Looking for the best toys for 1 year olds? You’ll find them on this carefully curated gift-guide filled with field-tested toys loved and played with by actual children. These are toys your one-year-old will enjoy for years, and supply countless hours of independent play and fond memories.
What the best toys for 1 year olds are?
The best toys for 1 year olds are toys that will support their development, be a part of their play and learning, and grow with them over the years.
Toys are often seen as just “things” for children to own or “stuff” for adults to gift.
But toys are much more than that – and it’s paramount that adults begin to shift to a new understanding and appreciation of toys.
Toys are important.
One of the most famous sentiments is that play is the work of childhood which was first said by psychologist Jean Piaget and then popularized by Fred Rodgers.
So let’s be clear: If play is the work of childhood, then toys are the tools for play.
While I’m never one to put pressure on parents, having the “right” toys can make or break independent play. We must be mindful of what children need and find them the best tools for their hard work.
It’s important to understand that the price of a toy does not dictate its value. The best toy for your child is not necessarily the most expensive.
How to choose toys for 1 year olds
In very general terms, I lump toys into two categories: “one and done toys” and “open-ended toys.”
Here’s how to tell if a toy is a “one and done toy.”
These toys are often large and flashy. They are typically not going to work with mixed ages of children (they work with one age group only), rely on batteries, are meant to entertain a child, and usually have just one purpose (you can’t use the toy in different ways or play scenarios).
But the biggest clue is the lifespan of the toy: the child’s engagement and interest in this toy often fades quickly. A “one and done toy” typically don’t hold attention long and are often a toy marketer’s dream – the “need” for a new toy to replace the “one and done toy” arrives quickly.
Please note my language: Often, likely, typically. Some seemingly “one and done” toys will hold your child’s attention for years or are very necessary for their personal development. Toys are tools is the message to leave here with. If a toy is a tool for your child and their play, that toy has value.
What kind of toys work best for one year olds?
As you build your toys collection, aim to fill it with open-ended toys.
These are the toys that most often support independent play in early childhood, grow with children, and though they fall in love with them at age 1, they continue to play with them for years and years.
Open-ended toys will help a one-year-old learn to imagine, create, and think. They’ll help them learn to navigate the world, act out social situations, problem solve, explore, and learn.
Open-ended toys are powerful.
Toys don’t have a gender
All toys are gender neutral.
Everything on this list is perfect for both boys and girls, and will enrich all children’s play lives.
All children need equal access to all toys. They all need the chance to build, care give, drive, role play, bounce, hammer, and design.
Do not choose a toy based on gender. Instead, base it on the child’s interests or needs. If a child likes building, invest in engineering toys. If a child likes care giving, support that with a doll.
Pick the toy for the child. All toys are for all kids.
How the toys on this list were selected
This list of toys for 1 year olds was field tested by children, actual children, and in the real-world (most toys for many, many years).
Every toy on this list has been cherished by either my children, neighbors, or friends of our family. Nothing goes on this list that hasn’t been thoroughly tested. I do not pick toys based on Amazon reviews or current trends. I curated this list based on my knowledge of children and lived experience observing play for more than 20 years.
A vast majority of the toys on this list are still played with at my house (my kids are 11, 9, and 8 years old). This is what I mean by toys that grow with kids.
JUMP – The best toys for 1 year olds revealed
These are the best toys for 1 year olds (and toys will keep loving, and using, and playing with far into the future). This list is not just for one-year-olds – these are toys that children will enjoy beginning at age 1, but not only at age 1.
Disclaimer:
Busy Toddler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
Matching Mushrooms
Please, please, please: check this toy out. The mushrooms are adorable, the sorting is fabulous, the play is legit. This will absolutely grow with your child.
Sensory Tubes
These are perfect! “My first sensory tube.” Be warned the package does say 3+, but having played with them, I love them for a taby (12-24 month olds).
Farm Play Set
I love the simplicity of this barn. There’s no bells, no whistles, no music, no noise – nothing but perfection and everything that our little friends need in a toy. This is a magical toy that still works for my 9 year old.
