As your little one approaches their first birthday, you may be wondering what types of toys are best for promoting healthy development. At one year old, babies are developing critical motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and imagination through play. The right toys like stuffed animals and teddy bears provide opportunities for exploration, movement and pretend play appropriate for their budding abilities.
In this list, we’ve curated 12 of the very best toy picks to gift your 1 year old this birthday. These toys for 1 year olds are designed specially to encourage gross motor skill practice like walking, scooting and pulling up, as well as fine motor development like grasping, stacking cups and turning knobs. Open-ended playsets boost creativity and roleplaying, while ride-on toys strengthen balance and walking. There’s something here to inspire every type of play!
| Toy | Recommendation Rating | Age Range | Cost |
| Ride-On Toys | ☆☆☆☆☆ | 12 months+ | $20-50 |
| Push and Pull Toys | ☆☆☆☆☆ | 12 months+ | $20-50 |
| Balance Bikes | ☆☆☆☆☆ | 12-36 months | $20-50 |
| Shape Sorters | ☆☆☆☆☆ | 6 months+ | Under $20 |
| Puzzle Boards | ☆☆☆☆ | 12 months+ | Under $20 |
| Pull-Along Animals | ☆☆☆☆☆ | 12 months+ | Under $20 |
| Toys with Buttons & Knobs | ☆☆☆☆ | 12 months+ | Under $20 |
| Musical Toys | ☆☆☆☆ | 6 months+ | Under $20 |
| Pretend Play Sets | ☆☆☆☆ | 12 months+ | Under $20 |
| Push & Pull Wagons | ☆☆☆☆☆ | 12 months+ | $20-50 |
| Bathtub Toys | ☆☆☆☆ | 6 months+ | Under $20 |
| Stuffed Animals | ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 months+ | $20 |
Toys play a crucial role in child development by helping infants and toddlers build motor control and cognition. As your little explorer starts sitting up, scooting around and grabbing objects close by, they need safe toys specially sized for tiny hands and new abilities.
Bright colors, interesting textures and cause-and-effect toys grab their attention and inspire them to move and manipulate the toys, developing fine and gross motor control in their hands, arms and legs. Toys with opportunities for pretend play build imagination and language as your 1 year old acts out daily moments like feeding a baby doll or having a tea party with their stuffed animals.
The right toys will capture your 1 year old’s blossoming curiosity while giving their growing bodies a workout! Read on for 12 toys like miniature kitchen sets and other engaging educational toys picked specifically to aid development for 1 year olds through play they’ll genuinely adore for a long time.
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 12 months+
Cost: $20-50
Do you have a tiny thrillseeker who wants to keep up with older toddlers on their trikes? Ride-on toys allow your newly walking 1 year old the independence and fun of their very own play vehicle designed just for their size!
Luddy makes some of the best ride-on toys for 1 year olds taking their very first steps, with sturdy plastic vehicles ready for little drivers to scoot, steer and balance on. Luddy gives kids the option to use their feet to power their play car along…or they can sit back and use the easy-grip handlebar to push themselves along either forward or backward. Toddler-sized handles help them practice steering and build confidence balancing on ride-on toys.
With its chunky wheels and low scooter deck, the Luddy Toddler Scooter is also great pick for 1 year olds working on gross motor skills. As they use their feet to zip along the pavement, they’ll also be learning their ABCs! The upright 3-wheel design and easy-lean steering support motor development for little cruising kids.
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 12 months+
Cost: $20-50
Pull toys are fantastic for working on gross motor skills like walking, encouraging imaginative play and keeping active toddlers engaged in movement. Look for toys with easy-to-grasp handles sized for tiny hands that can be stabilized well enough for newly confident walkers to balance and tug along. Toys that light up, make sounds or have moving parts add extra interest to capture their attention for even more pulling practice!
The Luddy push and pull walker is equipped with textured easy-grip bone handle that is sized for little hands taking their first steps, and fun lights, sounds and motion inspire kids to happily pull it along behind them. The push and pull toy offers stacking rings that make a fun rattling sound when rolled, encouraging curious 1 year olds to keep tugging it forward for more fun cause-and-effect discovery!
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 12-36 months
Cost: $20-50
Balance bikes (or run bikes) allow energetic toddlers to work on balance, coordination and confidence through self-propelled movement before they acquire pedaling skills. Strider makes one of the very best balance bikes for 1 year olds we’ve found: the Strider Sport Balance Bike!
This lightweight bike helps kids learn to balance, steer, and develop motor skills through intuitive movement rather than instruction. The adjustable seat and handlebars grow with your child, while an easy step-through frame provides stability for newly confident walkers. With puncture-proof tires that never need air, your little one can zoom around both indoors and outside on paths for hours of continuous fun!
