What do you or did you do for fun during the day with your one year old? My son is 13 months and loves being active. He has been walking since his 8th month and loves to run around and play with everything. We play pat a cake, and peek a boo, and other things like sing and dance. But what other things do you do for fun? I like to switch things up so he doesnt get bored. Thanks in advance ladies! :)
Feed the ducks
Take a hike (modified for a 13 month old!)
Explore the woods, look for animals
Pots & pans drum set
Playdoh
Watercolor paints/fingerpaint
Get chunky blocks, build a tower, knock it down, repeat
Read with lots of different character voices!
Library/bookstore
Water, cups & buckets on the deck/porch/sidewalk
When my daughters were that age, we had a nanny (my husband and I both work outside the home). She would take them on long walks, which they loved. Rain or shine, they'd dress appropriately and off they'd go. My older one at that age could walk up to a mile, believe it or not! As they walked, our nanny would talk about different things they saw - flowers, ladybugs, birds, motorcycles. They'd stop and pick up rocks or leaves. Of course, then my daughter would decide she had walked far enough and would sit down wherever she was and refuse to go another step! And then nanny would have to carry her back. I guess it was great exercise for all involved. Anyway, both kids still love going for "nature walks" to this day (they're 5 and 8).
My favorite thing at that age was to put my kids in just their diapers, clear a big space on the kitchen/dining room floor, fill up a big bowl/tub with warm water and give him some utensils and measuring cups and let them go to town! Easily and hour of fun time...
~I admit to letting them make a huge wet mess...they were practically 'helping' me mop the floor, at least getting me started anyways :)
Many times they started on the floor with washable finger paints and paper first...then out came the bucket of warm water and toys...
I took my children and grandchildren to the park to play in the sand and go on the swings at that age. I also went to the baby swim at the Y so my children learned to swim at a young age. Very important survival skill no one is too young or old to learn.
contact your local Parents as Teachers program thru your school district. They have excellent resources for the toddler stage.
With my daycare:
I read daily.
We scribble with crayons.
We use Mega Blocks.
We do lots of stacking, nesting activities.
I sing songs to encourage growth of speech....Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc.
The kitchen playset is very popular, as are the dolls & blankets.
I have ride-on toys inside.
& a whole lot more which I rotate in/out to prevent boredom. Kids also thrive on interaction with their peers. Have fun!
at home, my 13 month olds favorite thing these days is the kitchen cupboards.. I have one cupboard thats full of yogurt containers & the like, and on the fridge we have the alphabet magnets. She pulls the cupboard apart, puts letters in the "buckets" (containers) and makes a big mess lol, and I get all "shocked" "oh no, what have you done?" which gets her giggling and then she takes off with me chasing her. I bought her a complete kitchen center, with dishes, pot & pans & play food, but she still prefers mine. She also loves books, with the touchy pages- fur... we play music & dance.. nothing too organised, we do get repetitive, but she loves those things. Wow, walking at 8 months, my DD has yet to take her first steps unaided, she practises balancing while freestanding alot tho.
When my daughter was one she loved when we got her a little tricycle.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4051611
That to be exact. She loved going on walks in it! She still does. Another thing she still loves doing is coloring. If it's nice out and you have a sidewalk you could get some chalk and let him draw. It can be a bit messy but it's fun and gets them out of the house for a bit!
Going to the park is fun too. My daughter doesn't like the swings but she loves the slide!
We just walked and walked and walked, around the block a hundred times a day. Inspecting every little blade of grass, stone, tree.
We lived in a small city where it was easier to put the kid (s) in the carriage and walk to the store than wrestle with the car seat, parking spots, etc.
If it was 20 degrees or above, we were walking and walking.....
:)
1. fingerpaint
2. bake/ cook together
3. go on little hikes and bring baby backpack
4. kids always love when you record their own voice
5. go to storytime at the local bookstore or library
6. make a fort in the family room...pretend you are camping
7. go camping..introduce him to the great outdoors
8. purchase a cart that attaches to your bike. these carts are awesome it gets the moms out of the house. it has a rain guard on it plus a mini truck
9. even when my oldest was as young as one year i would take him to the museum or whatever. your never to young to learn
10. go to a park
Build a fort, colour, blocks, ball (throwing and kicking), read books, play hide and seek with an object. Let him "help" you make cookies; go for a walk and let HIM set the pace (he'll want to stop and look at everything!); go shopping.
My girls at that age were just happy to be WITH me, so I'd get them involved with the housework I needed to get done too - unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry, dusting, etc.
go to the park (at least when the weather cooperates!) or toddler time at a local rec center. You can start to do puzzles, read, string things onto pipe cleaners, finger paint, watercolor paint (just put a little water in the pods and let him use the brush to dip), paint windows with just water, playdough (easy to make, really easy to buy), stickers (we love the foam ones that you peel, probably can't peel the back off yet, but can certainly stick them down).
Are you able to get out of the house? I love taking my kids to the library. All the books! I started taking them when they were over a year old. They love it. I had an extra hour free with my 6 year old yesterday and when I asked what do you want to do, she said go to the library. I love that time.
With the weather changing get him outdoors. You can play T-ball, soccer, golf, hockey, etc in the backyard. If you dont have a backyard your neighborhood park is an excellent place to play. You may even get a few other kids & mommies to play along; sharing, teamwork & following direction can all be learned while having fun, not to mention daily physical activity. You can also turn a field trips like these into a teachable moments (ie environment, green ecology, etc) or start a hobby like bird watching, rock collecting. While some may think him too young to comprehend these things its amazing what kids pick up, how it will stick with him and how entertained he'll be.
Good Luck!!
GMGB