Pop Up School Bus
My son was gifted this for his first birthday in 2014. We still have it. It is still treasured. It’s perfect. It’s one of my favorite things to gift on a first birthday.
Simple Building Set
This toy is so cool. It’s magnetic, it connects, it rolls, it rattles. There’s only 8 pieces (aka not much to lose) and endless ways to configure. They create rattles or stack together. They mix and match. It’s just a really great basic toy.
Peekaboo Gnome Homes
Goodness, these gnomes and their houses couldn’t be cuter. They invite so much play, and the longevity is absolutely there (just ask my 9 year old who immediately moved these to her room when we brought them home to “test”).
Hide and Squeak Eggs
AN ABSOLUTE JOY. Need a quick gift for a one-year-old? These squeaking eggs are magical and constantly in use at our house. They’ve lived in our play kitchen/food area for 8 years.
Pound and Tap Bench
Between the hammer, the xylophone, and the balls – let’s just say the play potential here is through the roof. If your family doesn’t have this toy, it may be the right time to gift this legend.
Ramp Toys
Ramps are awesome, and they never get old. They’re the perfect quiet toy and little ones will sit so a long time playing with these simple ramps.
Animal & Barns
This is a wonderful little toy with so much longevity. Houses, animals, the play possibilities are endless (and my 8 year old is still loving this).
Basket of Babies
Every house, every child, every toy collection needs some babies. Kids need a baby doll for playing doctor games, to rescue from the fire, and to use in social stories (like pretending to be a caregiver). This basket of babies (literally what it’s called) is the cutest, sweetest set.
Doll Stroller
A gender-neutral stroller is a fantastic toy for children learning empathy skills and care giving. This pairs great with a baby doll or stuffed animal – years and years of play came from our doll stroller.
Pull Back Cars
The most precious and perfect pack. These were a gift for my son’s first birthday, and we had years and years of happy times with them. They’re a bigger pull back car than most, super forgiving, and a softer material for bumping into things. Such an easy one to recommend.
Jumbo Animals
It’s a simple toy to have, but it’s perfect for imaginary play. A jumbo set of animals (like these) are so much fun and invite so many play opportunities. It’s an ageless toy too – kids will be playing with these same animals for years. I linked below all the sets we have. We’ve collected them over the years.
Other Jumbo Animal Sets
Stacking Cups
What blew me away with these stacking cups is the math: it actually takes 2-“one” cups to fill the number two cup…which is such a great feature for longevity and someday using a stacking up to learn addition.
Scoot-around Bike
One-year-olds need wheels. This scoot-around bike is the best one I’ve seen. We have two in our neighborhood that have lasted a decade, being passed from child to child, family to family. It’s an absolute must, peddling is hard, so this is the one I always recommend for any child between 12-36 months.
Push Toys
Push toys – even simple ones like this – can have years of life and be used in so many games. We bought this when my daughter was 1 years old. We had it out for play until well into the elementary school years for my kids because they just kept finding uses for it.
Slide Puzzle
This fine motor puzzle is so wonderful. It’s two-sided which opens up extra possibilities for fun and learning. This holds many good memories of early childhood for my family and we love it dearly. I wish more people knew about it.
Pull Along Toy
My son got this first his 1st birthday in 2014. We still have it, affectionately named Millie Dog for a dearly departed pet. It is still a part of daily play. I’m looking at it as I type this (fourth wall breakdown).
Shape Sorting Toy
All 1-year-olds need some sort of shape sorter. This little toy teaches so much – sorting, spatial awareness, and color matching. It’s a big day when they finally get this one down, but don’t worry – they’ll keep using this for years to come. We bought this before kids for my niece when she would visit – it lasted 10 glorious years for us.
Other Shape Sorting Options
Classic Alphabet Blocks
There is nothing more iconic in childhood than the classic alphabet block – don’t sleep on owning a set of these vintage gems. Many children pick up their alphabet knowledge through play and it’s toys like this that lay the foundation early.
Simple Vehicles
I’m a big fan of vehicles for all kids – cars and trucks have no gender. One-year-olds love cars and trucks so make sure to get them a few big ones. This garbage truck is awesome, especially for fans of trash pick up days.
