From crawling to walking, from babbling to chatting, from tummy time to real fun—a lot has happened this year! Between now and their next birthday, your tyke will learn and grow so much. Age-appropriate toys foster imagination, sensory stimulation, and physical development in ways that intrigue your toddler. Their hand-eye coordination is blossoming, so make sure that their smaller toys and puzzles are easy to grab and manipulate. To get more specific, here are some of the best toys for 1-year-olds.

1. Baby Balance Bike-Dog 

Balance bikes are a great way for one year old children to develop their motor skills. They get the chance to build on their independent movement away from their cribs and playpens for a greater sense of exploration. The seat gives them a place to sit and the frame some stability as they walk. Also, the sooner that kids learn to walk along with a balance bike like this, the easier it will be for them to transition to trikes and other bikes.

What makes this model a little more special than some other baby toys for 1 year old kids is that there is a fun design of a dog, rather than the typical frame and basic shapes that you might expect. The friendly face turns the bike into more of a companion toy that kids can have fun with than a normal mode of transport. Furthermore, the Dalmatian-style design with the black and white features, spots, and paw-prints on the wheels plays nicely into the need for Montessori designs to have high-contrast images.

Even with these features, it is still practical and supportive for young children thanks to the thick handlebars, low-rise ergonomic seat, and the stability of the fully-enclosed double wheels on both the front and back of the bike. It is also suitable for use outdoors due to the non-slip tires and safe 135-degree steering. Also, while this is a plastic toy in part, there is a strong and lightweight carbon steel frame to make it durable and easy to push around.

2. Sensory Bin Toy For 1 Year olds

Shape-sorting games are must-have items for young babies as they develop their motor skills and spatial awareness. Good shape-sorting baby toys for 1 year old babies tend to offer a series of colorful blocks and related holes where kids can find a solution to each problem. This alternative product takes things to another level and challenges kids to find alternative approaches and test out their ideas. The structure of the box is manipulatable so that they can move the bands and force shapes through. They can get a better idea of how physical objects relate to each other and how to adapt a situation to suit their needs.

The structure of the box is actually pretty simplistic but effective nonetheless. There is a white ABS plastic frame with colorful elastic bands running around the sides, top and bottom. This creates the effect of soft flexible bars on the sides and a lattice on the top. Kids then have the challenge of retrieving the assortment of items from without the structure and then getting them back inside when playtime is over. They will soon learn that the right motions and pressure will help them achieve their goals.

The pieces inside the box each have additional benefits for sensory play and learning too as they include a variety of 3D shapes with textured surfaces and light balls in various colors. The colors also match the soothing contrasting tones of the lime, dark orange, and pale blue on the elastic bands.

3. Wooden Activity Cube Montessori Toys

Activity cubes are one the best baby toys for 1 year old children because you should get so many different features and interesting engaging elements in one product. When looking for a top Montessori activity cube for 1 year olds, it also helps to find a diverse toy that is also wooden for a nicer texture and safer material. This encourages kids to get hands-on with the toy in a way that won’t put them at any risk.

This model is an adorable 3-in-1 model that focuses on games that promote the child’s dexterity, other motor skills, and a little color recognition and numeracy along the way. One side is a large abacus with brightly colored beads. At this age, it is just fun for kids to slide the beads around and learn the colors. But, they can also grow with this toy and use it to learn to count as they get older. The other side has sliding cubes with a mixture of printed numbers and related images on the faces. Again, these will help with numeracy skills over time but for now, are fun to play thanks to the bold contrasting colors. The last element is the loop-the-loop wire with beads for fine motor skills. These beads contain butterflies and flowers for new shapes and patterns.

Last, but not least, there is the beautiful frame holding it all together. There are matching cute yellow giraffes on both sides with orange spots and smiling faces. These engaging animals stand 8.7’’ tall so are a great size for this age without getting too imposing.

4. Rainbow Blocks Toy

Rainbow-colored wooden blocks are a key part of any baby’s playset. They help infants learn the most basic of motor skills by handling the blocks, feeling the weight of them, and learning to stack them. With time, this can progress with greater problem solving and color recognition. The wooden material also makes them more tactile and safe for regular play.

This version is something a little more special and advanced than some of the other wooden best baby toys for 1 year old infants. There are far more shapes and pieces to engage with. You get blocks of various sizes, but also a series of rectangular arches, curved arches, and people. With each series, you get the same deep rainbow colors in vibrant non-toxic paint to make them more interesting. Each wooden piece is also well-crafted so that they feel good in the hand and don’t have any sharp edges.

This range of pieces also means new challenges for creating interesting scenes and stacking the pieces on top of each other. The rectangular arches fit together into a single block and the curved arches into a full rainbow. With time, kids can incorporate these blocks into other games and take their education even further with toys they have grown fond of.