uses pillows, boxes, pots, paper, water or things from the kitchen and the laundry basket.
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