Lovely childcare

Let’s play at home with a one-year-old! Activity ideas using things you already have at home

9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

On rainy days or when your child isn’t feeling well and you’re staying home, you might find yourself wondering, “What should we play today?” As children reach around one year old, they start walking, their horizons expand, and their curiosity about the things around them grows even stronger.

As they can do more, the range of play widens too, so let’s stimulate their five senses by incorporating a variety of activities.

In this article, we’ll introduce ideas for at-home play recommended for one-year-olds.

From active play and bonding games to sensory play and simple crafts, we’ve gathered activities that one-year-olds will be completely absorbed in! Best of all, they’re all things you can do with items you already have at home—so please use this as a reference.

Play at Home with Your 1-Year-Old! Activity Ideas Using Things You Already Have at Home (31–40)

Making a phone out of cardboard

[1-year-olds] Hello? Let’s make a phone and play!

Making a phone out of cardboard

Let’s make a play telephone so you can enjoy chatting with friends or parents by saying “Hello!” Cover a piece of cardboard with paper in your favorite color, then add number stickers and drawings to act as the screen.

A smartphone-style phone works too, but a flip phone or cordless-handset style is recommended because the numbers are always visible, giving your child more chances to interact with numbers.

You can explain the number layout as you build it, or just let them work freely without worrying about placement.

Have lots of fun chatting with your own cute, original phone!

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In conclusion

We introduced recommended at-home activities for one-year-olds.

There were plenty of fun ideas that spark children’s curiosity, from activities that encourage focused concentration to ones that let them move their bodies to the fullest.

Since one-year-olds are at a stage where their range of movement increases dramatically, make sure to put safety measures in place to prevent injuries or accidental swallowing before playing at home.

It would be great to enjoy time together while incorporating activities suited to your child’s physical and mental development.