As the proverb says: “Motherhood is very hard work, without days off and the possibility of vacations.” But you must admit, it is impossible to devote all 24 hours a day, because there are also household chores in the form of cooking, cleaning and personal time. A logical question arises: how can a 1-year-old child be occupied for at least a little while? More on this later.
How to play with a one-year-old child?
Games for 1-year-old babies have the main goal of teaching babies basic concepts, actions, and strengthening emotional ties with close adults. The child gets acquainted with the world around him, learns to speak, making all kinds of sounds, he wants to know as much as possible, touch, feel and sometimes even taste everything.
When organizing educational games for a one-year-old child, follow the following rules:
The game should not last too long. Stop the gameplay as soon as you notice that the child begins to lose interest in what is happening.
Educational games for a 1-year-old child should not include many objects, as this will only distract his attention.
Playing with small objects is great for developing hand motor skills, but poses a serious danger, since children of this age love to put everything in their mouth. Keep a close eye on your child if you use small objects for play!
Don't underestimate a small child. If his coordination of movements is not yet sufficiently developed, this does not mean that he cannot understand what is happening around him and is not able to learn simple actions.
Reading books
It is important to read books with your child from birth. Reading various songs, nursery rhymes, and fairy tales should appear in a child’s life as early as possible.
A one-year-old child will enjoy listening to fairy tales with bright drawings
By the age of 6 months, many children who have been read to regularly since birth show interest in vivid images in children's books and may even indicate what they would like to hear. From the age of 1 year of a child’s life, the adult’s task is to make reading books more conscious, to help the baby learn to understand the meaning of what he read.
Of course, it is still too early to teach a child to read independently at this age, but it is already possible to instill a love of books and develop curiosity in him.
The list of recommended books for reading at this age looks something like this:
- nursery rhymes - remain relevant even after a year, as they instill in the child a sense of tact and help to calm down before falling asleep;
- fairy tales - these should be mini-fairy tales with a good plot, the meaning of which the child can already perceive in general terms:
- folk tales – Ryaba the Hen, Kolobok, The Three Little Pigs, Masha and the Bear;
- author's fairy tales - Suteev, Chukovsky, Marshak, Bianki;
- poems by children's authors (Agniya Barto, Samuil Marshak);
- various collections and manuals - the alphabet with large letters, manuals on speech development.
It is advisable for parents to find time and read with their baby as often as possible. This will help develop his imagination and will be useful for the development of the child’s speech.
Games with a one-year-old child at home
To organize educational games a year, there is no need to run to the store for expensive game sets. You probably already have many useful toys, such as blocks, balls, pyramids, at home. Use them to organize your child's play activities. Also, many mothers make educational games for 1-year-old children with their own hands from scrap materials.
Ball games
The ball is one of the best toys, using which you can organize a variety of outdoor games for children from 1 year old. Kids really like them and bring a lot of benefits. When a child catches or rolls a ball, attention is developed as well as hand-eye coordination.
- "Bowling". The meaning of this game is clear from its name. Bowling pins (if you don't have them, you can use regular plastic bottles) are placed in one row. The kid is given a ball and given the task of knocking down all the objects with it.
- "Rolling the ball." You simply show your child how to roll the ball, and then roll the ball towards him. The child may push the ball in a completely different direction to see how you return it to its place. Ask your child to return the ball himself and push it in your direction. Thus, the child will gain the skill of active play.
- "Labyrinth". You should create a small improvised tunnel from available pieces of furniture (for example, chairs). Give the child a ball and ask him to roll it into this maze.
Hide and seek games
- The baby is seated on a high chair (for feeding), and the mother begins to pretend that she has lost him and cannot find him. She loudly calls his name, looks around, looks into cabinets, behind doors, under the table. After these simple manipulations, you should “accidentally discover” the baby and show your joy and surprise at his discovery.
- You need to choose some beautiful toy and tie a bright ribbon or rope to it. After this, the toy is hidden, but not far away, so that the child can see the tape. When he finds the ribbon and pulls it, a toy tied to it will appear after it. This simple game will help your little one understand how cause-and-effect relationships are established.
