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 Makes the Best Toys for 1-Year-Olds?
The very best toys for one-year-olds do more than fill a toy bin – they support development, invite learning, and grow with your child well into the toddler, preschool, and even big kid years.
It’s easy for adults to think of toys as clutter or just “stuff” to gift. But toys have a bigger purpose. They’re powerful tools for early learning and play.
You’ve probably heard the saying “play is the work of childhood” (first shared by psychologist Jean Piaget and later popularized by Fred Rogers). Here’s the part we sometimes miss:
If play is the work of childhood, then toys are the tools for play.
The right toys spark curiosity, strengthen new skills, and give little ones the confidence to explore on their own. While I’m not here to add pressure, being intentional about what we offer matters. A well-chosen toy can make independent play easier and more rewarding – for your child and for you.
A toy’s price tag doesn’t determine its worth to your child. The most meaningful, engaging toys aren’t always the most expensive ones on the shelf.
How to Choose Toys for 1-Year-Olds
When I think about toys for one-year-olds, I usually divide them into two big groups: “one-and-done” toys and open-ended toys.
“One-and-done” toys tend to be flashy and short-lived. You’ll recognize them because they often:
- appeal to a narrow age range and don’t grow with your child
- are big, bright, and attention-grabbing at first glance
- rely on batteries, sounds, or lights to hold interest
- have a single way to play – one button, one motion, one obvious use
But the biggest clue? The play lifespan is short. Kids lose interest quickly, and before you know it, the toy sits untouched – often leading parents to feel like kids need something new. These toys entertain for a moment but rarely inspire lasting curiosity or creativity.
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.
The Best Kind of Toys for One-Year-Olds
When you’re choosing toys for a 1-year-old, focus on building a collection of open-ended toys – toys that can be used in many ways instead of doing just one trick.
Open-ended toys are the ones that truly support early independent play. They grow with your child, holding their interests for years and years. A toy your little one loves at age one can still spark creativity and problem-solving at ages three, four, or beyond.
These types of toys invite children to imagine, create, experiment, and explore. They help children practice social skills, try out real-world scenarios, solve problems, and learn about how things work.
Open-ended toys are powerful.
Toys Don’t Have a Gender
Toys are – and always should be – gender neutral.
Every recommendation on this list works beautifully for all kids. Great play isn’t about pink or blue packaging; it’s about giving every child access to a full range of experiences.
All kids deserve chances to build, create, care for, drive, role play, bounce, hammer, and design. These skills aren’t tied to gender – they’re part of healthy development for everyone.
When you choose toys, think about your child’s personality and interests instead of the label on the box. If your little one loves building, look for engineering or construction toys. If they enjoy nurturing play, offer dolls or pretend caregiving items.
Pick the toy for the child. All toys are for all kids.
How I Chose the Toys on This List
Every toy here has been tested in real homes by real kids – my own children, their friends, and the neighborhood crew that’s been playing in my backyard for a decade. These picks aren’t based on trending searches or anonymous reviews.
I have a Masters in Early Childhood Education, eight years of teaching experience, and have been a parent since 2013. In total, I’ve spent more than 20-years observing how children actually play – watching what keeps them engaged, sparks imagination, and gets pulled out again and again.
Only toys that prove themselves over time make it onto this list. If a toy is here, it’s because kids have loved it and it’s stood up to everyday life.
A vast majority of the toys on this list are still played with at my house (my kids are 12, 10, and 9 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.
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 10 year old). This was a standout on my list in 2024 – and gets top billing this year for good reason.
Play Mat with Cars
A HUGE STANDOUT! This toy blew me away – and it was adorable to play with. My oldest (12) wishes we’d had this in his taby and toddler years. The plush vehicles are exactly the right size, make gentle sounds (crinkling, chimes, etc.) and everything folds up into the mat… which then folds up into a carrying case.
Matching Mushrooms
Please, please, please: check this toy out. The mushrooms are adorable, the sorting is fabulous, the play is legit. These came out in 2024 and have watched children from 1 to 11 years old love on them.
Rainbow Busy Board
A new toy in 2025, this rainbow busy board is a slam dunk. Twist, turn, poke, push – this is a great at-home or on-the-go toy for the 1+ crowd. The added emotional faces takes it up a notch. Such a wonderful new toy!
Jumbo Animals
It’s a simple toy to have, but it’s perfect for imaginary play. A jumbo set of animals (like these – the giraffe is 13″ tall) 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
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 since 2016.
Sensory Tubes Set
These are such a good find – these three sensory bottles are perfect for motor development, calm down moments, travel, and life at home. Each tube does something different, engaging multiple senses. A great three-pack that you’ll have for years and years.
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 caregiving. This pairs great with a baby doll or stuffed animal – years and years of play came from our doll stroller.
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.
Simple Vehicles
I’m a big fan of vehicles for all kids – boats, cars, and trucks have no gender. One-year-olds love vehicles so make sure to get them a few big ones. This ferry boat is awesome, and works great on land or in a bath tub. I’ve linked other vehicles we own below.
Other Vehicle Options
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. We’ve had this since 2014.
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 it. They create rattles or stack together. They mix and match. It’s a really great better-than-basic toy.
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.
Matching Dinosaurs
These mix-and-match dinosaurs are fantastic for open ended play. They can be part of a small world, moved outside, in a sensory bin, and so much more. The backs and fronts are interchangeable and snap together easily.
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. We’ve used this one indoors and outdoors – it’s a solid winner.
Farm Play Set
I love the simplicity of this barn. There’s no bells, no whistles – nothing but perfection and everything that our little friends need in a toy. So many of the farm toys on the market have songs and gimmicks, but not this one. It lets kids shine.
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
Mushroom House with Animals
Omg, this is the cutest toy ever. We had something similar when my daughter was a toddler but it’s long discontinued. I found this new version and bought it to test the quality, etc. My daughter was just tickled to test this toy, carried it to her room, and fell asleep playing with it – it’s still something she plays with today (she’s 10).
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.
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. The cause and effect play, the motor planning, it’s all a winner!
Animal & Barns
This is a wonderful little toy with so much longevity. Houses and animals: the play possibilities are endless (and my 10 year old is still loving this and uses it in different play set ups). This is a prime example of a toy having longevity.
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, because peddling is hard, so this is the one I always recommend for any child between 12-36 months.
Slide Puzzle
This fine motor puzzle is so wonderful. It’s double-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 literally 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.
Forest Friends
My 10-year-old (who still has this toy in her room and plays with it often) insisted it remain on my gift guides. She’s not wrong. It’s a sweet toy that clearly has lots of longevity.
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.
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.
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 from your childhood? 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 12 years ago… and many still remain in my house today.
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 Busy Toddler 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.
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Sara says
Dear Susie, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your amazing gift guides. I use them for every birthday and Christmas present all year. They are the absolute best.