One Year Mind builders
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Making Noise
Let your one year old make noise! Your kitchen is a good place to start. Find things that make different noises when your child taps them with a metal or a wooden spoon. Pots and pans, empty cereal boxes, and soup cans work great.
Put some dry beans, rice, or pasta pieces in plastic storage containers. When you seal it, your child can shake it to make a sound. Talk with them about the noises they are making. Name the different objects together.
You can say,
- I hear that!
- What do you hear?
- I hear tap, tap, tap! That is a cereal box!
- Bang, bang, bang! That is a pot!
Tap or shake a simple rhythm or beat and see if your child will copy you.
Fun with Water!
On a day when it is warm enough outside or during bath time, let your one year old play with water. Fill plastic containers, bowls, and cups with water for outside play. Give your child some things that won’t break like measuring cups or spoons. Show them how to pour water from one cup to another. Help them fill a bowl with water and then stir with a spoon. Show them what happens when you pour from up high or down low, or from a smaller cup to a bigger cup, and from the bigger cup back to the smaller cup.
Give your child some pieces of paper and let them “paint” with water using their finger. Talk together about the water.
You can say,
- Ooh! How does the water feel?
- You are pouring the water from up high!
- Do you see your wet picture on the paper?
Don’t forget! Any time your child is around water, an adult should be within an arm’s reach to make sure they are safe!
Find the Toy
For this hide-and-seek activity, use cups, plastic containers, or small towels that your child cannot see through. Hide a toy that your child likes under the cup or towel. Ask your baby to find the toy.
You can say,
- I wonder where the ball is?
- Can you find the ball?
- You found it! You found the ball!
Hide a few toys around the room where your child can easily find them. Let them watch you hide them. Then help them to find the toys.
Counting Games
Pick a small number like 1, 2 or 3. See how many ways you can use it as part of your child’s day. You can:
- Count three snaps on their outfit while you change their diaper
- Give your child three pieces of food and count them as you place them on their high chair
You can say,
- Look, here are three blueberries and three pieces of chicken. One, two, three!
- You have more crackers than I do. Let’s count 1,2,3…
Try these ideas:
- Count each time you push your child on the swing.
- Count the steps as you walk while holding your baby.
When you are getting ready in the morning, you might say,
- You have 2 eyes and 2 ears!
- You have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 fingers!
Let’s Pretend
When you read a book with your child, think of ways to pretend about something in the book. If the people in the book are eating cookies, pretend to take a cookie off the page and eat it yourself. Pretend to give your child a cookie. Laugh together at this silly action!
You can say,
- Mmm… this cookie is delicious. May I have more?
If there is a puppy on the page, pretend the puppy jumped off the page and tickled you. Or pretend to pet the puppy in the picture. Ask your child to pet the puppy. Use pretend play as a chance to practice new language.
You can say,
- Oh! This puppy is so soft!