Games with cereals and small objects
- At this age, children love to throw things and watch you pick them up and give them back to them. However, you can encourage your child to pick up the dropped item himself. This will teach him causes (fall) and effects (rise). Teaching a child to pick up a fallen object also teaches responsibility.
Place a wide-necked jar, such as a coffee or food container, in front of your child and encourage him to throw various small objects into the jar and then take it back out. This will also help develop fine motor skills. Items can be very different: beans or other cereals, small toys, buttons, pebbles, clothespins, etc.
Be careful that small objects do not get into the child’s respiratory tract!
- A blanket or rug is spread on the floor and the baby sits on it. Various vessels and containers should be placed nearby, and then pour out the selected material (cereals, buttons, small pebbles). The baby must learn to fill containers with bulk material and pour it out of them. This children's entertainment has a positive effect on the fine motor skills of the baby's hands. It should be remembered that you need to supervise your child very carefully while he is playing with small objects!
- "Sandbox". A certain amount of semolina is poured into a large wide container, and some very small toy is hidden inside. The baby is invited to dig deep into the cereal and find what is hidden there.
Educational games for children from 1 year old: sensory box
Color games
- For the next game you need to prepare several small multi-colored plates, as well as a small mosaic of the same colors. The child needs to be shown how to place a mosaic of the corresponding color in each plate.
- "In pairs." Take several pairs of colorful socks in bright colors, mix them together and lay them out in front of the child. Then explain to the child how to combine these socks in pairs of the same color.
- "Pyramid". For this game you will need to buy a multi-colored pyramid consisting of several rings. All rings should be removed from the base and laid out in front of the baby. The child should touch the rings, hold them in their hands, and try to put them on the base. In this case, the mother needs to tell the baby what color each ring is.
Games with boxes and bags
- "In search of treasures." You need to take a fairly large bag or sack and fill it with all kinds of toys. Next, teach the baby to put his hand in the bag and find toys there. You can comment on what is happening with the following questions and suggestions: “Who is hiding there?”, “Look for the bear,” “Find something soft,” etc.
- "Pouch." Several small toys are placed in a small bag, and then the child is asked to put his hand in it and determine which toy he just touched.
- "Boxes". For this educational game you will need a variety of boxes (from clothes, shoes, household appliances). The essence of the game is to help the child learn the relationships between different quantities and sizes. The child should be shown that some boxes are larger or smaller than others, and that smaller boxes fit easily into larger ones.
Theater games
- "Magnets". Mom will need to purchase a set of magnets with fairy-tale characters, with the help of which she can perform an interesting performance in front of her child.
- "Finger Theater" For this game, mothers only need colored markers and their own hands. Using a felt-tip pen (marker), we draw cute and funny faces on the fingertips, after which you can perform an impromptu performance about the life of little finger people in front of the child. When the baby understands the essence of what is happening, you should include his fingers in the performance game.
3 educational games for children up to 1.5 years old
Other educational games for children from one year old at home
- "Ribbons". The simplest game for which you only need a few multi-colored ribbons. The child needs to be shown and explained how to toss the ribbons so that they wriggle into beautiful “snakes.”
- "A storm in a teacup." Little children love playing with water. Here is one of them. For this children's fun you will need a regular glass and a plastic straw. Fill a glass with water and put a straw in it, then blow into it to create a lot of bubbles. This game is very entertaining for children and will appeal to every child.
- "Singing". The ability to make various sounds is the first step towards speech. Singing stimulates a child better than simply pronouncing individual sounds. It also helps to acquire a sense of rhythm. Sing along to the music and encourage your child if he starts to sing along as well as he can. Get him interested, make him dance and clap his hands. At this age, the child should not pronounce words or hit notes, the main thing is that he learns to pronounce more and more new sounds in different ways.
- "Fun account." It is much easier to teach a child to count when he sees the connection between the number “7” and the word “seven”. To play, you can use various objects with numbers written on them. In each game, focus the child's attention on a certain number, in the end he will remember what it is called. When he can correctly name most of the numbers, invite him to choose from the objects the number that you named.
Modeling from plasticine
Some parents think that a one-year-old baby is still too small to sculpt from plasticine on his own, since he will certainly try to find out what it tastes like. Today you can use high-quality soft plasticine, as well as salted modeling dough, which, even after trying, the baby will not eat.
