Best toys for 1 year olds in 2021
With so many toys out there, it’s not always easy to pick the best toys for 1 year olds. In our round-up, we’ve included all you need to entertain, stimulate and soothe your child as they continue to develop and explore the world around them. Read on for our pick of the best toys for 1 year olds.
Finding a birthday gift or top Christmas toys that will engage them for longer than five minutes is worth its weight in gold. The best toys for 1 year olds are designed to be stimulating and educational to help with their development. They also promote the central most important thing – play.
Around the age of one, children are gaining more mobility and usually start to learn how to pick up small objects between their thumb and index finger. This is known as the ‘pincer grip’. This new skill will make it possible for children to start doing activities like scribbling or playing with blocks. The best toys for 1 year old children will help them practice this newly learnt skill while playing.
Whether they are bottom shuffling, crawling or walking, many children will be mobile by their first birthday. This means they will be less likely to want to spend lots of tummy time on a play mat. They will likely want to start using toys that will help support themselves, stand up or even move around.
Best toys for 1 year olds
Here’s our pick of the best toys for 1 year olds, from stackers to shakers, to music makers and the best baby walkers. There are lots of gifts for 1-year-olds that will support early learning at home – encouraging exploration, fostering curiosity and building relationships.
But don’t be too worried about buying specifically educational toys for children as young as 1. ‘All toys can help a child’s development,’ says psychologist Dr. Amanda Gummer. ‘The important thing is to provide children with a range of playthings and allow them to play freely with different toys. This helps with things like decision-making skills, self-awareness, emotional wellbeing, and creativity.’
Personalised Disney Dumbo Read & Play Gift Set
1. Personalised Disney Dumbo Read & Play Gift Set
Age Suitability: From birth | Batteries required: None | Price: £41
Dumbo is a true classic Disney film – the 1941, not the 2019 version we say – and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a 1 year old or adult on the planet who isn’t moved by the tale of the adorable baby elephant. This Personalised Disney Dumbo Read & Play Gift Set makes for a cute gift and delightful keepsake. That’s why we’ve included in our best toys for 1 year olds round up.
A great way to mark a first year, the soft toy can be personalised with up to 7 characters. It comes packaged as part of a box set with a copy of the Dumbo tale inside. You can read the story while your child snuggles up and enjoys listening to the journey this popular and charming Disney character makes. What we love most about this gift is that it is timeless, which means it can be kept to pass down along the generations.
2. Oskar & Catie Personalised Noah’s Ark
Age Suitability: 1 year + | Batteries required: None | Price: £49.99
This colourful Oskar & Catie Personalised Noah’s Ark wooden toy comes in 2 different sizes and makes for a great gift. It is beautifully finished with a personalisation. It comes with 7 different pairs of animals and is a fun way to introduce children to various species, while engaging them in imaginative play.
This ark toy has a range of entertaining elements – from the steps up to the ark, to the drawbridge that opens to reveal the animals. Handling the animals is also great for developing those fine motor skills. GoodtoKnow mums who have bought this as a gift have told us that they love the personalised touch. ‘I love the colourful wooden finish to this toy,’ says Gemma, mum to Oliver and Sienna. ‘I think it’s great value and makes a really good present for a 1 year old who is developing their play skills.’
3. Scottie Dog Push Along
Age Suitability: 1 year + | Batteries required: None | Price: £84.49
This dog walker toy is great quality and can be used as a ride-on or push-along walker. It’s a fluffy and loveable addition to any child’s toy collection. This walker is also great at helping little ones practice their balance and coordination as well as concentration. It’s definitely a firm favourite in our best toys for 1 year olds in 2021 round up.
‘My child can spend ages going round and round our open-plan kitchen with this walker,’ says Jenny, mum to Logan and Becky. ‘As the wheels run smoothly it doesn’t always make too much sound either, and works well on both carpet and wooden floor.’
4. Tidlo Wooden Activity Walker
Age Suitability: 1 year + | Batteries required: None | Price: £51.99
A durable learner walker such as this Tidlo Wooden Activity Walker features plenty of activities to keep toddlers entertained and busy. It is ideal for helping 1 year olds take their first steps. With a spinning cage rattle, mini abacus, spinning mirror and matching blocks there’s plenty to stimulate young minds, which is why we’ve included it in our best toys for 1 year olds in 2021 round up.
‘I like the fact that this is made from wood and makes a change from some of the bright plastic designs you can buy,’ says Gemma, mum to Oliver and Sienna. ‘I’ve decided to keep hold of it as it’s such a timeless design that is a lovely keepsake.’
