One Year Health builders
Download Activities: English | Spanish | Vietnamese
So Many Colors!
Next time you go to the grocery store, find two or three different fruits or vegetables of the same color, for example, oranges, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Cut them into small pieces, or cook if needed, so that your child can eat them.
Talk about the different colors, tastes, smells, and textures. See what tastes and textures they like.
At a different meal, try another set of foods with a different color (red, green, blue, for example).
Eating different kinds of foods helps your child to get all the nutrients they need. Talk with your child about how eating lots of different foods helps them grow healthy and strong.
Make Leaving Easier
Make up a goodbye routine just for your child. It can be a special handshake, blowing kisses, or looking into their eyes. Let your child know that you are leaving and that you will be back. It might help your child to have an object to hold like a blanket or stuffed animal, or a picture of you.
You can say your special goodbye to the stuffed animal, and then to your child. Or you can keep the picture of yourself or family in a special place where your child can look at it whenever they are missing you.
Counting and Cleaning
Helping your one year old brush their teeth can be fun! Count from 1 to 10 as you brush each area of their mouth. For example, brush the teeth on the left side of their mouth, counting to 10.
Once you’ve counted to 10, stop brushing that side and move to the front set of teeth. Count to 10 as you brush and stop when you say TEN. Then move to the left side of their teeth, count to 10 and brush.
Do this for the top, bottom, front and sides, and insides of their teeth. You can create a counting song to make it more fun! Your child might be more willing to let you brush their teeth if they know you’ll stop at a certain number, and they know what to expect every time you brush.
Sweet Sleep
Going to sleep can sometimes be hard for your one year old. A bedtime routine can make it easier. Do this routine every time you put your child down for a nap or for the night, and they will learn to expect it.
It can be as simple as having a bath, brushing their teeth, and reading a book together. Sometimes a child takes longer to wind down. You might plan for a longer routine – maybe a bath, snuggling and reading a few books together, brushing their teeth, singing songs to them, or retelling the events of their day to them, while they are lying in bed.
When you make your bedtime routine, think of quiet, relaxing activities to help your child ease into bedtime.
Keeping Hands Clean!
Your one year old probably enjoys copying your actions. Create a game to practice handwashing. You might say,
- We need to wash our hands! How do we do it?
Show your child how to use soap and water. Count slowly to 20 while scrubbing or sing a song for that amount of time. Then dry their hands completely. Talk with them while you wash your hands together. Tell them washing keeps them healthy.
Practice washing through play. Create routines to help your child wash up when they really need it, like before mealtimes and after playing outside. Be sure the whole family joins in handwashing to get rid of germs that can make you and your child sick. This will keep everyone healthy!
