These top 10 sensory toys for 1 year-olds will give your baby the opportunity to explore and discover their senses. Give them a creative way to learn about different colors, feel different textures (even if it is with their tongues!), learn all about animals and the noises they make, and they will even learn about cause and effect.
And if you were wondering…. Yes, an image shows my older daughter when she was 1-year-old! She got herself a perfect sensory “toy” (aka flour) and decided to make snow! It just goes to show that, very often, you can find the most engaging toy for your kids in your kitchen cabinet! (Make sure to have vacuum cleaner ready, though!)
Playpen Ball Pit
This playpen ball pit is so much fun. My daughters would swim among the balls for what seemed like hours. They loved hiding, then popping their heads out of the pile of balls with a fun game of peek-a-boo. This ball pit is also a great way to teach your kiddos about color. Before you throw a ball, name the color. Your toddler will catch on quicker than you expect. Find the toy here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom
Sensory Pull Along Tissue Box
Sensory play rainbow scarf set is designed to engage young children and toddlers in a fun and exciting way that may help them develop their problem-solving ability & color sorting while having fun. Box is plushie and with weighted bottom to make it more stabile. Find the toy here: United States
Wooden Garden Activity Cube
Not only is this a great sensory toy for 1 year olds, it is a great way to keep those little hands busy! There is so much to do with this garden activity cube. There are gears, a bead maze, counting blocks, abacus, and more. My daughter loved playing with the wooden creatures on the top of the cube. She even learned how to say buzz from the bee that is buzzing around on top! Find the toy here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom
Toddler Music Set
Nothing is better than watching your 1-year-old bust out in song! Help them along the way with this music set for toddlers. My daughters love music! No age is too early to introduce them to song and dance. Get those little feet moving and let them make their own tunes. Find the toy here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom
Hide’N’Squeak Eggs
Hide N Squeak Eggs
Busy Poppin’ Pals
Animals and toddlers. They go hand in hand. I have a lot of memories with my girls teaching them all of the different sounds animals make. This busy poppin’ pals toy will help you teach your kiddos animal noises, but it also teaches cause and effect. When you push, turn, or twist the buttons on the toy an animal pops up. It is a great way to put a few smiles on baby’s face. Find the toy here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom (similar)
Sensory Fidget Tubes
Each set of sensory fidget tubes comes with 1 calming glitter tube, 1 fantastic fidget tube, 1 magical reverse hourglass, and 1 soothing gravity spinner. If kids are upset or stressed, encourage them to focus on the movement within the fidget tube. This allows them to slow down their heart rate and respiration as they turn their attention to there. Find the toy here: United States
Touchables Textured Beanbags
Scratchy, slippery, silky, or soft? Young learners build tactile awareness and vocabulary skills as they interact with 20 textured squares in a variety of hands-on activities (10 pairs). Find the toy here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom
Natural Rubber Sensory Ball
Toddlers love to play with balls. Learning to play catch and throwing a ball creates a way for toddlers to learn hand eye coordination and it also introduces them to taking turns. This natural rubber sensory ball is a bit unique though because it has a rainbow of colors along with different textures for baby to explore. I was also happy to know that this ball is made out of food grade rubber, so I had no problems with my daughter gnawing on this toy. Find the toy here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom
Tails
The book, Tails, is full of catchy rhymes, animals, and their tails! There are so many textures to discover! The bumpy alligator tail and furry tiger tail provides a creative way for your toddler to learn about animals and how their tails feel. I know your toddler will love this book as much as my daughters have. Find the toy here: United States | Canada | United Kingdom
These sensory toys for 1-year-olds will help your toddler develop their senses. Do you have any sensory toys to add to our list? Feel free to share with us!
Few Sensory Play Ideas to Try with Your 1 Year Old Child
Before anything else, stop by How to Get Started with Sensory Play for Beginners and grab our free sensory play guide.
- Shaving Cream Color Mixing Sensory Bag
- Reflections Sensory Bin
- Bead Balloon for Hand Strengthening
- Zero Sensory Bin
I am very pleased with Busy poppin’ pals as it has 5 of the buttons (many have only 3 or 4) and different colors and animals give a lot of opportunities to the language.
Highly recommend this toy. It makes my child happier playing with him so I appreciate this toy