Other Vehicle Options
Forest Friends
My 9-year-old (who still has this toy in her room and plays with it often) insisted it be added to this year’s gift guide. She’s not wrong. It’s a sweet toy that clearly has lots of longevity.
Stacking Buckets
Stacking and nesting toys are great, but these buckets really take things up a notch with their size. Surprisingly, these buckets do a lot: they hold, they build, they carry… they do everything. This is still played with daily in my house (my kids are 11, 9, and 8).
Caterpillar Gear Toy
Twisting, turning, placing, creating, and imagining: this is one of those sleeper toys that I hope you’ll take a closer look at. It’s simple – and that’s a good thing. It gives 1 year olds a chance to be successful and build something that moves. They love that about this toy.
Big Knob Puzzles
Puzzles are like books – you can’t have too many. The limit does not exist. Getting kids started on puzzles early on is a great gift to give.
Other Big Knob Puzzles
Button Box
Here’s a little gem that has been a hit with all my kids, starting when my youngest was 10 months old. This was his favorite well into preschool.
Kids sort the buttons into the box, play with the buttons on the carpet, pattern with them, design with them – yes, it’s just buttons… but to kids, they’re a whole lot more.
Push Wagon
We bought this a few years ago, even though it’s very much a toy aimed at 12-24 month olds. It’s a classic and used by children ages 1-11 in my neighborhood because it has longevity. Everyone can find a use for it. This is a gold star toy – with years of potential.
Mega Bloks
A staple, a classic, a must own: even just one bag of these is all you need for hours / days / years of building fun. These blocks are perfect for little hands – right around age 20 months, the play with these really takes off. I can show you plenty of 10 year olds still playing with their bag of blocks from back then, too.
Tap and Pound Bench
Do you remember this toy? It’s iconic – but sometimes I worry it’s been a bit forgotten. I have 10 years of play memories with this toy in my house. It was always a hit and I bet it’ll be a hit at your house too.
Balls
You can’t go wrong with balls – the mother of all open-ended toys. We got this set 8 years ago… and many still remain in my house today.
Dinosaur Bath Toys
I love giving bath toys as gifts for 1 year olds. These are amazing because they have no-holes. My kids love animals in the tub – and these are great because they won’t mold.
Tunnel
This tunnel is so fun for kids of all ages – from new crawlers to big kids deep in imaginary play. Tunnels have multi-age capabilities and years of longevity.
What’s Inside? Soft Feely Box
This is an unexpected toy that’s full of open-ended play. Toys with “small” pieces like this make for great imaginary play. Kids will play with all the pieces from this (together or separate for years).
Check out other gift guides
Don’t miss my other gift guides which may also work for your family. Many of the toys on this list and others have been enjoyed by my three kids from baby age to elementary school.
- Best Toys for Babies
- Best Toys for Toddlers
- Best Toys for Preschoolers (3-5 years)
- Best Stocking Stuffers
Frequently Asked Questions
All toys are educational toys. The phrase “educational” toy is a marketing term designed to evoke a reaction from parents. Marketers often prey on the fears of parents that their child will be “behind” so they add “educational” to a toy in hopes that parents will buy that toy over another.
What’s ironic is that most often the toys labeled as “educational” are the least educational (they light up, say color names, sing the ABCs), but a toy children will truly learn from (like a set of wooden blocks) doesn’t need to proclaim its educational powers.
Be leery of toys that claim to be “educational.” What are they actually teaching?
One-year-olds need toys that spark their interest, grow their curiosity, and help them learn, plan, and discover. This age group loves toys that have a cause and effect element, toys that move, and toys that help them practice real world skills (like driving, hammering, building, and caring).
That’s a personal question for each family, but my rule of thumb is this: the room where toys are played with should be “clean-able” in 15 minutes. If it takes longer than that to put away the toys, there may be too many.
Remember that toys are tools. Just like you get frustrated when you open a kitchen drawer and can’t find the tool you need to cook with, kids feel that when toy boxes are crowded. A frustrated child who can’t find their toy is then less likely to play independently.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
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