The classes themselves and the process of modeling at this age will not be complete from the point of view of an adult, but at the same time they are very useful for the baby and the development of motor activity of the fingers.
Thanks to modeling from plasticine, one-year-old babies develop fine motor skills and learn to work with this material.
By working with plasticine, a child at this age can be taught:
- slowly knead the plasticine in your palm (this way he can get better acquainted with the new texture for him);
- gradually pinch off small pieces from the whole piece;
- “Crush” small plasticine balls with your index finger, which are first made by an adult (mom, dad), and then the child himself tries to roll them;
- roll out the plasticine ball-ball in your palms - in two at once and alternately roll with each hand on the work surface;
- roll out a sausage from plasticine in your hands;
- jointly create simple crafts - an apple, a snowman, a cucumber;
- give the child stickers and offer to cut any patterns in any shape on the rolled out plasticine;
- stick plasticine peas-grains onto the drawings - to do this, print out drawings with various images (cutaway watermelon, tree, steam locomotive) and offer to supplement them with plasticine ones. For example, on a cutaway picture of a watermelon, glue small black seeds from plasticine, a tree - autumn leaves, a steam locomotive - wheels.
Games with a one-year-old child in the bath
Before we talk about what games you can play with your one-year-old child in the bathroom, let us remind you of the need to follow safety rules. Never neglect them to avoid disaster.
Under no circumstances should a child be left alone in the bathroom. Even if you step away for just a few seconds, disaster can happen during that time. For example, a child will want to get up and out of the bathtub, and since the bathtub is slippery, the baby may slip and fall. This could cause serious injury.
Always remember that a child can choke even in a bathtub that contains only a small amount of water.
The temperature of the water in the bath is no less important. Before putting your child in the water, be sure to check that it is not too cold or hot. It is advisable to purchase a thermometer for this purpose. The water temperature should not exceed 38 degrees.
Also, for the safety of the child, it is worth purchasing a mat with suction cups, which should be placed on the bottom of the bathtub. It will protect the child from slipping and falling.
If you follow all these safety rules, bathing will bring you and your child exceptional joy. And now about what to play with your child in the bathroom.
- One of the most affordable ways to have fun in the bathroom is to add bubble bath to the water. It is worth buying only children's bubble baths, as they do not irritate the mucous membrane of the eyes. Another advantage of baby foam is the pleasant fruity smell that babies like. Children love to play with foam, because it is so beautiful, soft, and also smells delicious! But if your child tries to taste everything, make sure that he does not get full of foam. In addition to foam, you can use various baby shampoos, which also smell very tasty. Shampoos, of course, should also be bought for children, marked “tear-free.”
- Babies love to play with rubber toys while bathing. Their selection is very large - from animal figurines to cartoon characters. With the help of such figures you can teach animals, remember the sounds they make, and act out small scenes.
- If after a trip to the sea you still have sea pebbles and shells, you can also use them. But before giving your child pebbles, make sure that they are not sharp and cannot harm the baby.
- In addition to pebbles, shells and rubber toys, you can use plastic toys such as scoops, buckets, and molds. The list is very large, in general, everything that children play with in the sandbox will do. Naturally, if the toys were covered in sand, they must be washed first.
- A budget option for rubber and plastic toys are hand-made figurines. In order to make such toys, you will need dish sponges, scissors and imagination. You can cut out stars, hearts and other simple shapes from the sponge. Your child will definitely like this way to have fun.
Garbage, wipes and diapers
I learned very well that diaper bags, empty plastic bottles and toilet paper are all much more interesting than any toy. Sometimes, when Nastya wakes up at 5 am, we go with her to the bathroom to let mom sleep. There, the daughter is surrounded by uninteresting dinosaurs and toilet paper.
Tearing half a roll of toilet paper into small pieces is a thrill. Not only the child, but also his parents can play with paper or napkins. I tried it myself once. Very calming. And yes, sometimes Nastya eats it. In complete silence.
Finger games for a one-year-old child
Finger games require absolutely no financial costs and, as a rule, children really like them. The essence of finger games is that you take your baby’s palm and bend your fingers one by one, saying some appropriate rhyme. For example, this finger went into the forest (bend one finger on the baby’s palm), this finger cooked soup (bend the second finger) and so on.