5. Hape Baby Einstein Magic Touch Drums
Age suitability: 12 months + | Batteries required: None | Price: £25
A wonderful way to channel their inner Ringo Star, the Hape Baby Einstein Magic Touch Drum will nurture a child’s sense of rhythm from an early age. The drum comes with four colourful icons including a frog, bird, tiger and octopus to make it enticing to touch. As your child prods and taps the top, the toy plays realistic drum sounds.
The Magic Touch Drum features two modes – melody and drum – so children can switch between playing classic songs and drumming up their own beat. Beautifully made from wood, with a plastic trim where the on-off switch is, the top of the drums are smooth and tactile and enticing enough for a curious 1 year old to get lost in music.
John Lewis My First Activity Pull Along Train Wooden Toy
6. My First Activity Pull Along Train Wooden Toy
Age Suitability: 12 months + | Batteries required: None | Price: £30
Beautifully finishes, the My First Activity Pull Along Train wooden toy is a staple first toy for any little 1 year old boy and girl. It’s also a toy you can treasure as a keepsake for them as they grow older.
The animal characters on this train and building blocks are designed to develop the pincer grip. Kids can have lots of practise taking the blocks on and off the train. Not only does it encourage learning and counting, but it is designed to keep little ones active as they pull the string and take the animals on tour from room to room.
This train is FSC-certified, which makes it a sustainable choice too. This will give you peace of mind in the knowledge that you’re buying products that not only do well to keep your child entertained, but they are kinder to the environment too.
7. SMARTMAX SMX230 Construction Toy
Age Suitability: 1 year + | Batteries required: None | Price: £21.99
My First Totem has picked up multiple awards for innovation and being a great toy for stimulating young minds. The set features 8 colourful magnetic building blocks, with different sounds, styles and textures. Little ones can combine the sensory blocks to build the coolest totem; or follow one of the 24 fun challenges.
Once they get a little older, you can upgrade onto the Smartmax Megaball Run. This comes with 71 pieces that includes tubes and X-shaped bars with 4 magnetic ends so kids can be as experimental as they like.
8. mzimoon Kids Piano Mat
Age Suitability: 18 months + | Batteries required: Yes | Price: £16.99
Great for encouraging children’s creativity and musical expression, this musical mat comes with eight different piano ‘keys’. Each one makes the sound of a different instrument. Easy to use like a retro dance mat, children will love jumping around and experimenting with sounds.
‘I love the fact that this toy encourages kids to get moving and burn some energy,’ says Susan, mum to Charlotte and Emilie. ‘It’s large enough for adults to have a go too.’
Djeco – Topanifarm
9. Djeco – Topanifarm
Age Suitability: 18 months + | Batteries required: None | Price: £20.22
This little farm-themed set may look simple, but it’s a great way to get little kids practising their construction skills and for improving hand-eye coordination. With 5 cute animals in the set, it’s a great way to get kids to learn about the names of different animals and their homes.
Kids can nest the boxes together or stack them too. It’s colourful in design too, which will help kids with their colour recognition too. There are six animals in the set including a rabbit, dog, cat, pig, cockerel and cow, and each animal has its own vibrant colour finish. This bold design makes them very enticing to play.
10. Mega Bloks DCH55 Big Building Bag, Blue, 80 Pieces
Age Suitability: 12 months + | Batteries required: None | Price: £15.99
This set contains 80 multi-coloured building blocks with shapes that are perfect for little hands. It’s designed to encourage hands-on play for early childhood development. They can be combined with other Mega Bloks sets too so kids can build towers as tall as they like.
The colourful finishes makes the set that much more enticing as kids can build and knock down their constructions to their hearts content. ‘We’ve got so many hours of play out of Mega Bloks set,’ says Emily, mum to Bethany and William. ‘Much like Duplo in that fact that the blocks are great for little hands of under-5s, it gave my kids endless opportunity to get creative in their play.’
11. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy
Age Suitability: 6 months + | Batteries required: Yes | Price: £15.99
All little kids love huggable presents adn this Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy provides the opportunity to do just that. On board there are 75+ songs, sounds, tunes and phrases the bear can play. The bears hand, foot, ear and heart all light up to respond to baby’s touch, all designed to encourage a 1 year old to say their first words.
‘You can’t really beat Fisher Price baby toys,’ says GoodtoKnow consumer editor and mum Heidi Scrimgeour says. ‘Not only are they fun and educational, but they’re also great value for money and built to last. What’s more, babies love them!’