When they feel ready for pedaling, the balance bike seamlessly converts to an Strider pedal bike with the addition of a footrest, pedals, and drive chain. We love how this pick truly grows with – and challenges – developing riders!
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 6 months+
Cost: Under $20
Sorting toys allow little ones to strengthen fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they manipulate, rotate, stack and nest toys with various sizes and shapes. Watching your 1 year old problem solve to match the shape in their tiny hands to the right sorting box hole promotes focus, concentration, spatial reasoning and feeling pride in figuring things out for themselves!
We love the classic Fisher Price Brilliant Basics Rock-a-Stack toy pairing a tried-and-true shape sorter with cups to stack – toddlers can dump them out and do it all again for cause-and-effect learning fun. The larger openings help beginner sorters get the pieces into the right spots with less frustration.
For more advanced shape matchers, the Fisher Price Visual Stacking Cups blend sorting with early counting skills. With numbers printed inside the cups and on stacking posts, kids get visual guidance matching quantities as they stack up the cups up to 10.
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 12 months+
Cost: Under $20
Unlike traditional puzzle pieces, open-ended peg puzzles boost creativity by allowing pieces to be placed anywhere – not just in one “right” solution. Puzzle boards encourage imagination and let kids of all ages invent unique designs over and over again, building confidence and a sense of accomplishment.
Melissa & Doug make lots of fantastic open-ended peg puzzles perfect for working on fine motor skills with 1 year olds. The Melissa & Doug Deluxe Peg Puzzle Cube features chunky puzzle pieces sized for little hands, while its hinge design unfolds to reveal the full puzzle board for lots of flexible play options. We also love their Geometric Stacker Pegs Building Set, which comes with pattern cards for toddlers who enjoy more structure too.
The Hape All-in-One Wooden Kid’s Activity Cube takes stacking, balancing, and shape sorting fun vertical with lots of colorful wooden manipulative elements in one stimulating toy. It’s sized for kids 12 months and up but will continue to capture kids’ attention for years to come.
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 12 months+
Cost: Under $20
Pull-along animal pals inspire toddlers’ imaginative storytelling adventures as they take their new plush friends on walks both real and pretend! Look for pull toys with soft bodies sized just right for hugs and handling by little arms, as well as easy-to-grasp parts sized for small hands to tug them along on magical journeys.
The Manhattan Toy Company makes the sweetest pull-along stuffed rabbits and puppies perfect for capturing a 1 year old’s imagination. Both Wee Baby Stella Loves to Pull Along and Squeak Along Puppy Dog are designed for tiny travelers 12 months and up, with soft bodies and easy-pull loop tails sized for little hands. They become instant snuggly companions – encouraging bonding, attachment and nurturing play.
For pull-along animal pals that can scoot right into the tub for bathtime fun, check out Skip Hop’s rubber Zooper Dooper Tug Duck and Zoo Tug Boat Floaties. Their squishy textures and smiling faces add tactile exploration to bath time, while the easy-loop handle inspires gross motor skill development. Rub-a-dub-dub – adventure awaits!
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 12 months+
Cost: Under $20
Look for toys featuring inviting buttons, switches, knobs and dials specially designed for a 1 year old’s ability. Toys with manipulation elements help strengthen their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination through pressing, twisting, toggling and swatting actions. Plus, they build confidence and mastery through repetition and cause-and-effect discovery play.
The Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Puppy Push & Giggle Activity Toy offers lots for tiny hands to explore: buttons to activate songs, light-up nose for pressing, sliding bead loops, flipping pages, turning gears and more. Manipulative elements on multiple surfaces inspires curiosity and discovery.
This Press & Go Car Carrier from Melissa & Doug combines fine motor skill strengthening with gross motor imagination play. The chunky toggle switches, buttons and carrying handle helps develop dexterity and coordination. Load up the little wood vehicles and push them along for roleplay fun!
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 6 months+
Cost: Under $20
Music provides a stimulating sensory experience for curious young minds. Toys with rich auditory interest encourage babies to use their senses, developing fine motor skills, problem solving and language skills along the way.
Look for instruments sized for small hands, musical manipulation toys, and toys with light-up keys or xylophone arrangements to tap. Cause-and-effect discovery of sounds, lights, vibrations and movements when pressing buttons or batting at parts keeps little ones utterly fascinated!
The Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Rock-a-Stack is a longtime favorite stacking toy that also brings delightful musical rewards. As kids lift or drop the stacking rings, fun rattling sounds reward their experiments with auditory feedback to grab their focus.
The Bright Starts Light ‘N Go 3-In-1 Activity Station Entertainer offers light-up piano keys, spinning drums, shape sorter and manipulative gears to let imagination and music mingle. Wherever their curiosity leads them next, there’s something fun to find!
