What Skills Should Toys Support in a 1-Year-Old?
From 12 months, little ones develop quickly across balance, coordination, fine motor skills and sensory awareness. The best toys for one-year-olds support these skills naturally through play, giving your tot something meaningful to do while their curiosity is at its peak.
Here are the key skills that toys support at this age:
- Balance and coordination improve as your tot learns to push, pull and ride. Walkers, ride-ons and trikes for kids are especially good for building confidence and body control at this stage.
- Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination strengthen each time little hands grasp, stack or sort. The more they repeat these actions, the better their grip and precision become.
- Sensory awareness grows through touch, sound and exploration. Toys with different textures, rattles and moving parts help little ones make sense of what they see, hear and feel.
At HipKids, our range of toys for one-year-olds is made from natural materials and designed to match these key stages, including walkers, ride-ons, stacking toys and sensory activity toys.
The Best Types of Toys for 1-Year-Olds
A good toy at this age does more than keep a little one busy. It supports real developmental growth, holds attention and helps them practise new skills through repetition and play. The best toys are simple to use but just challenging enough to keep your tot engaged.
Here are the toy categories designed to encourage learning, movement and creativity:
- Ride-on toys: Supporting balance and coordination with a ride-on, trike or rocking horse as little legs start to push forward.
- Balance and movement toys: Developing body control and confidence with stacking toys, baby walkers and ball pits.
- Imaginative play: Nurturing creativity and early role play through soft dolls, pull-along toys and pretend play sets.
- Learning toys: Encouraging problem-solving and early thinking with building blocks, wooden toys, activity tables and shape sorters.
- Crafts and creative play: Musical instruments introduce rhythm, sound and fine motor practice with rainmakers, rattles and simple percussion toys.
- Baby toys: Stimulating the senses with soft toys, rattles, sensory toys, soft activity cubes, plush toys and baby activity toys.
- Outdoor play: Creating active moments with a ball pit or ride-on that gets little ones moving outside.
What Toys Help a 1-Year-Old Learn to Walk?
Push walkers are one of the most useful toys at this stage. Your tot holds on from behind and pushes forward, building leg strength and confidence as they go. At HipKids, our range of push walkers is built for exactly this moment, solid enough to support a new walker and simple enough to keep little ones coming back for more.
Ride-ons and rockers also help. Rocking strengthens the little muscles your tot needs to stay upright, and riding a trike or ride-on gets them used to shifting their weight as they move. A play mat gives them a soft, safe spot to pull up to stand and take those first steps at their own pace.
What to Look for in Toys for a 12 to 18-Month-Old
Between 12 and 18 months, toddlers are walking, starting to talk and working out how things fit together. The best toys for this stage are ones your tot can use on their own and come back to as their skills grow.
Shape sorters, stacking toys and simple wooden activity toys are good options because little ones can figure them out without any help from you. Since most toddlers still put things in their mouths, it’s worth checking that any toy you buy is made from natural and non-toxic materials.
Are Wooden Toys a Good Choice for 1-Year-Olds?
Yes, wooden toys are a great choice for one-year-olds. Unlike many plastic toys, quality wooden toys do not contain harsh chemicals like BPA or phthalates. They are also solid and durable, so they hold up well through daily play without cracking or breaking apart.
If you are building your tot's toy collection, it helps to have a mix of both wooden and soft toys. Wooden toys like shape sorters keep little hands busy and minds working, while soft toys like plush animals and comfort dolls give your tot a calming, familiar companion for quieter moments.
How Many Toys Does a 1-Year-Old Need?
One-year-olds don’t need a lot of toys. When little ones have too many options in front of them, they often move from one thing to the next without really engaging with any of them. A small, well-chosen selection that covers a few different types of play is genuinely all your tot needs.
That’s why at HipKids, we offer a wide range of toddler toys for 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds and beyond. This includes trusted brands like Little Dutch, Olli Ella and Jellycat, so Australian families can find everything they need in one place.
How Often Should You Rotate Toys?
A good rule of thumb is to rotate toys every one to two weeks. Swapping out a few toys at a time gives your tot something to rediscover and helps them stay focused during playtime.
Aim for a selection that covers different types of play, something active like a ride-on or walker, something hands-on like a stacking toy or shape sorter and something soothing like a soft toy or musical toy.
Finding the right toys to rotate is simple when you know where to look. HipKids is a 100% Australian-owned family business with a range of toys for one-year-olds to suit every budget, delivered across Australia. Browse our collection and find toys your tot will genuinely love to play with.
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