12. In The Night Garden Musical Activity Bubble Train
Age Suitability: 12 months + | Batteries required: Yes | Price: £37.49
This colourful train toy includes 15 fun activities to help to stimulate senses. It’s also designed to build motor/construction skills and aid hand/eye coordination. It includes a shape sorter and a chute for Iggle Piggle and Friends to slide down. It also blows bubbles and plays music as it is pulled a long.
‘By age 1 my daughter was completely mesmerised by In The Night Garden,’ says Jenny, mum to Becky and Logan. ‘She would smile every time she heard the theme tune and this In the Night Garden Musical Activity Bubble Train got a lot of play.’
13. ELC Sensory Stacking Rings
Age suitability: 6-12 months | Batteries required: None | Price: £20
This classic toy has lots of textures to explore and is great for problem-solving. It’s also ideal for stimulating the senses and developing hand-to-eye coordination. The fun, colourful giraffe design will delight your little one during playtime.
‘While this is such a simple toy, it is no doubt get played with time and time again,’ says Emily, mum to Bethany and William. ‘I’ve seen many versions of the stackable toy online, but I quite like the distinct pattern on this giraffe one.’
14. Baby Einstein Hape Magic Touch Deluxe Piano
Age suitability: 6 months + | Batteries required: Yes | Price: £39.99
Inspire a love of music in your little one with this wooden piano toy. It’s great for children aged 1 and up. Featuring 11 colourful keys with magic touch technology, the piano comes with 5 music sheets that play 10 melodies. Simply insert the sheets inside to play along to classic tunes or compose your own tune.
Listening to music and singing is such a great way to engage children and this wooden piano toy provides such a great way to encourage them to learn the piano.
Bernies Number Bus from Great Little Trading Co
15. Bernie’s Number Bus
Age suitability: 6 months + | Batteries required: No | Price: £39.99
This solid wooden toy comes in a beautiful pillar-box red finish with little wooden passengers that can sit inside. The passengers are the perfect size for little hands to grip. They can place the character in coloured, matching seats. Kids can easily lift the roof off to discover what’s inside. This encourages them to practise their number learning and encourages imaginative play. With no batteries needed, it can also be wheeled around the room freely.
‘What I love about wooden toys is that no matter which brand they come from they all seem to work well together as a whole,’ says Emily, mum to Bethany and William. ‘We’ve got a wooden train track, wooden cars and a wooden bus and my kids love getting them all out to create a small ‘town’ for play.’
VIEW AT GREAT LITTLE TRADING CO
16. Exploration Blocks
Age suitability: 3+years | Batteries required: No | Price: £21
While the website states that this toy is suitable from 3+ years, we see no reason why it isn’t a great choice for a 1 year old. A classic wooden toy such as this helps kids explore shapes and textures and develops their visual attention. It also helps with fine motor skills as kids pick up the pieces and explore the design. It’s a colourful toy too and finished in a range of colours. Finally, it’s made from eco-friendly wood and non-toxic paints to give you peace of mind.
While there are a number of similar exploration block toys available to buy online, we like the vibrant colorful finish of this design.
17. Personalised Doll in Gingham Outfit
Age Suitability: From birth | Batteries required: None | Price: £26
Children love to mimic what they see around them. Looking after and caring for their very own ‘baby’ is definitely a popular activity for kids, which is why this toy makes a great gift for a 1 year old. My 1st Years Personalised Rag Doll in Gingham Dress is soft and machine washable. What we love most about it is that it can be personalised, making it a lovely idea for a present for a 1 year old.
‘My kids loved to put their dollies in the toy buggy and walking around and around the house,’ says Gemma, mum to Oliver and Sienna. ‘This rag doll makes a nice change from plastic baby dolls, and the fact that it can be personalised with your child’s name makes for a nice touch.’
18. Personalised Wooden Rainbow Xylophone
Age Suitability: 18 months + | Batteries required: None | Price: £29.90
A bright, colourful xylophone will not only delight children and allow them to express themselves, but it can teach early note recognition and develop motor skills. We particularly like this xylophone design as it can be personalised, which makes for a great gift.
‘Aside from the personalised aspect of this toy, I love how colorful this design is,’ says Emily, mum to Bethany and William. ‘My kids loved making lots of noise with their toys when they were little and their xylophone got a lot of use. This design comes with beaters that look just the right size for 1 year olds to hold with ease.’
For slightly older children, take a look at our toys for 2 year olds and our ideas for toys for 3 year olds.
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