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 12 months+
Cost: Under $20
Miniature playsets for kitchens, tea parties, farms or zoos allow small imaginations to role play life’s daily moments they observe. Look for pretend play toys sized appropriately for little hands, with chunkier parts compared to playsets for older kids. Simple cause-and-effect actions help demonstrate how things work, grabbing their interest in mimicking what they see.
The Step2 Best Chefs Kitchen Playset has all the modern touches a mini chef needs for cooking up fun, like a working oven and sink. The easy-clean surface and chunky design sized for tiny tots make it a winner for nurturing engagement and bonding through play. Add play food and your 1 year old will love serving up cuisine for years to come.
A wooden Chunky Puzzle Farm from Melissa & Doug fuels fun animal adventures with fences, feeding trough, and barn pieces sized for small hands. Sliding doors on the accessory stand reveal hiding animals to boost memory and imagination in this sweet roleplay set. Moo-ve over for playtime!
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 12 months+
Cost: $20-50
Push and pull wagons give active 1 year olds a fun riding experience while building confidence, balance and coordination skills. Look for sturdy but lightweight wagons sized for little bodies, with handles sized for their small hands to grip and built-in seats with guardrails for safety.
Radio Flyer makes the classic little red wagons three generations have loved, now sized just right for toddlers! The Radio Flyer Early Rider Baby Wagon has molded seats and safety handles perfectly sized for tiny riders, while its durable design holds up to 55 pounds for pulling kids or gear.
For a colorful push wagon sized for tiny travelers, check out the Skip Hop Explore n’ Store wagon. It features fun colors, chunky rubber tires and storage for taking toys along for the toddling ride!
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 6 months+
Cost: Under $20
Bath toys encourage babies and young toddlers to strengthen motor skills as they pour water, squish and squeeze toys, and transfer items between their (often slippery!) tiny hands. The best bath toys for 1 year olds are sized appropriately for little hands to grasp, hold and manipulate easily, reducing frustration.
Bright colors, smiling character faces, interesting textures and cause-and-effect actions also help grab and hold little ones’ attention even when wet and slippery. Finding bath toys helps make a typically mundane daily routine fun – while sneakily building fine motor skills along the way!
Green Toys makes fantastic diversionary tactics to turn hair washing misery into tub time joy! The Green Toys Ferry Boat with Mini Cars is sized perfectly for small hands to load up with fun vehicles that really float – inspiring pouring play and storytelling fun. Their Submarine also comes with little blue and yellow cars for loading fun.
Munchkin makes lots of wildly popular (and affordable) squirt bath toys to delight giggly babies. The Fishing Bath Squirts Set comes with 3 colorful fish that suction to the tub wall. When little ones give them a squeeze, water streams out to inspire fine motor play and endless laughter.
Recommendation Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Age Range: 0 months+
Cost: $20
Can you ever have too many snuggly stuffed animal friends? Plush pals provide comfort through hugs and cuddles, helping form attachments, modeling compassion, and sparking nurturing roleplay. Many feature soothing tactile textures like silky edges or crinkly sounds to hold wandering attention.
When shopping for stuffed animals for 1 year olds, make sure any embellishments like ribbons or buttons are tightly secured, and all loose parts pass the baby tug and pull test. Baby safe labels like Gund or JellyCat ensure their materials and production has passed extensive testing for little hands and mouths.
Cloth books also make fantastic plush pals – combining the joy of stuffed animals with sensory pages for discovering new textures and colors. A soft book like Peek-a-Boo Forest Friends lets imagination wander through sweet animal stories featuring different tactile fabrics. What a wild adventure!
Established in 2009, Luddy has grown into a leading ride-on toy manufacturer integrating cutting-edge R&D with automated production of innovative, smart electric ride-on toys for babies, toddlers and young children. Targeting crucial developmental years from 6 months to 8 years old, Luddy ride-on toys encourage physical coordination and mental growth through fun, exciting play.
As a top manufacturer in the industry, Luddy frequently partners with famous toy brands including Lamborghini, Feihe, B Duck and more for co-branded ride-on cars and vehicles. Operating from an impressive 53,000 square meter contemporary factory, Luddy invests heavily in R&D, rigorous quality control testing and the automated precision manufacturing technologies needed to produce consistent, high-quality ride on toys packed with innovative smart features.
From their earliest ride-on experiments scooting afoot and steering mini cars, to high-performance electric ATVs commanding trails like a pro, Luddy ride-on toys grow with your child at every age and stage – inspiring a lifelong love for adventure in motion!
The first year is filled with so many exciting milestones for your little explorer! Finding toys offering the just-right level of challenge to match your 1 year old’s blossoming abilities ensures play will be engaging, skill-building and full of discovery. Ride-ons build balance and coordination, while manipulation toys strengthen hands and minds. Familiar environments like kitchens, farms and tea parties inspire nurturing role play. However they play, these 12 picks all encourage the healthy motor skill development and imagination flowering beautifully at age one…plus deliver lots of giggles along the way!
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