Here's another example:
Visiting the thumb (the thumb is bent, the rest are clenched into a fist)
They came straight to the house:
Index and middle, (in accordance with the text, straighten your fingers alternately)
Nameless and last.
Little finger himself
He knocked on the threshold.
Together your fingers are friends, (clench your fingers into a fist and unclench them)
They cannot live without each other.
Games with a one-year-old child on the street
It’s not difficult to come up with outdoor activities for your baby. There are educational games for 1 year that can only be used at certain times of the year, and there are games that can be played in any season.
- If we talk about seasonal games, then in the fall you can invite your child to collect a small bouquet of fallen leaves together. At this time of year, the leaves are bright and colorful, they attract the attention of little ones, so most children will enjoy this activity.
- In winter, children really enjoy sledding. You can try to find at least a small hill nearby and ride it.
- In the spring, the snow melts, streams flow... These are the streams that should be used for games: make a paper boat and send it sailing.
- The best time for walks is summer. Now you don’t even have to think about what to do with your baby! A ball, colored chalk for drawing on the asphalt, a sandbox, slides, swings and a bunch of other entertainment!
But you can feed the birds bread at any time of the year in any nearby park.
Ideas for educational games with children 1-2 years old
Development of imagination
Drawing is one of the most necessary activities at this tender age. This is a way to build a trusting relationship between an adult and a child. You can start by using finger paints. It is better to take large sheets so that he feels room for action (you can take wallpaper). Sponges and napkins can serve as signets. Give your child the opportunity to draw scribbles as much as he wants.
Over time, he himself will want to highlight lines, shapes, colors. You can offer your child wax crayons as writing utensils, but it’s better to put markers aside for later.
Games with a one-year-old child on the road
It often happens that you need to go somewhere with your child, and the road promises to be long. But the baby does not want to sit still for a minute, the baby wants to explore the world and discover something new, so he begins to be capricious. A few tips and interesting educational games for 1-year-old children, easy to organize, will help you avoid tantrums on the road.
- Take a few of your baby's favorite toys with you on the road, and when the child starts to act up, give him these toys and play together.
- Another option is to look at pictures in a book. Color illustrations will attract the child's attention, calm him down, and help him remember the names of objects. Ask your child to point to a specific object in a children's book or magazine. This will teach the child to associate the appearance of an object with its name, and will also contribute to the development of observation skills.
- If a sudden trip takes you by surprise and you have no toys or books with you, then finger games for 1-year-old children, which were previously described in this article, are perfect.
- An important component in a child's development is knowledge of his own body parts. You show your baby a certain part of the body, for example, the nose, and name it. You can point to both your own nose and the child’s nose. After some time, the baby himself will be able to point to both his and your nose. The benefit of this game for 1-year-old children is that it does not require any game material, but it perfectly develops coordination and allows the child to understand the boundaries of his own body.
- Cheerful music from children's cartoons will defuse the situation and cheer up the child. Tip: Create a playlist with children's music on your phone and turn it on when you don't know what to do with your baby. You can also download ready-made playlists or applications on the Internet.
Agree, we have presented educational games for 1-year-old children in quite a large number. With their help, you can easily engage in the diversified development of your child. We are sure that now you will always know what to do with your baby and will not let him get bored.
Siri
Nastya, of course, knows that there is a reason why parents constantly look at the phone screen. A few months ago, during another of Nastya’s causeless tantrums involving licking the floor and smearing snot on her face, I gave her my iPhone. All childhood grievances were instantly forgotten. The convenience of modern phones, of course, is fingerprint access. Therefore, my daughter can: take pictures and video herself, dial a 6-digit passcode, use an emergency call and talk to Siri.
The voice assistant most often does not perceive Nastya, and therefore, in response to gobbledygook, constantly refers to obviously meaningless search results on the Internet. “Kaka,” says Nastya. “I’m sorry,” Siri tells her. “A-cha-cha,” Nastya manages to say. Siri replies that he doesn't understand her. No wonder Siri, I don’t understand it yet either.
“Give, give, give, give!” my daughter learned to say. "Die! Die! Die! Die!”, the voice assistant records behind her.
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