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Finding something fun yet cheap to do with your one year old child can sometimes be difficult. They may or may not be able to walk yet and that can limit some of what you can do with them.
Depending on their abilities and interests, you may be able to do more advanced things with them.
However, there are some activities that you can easily do with them at any age, but you just have to cater them better to their age group and capabilities.
I love activities that encourage my sons’ development but don’t cost much or create a mess. It is great to let them play on their own so they learn how to be independent, but it is also good to play with them from time to time and show them new things.
1. Play With Toys
Whether they are playing with blocks, balloons, balls, rocks, dirt, or whatever else your child can safely get their hands on, you should try to encourage them to use their imagination.
A one year old child will usually just grab a block and tap it on various surfaces, but when you play with them you are able to show them that the blocks can be stacked to build a larger structure.
Just showing them the process of stacking the blocks can help them learn how to think differently about everyday objects that they encounter.
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2. Read Books
Most one year olds prefer colorful books that they can easily manipulate on their own. These books often have short stories, short words, plenty of pictures, and thick pages.
By reading books to your child you are able to educate them about people, things, and situations different from the ones they have already experienced. As they grow they will understand the power that books have to educate us about anything we choose to seek out.
It will also get your child accustomed to reading books so that when it comes time to teach them how to read, reading won’t be such a foreign concept.
3. Rip Paper…and put it back together
Ripping paper is a very fun activity for a one year old, but by letting them watch you put it back together they begin to understand that things that are broken can be fixed. So when they break something in the future, they will already understand that the pieces can be put back together.
4. Play With Bubbles
Bubbles are a great way to develop a child’s’ hand-eye coordination as well as help them practice walking while keeping them close to you. The will enjoy catching the bubbles and watching you blow them, but you can teach them how to blow the bubbles as well.
This will help them later on when they have to blow their own food to cool it down because you are letting them feed themselves and be more independent.
5. Kid Kitchen
As long as it’s safe, you can let your one year old walk around your kitchen with you while you cook so they can see how food is made. It is really good to let them help you cook too. My son loves stirring random things I get him to stir.
Once they see what you do in the kitchen, they will be able to imitate it in their own kid kitchen. It is also good to start teaching them to measure and count so they can already get accustomed to numbers in their day-to-day life.
Get them a little pot and pan set like this one so they can imitate you cooking instead of tossing all of your clean pots and pan on the floor of the kitchen.
If you have suggestions for other articles you want to see, comment below. Check out this article on how to make a road trip with kids less stressful.
