Learning Toys For Busy 13 Months Olds
The 1-year milestone is indeed the most memorable one for you and your little one!
During this period, your toddler will be preparing to keep his first steps into his world. And as parents, you are willing to do everything in your power to boost their motor skills and growth process. babies and toddlers need toys that work different parts of their brains to enhance hand eye coordination which may include different types of puzzles, blocks, balls and brick games etc. that shape the child’s development.
Most of the 13-month old kids love playing with toys, however, it is relatively hard to find the perfect toys for them. If you go through online pages such as amazon.com you will find a wide variety of toys available but it is difficult for a parent to choose exactly which toy is the best for their 1 year olds. This is a developing age where basic life skills are instilled within a child and problem solving techniques through pretend play can be used to develop the brain in a fun and exciting way.
Rattlers and Crinkles are not amusing to them anymore, so you must get them the right and best toys that inhibit the learning process. A parent should teach hand eye coordination through introducing basic toys such as sippy cups which is a push towards better hand eye coordination, along with puzzles and blocks as well as musical games that play sounds to get attention can be used as a developmental activity.
Luckily, there are a number of wonderful learning toys for busy 13 months olds available in the market.
Here’s a Facebook Live Broadcast, in which I shared a few of my favorite learning toys for the developmental skills and interests of a young one-year-old.
The recap is below if you’d rather read.
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13 MONTH SKILL: STACKING
According to various experts, Stacking helps in boosting imagination and fine motor skills in a toddler’s body. Stacking and putting objects in a very defined space, like a ring on a dowel, increases hand-eye coordination, which is something that benefits kids later on in their life.
Benefits of stacking
it is definitely one of the best toys that any 1 year olds can have and can work for both babies and toddlers as it is a way to encourage problem solving and development in the shape of a fun activity between both parents and child. development in the early ages is very important so activities like these should be introduced in schools and Montessori as well in a fun environment. toddlers and kids enjoy playing fun games together so stacking objects could also develop friendships. fine motor skills are developed this way too.
Recommendations
For protective reasons, I recommend a wooden stacker over a regular plastic one as it BPA-free.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Stacker
Occupational Therapist Tips:
Made from Wood, this stacker is free of harmful chemicals and BPA’s. To start with disassembling the box and taking out the wooden rings.
Use a shallow tray to contain the rings and place one on the dowel to give the baby an idea of the activity.
I also love this toys for 1 year and month olds children starting from ages 9 months to higher, wooden stacker because the flat rings can be used for other activities at this and later development stages – like stacking without the dowel, rolling and spinning, lacing on a thick string, naming colors putting pegs in, etc.
13 MONTH SKILL: SCRIBBLING
Initiating writing skills in your young one in his early stages can be tempting. However, it can be tricky to hand a magic marker and paper to a 13-month-old who might be more inclined to put it in his mouth or rip it!
different ideas can be used to introduce scribbling in a fun way such making them draw shapes or animals that they like. or instead of asking for something they could make a drawing of it. it doesnt matter if its just shapes and lines it would still encourage the toddler to practice scribbling in this manner. they could be asked to make littles animals, shapes or even their house.
Recommendation
As I suggest in this post, all about introducing writing tools to your baby and toddler, the best choice for this age group is a Travel MagnaDoodle.
Occupational Therapist Tips:
A year-old kid may not have a very sturdy grip to control the pen and scribble accordingly. That’s fine!
13 MONTH SKILL: POINTING
Pointing can be a fabulous toy to encourage a systematic growth of fine motor skills in your toddler’s body. the best way to encourage pointing is to show them different objects and ask them what they’d like. this can include balls, a puzzle, blocks, toy animals, or anything that they usually play with.
Recommendation
I love Poke A Dot books for pointing play. And what’s even better, they’re also great for older toddlers and preschoolers who are learning to count objects as they touch them (a skill called one-to-one correspondence).
13 MONTH SKILL: RECIPROCAL BALL PLAY
Ball play is a great way to engage a new social skill, fine motor skills, integrating trades like rolling and throwing (baby will need total help to catch at this age). balls are toys that can be used by any age groups as it is safe to play with. Children of any ages, month olds or years olds, can play with balls and toddlers specially love playing with balls. it is usually recommended for children under the age of 3 years to 4 years. The sounds of the ball develop sensory development which is crucial at this age. the search for toys like these can be pretty easy as playing balls are available in many shapes and colors on amazon.com
It works best when you have two people plays the Ball play so that one can assist your baby, and others can throw the ball towards him. this is a way to encourage sensory development.
Recommendation
Any softball will do the job, but I love a Bumpy ball with its added sensory feedback for little hands.
Occupational Therapist Tips:
The Reciprocal Ball Play makes an excellent activity for reinforcing words like “stop, go, more, my turn, etc.” or to use baby sign language.
Learn more about using signs with your baby.
13 MONTH SKILL: PROPELLING A RIDE-ON TOYS
The 13-month age group is all about independent mobility!
Even if your little one ages 6 months isn’t yet walking, he or she can crawl. This is why a propelling Ride-on toy is so necessary for them. the push and pull technique is the best way to teach them walking subtly.
It is also a fun activity for the parent to enjoy with their little one and save time on making them learn to walk.
Recommendation
It integrates a sense of responsibility for movement in the kids. For instance, I love the narrow seat of the Radio Flyer Ride 2 Glide, which tends to encourage a one-leg-at-a-time movement pattern like walking (called reciprocal leg movements).
Bonus: this ride-on easily converts to a first scooter toy as baby becomes a full-fledged toddler!
Occupational Therapist Tip:
These best toys are well-designed and are quite versatile as well. Plus, they offer a lot of fun to our little ones as well.
These ride-on toys are available in several shapes and sizes as well, so finding the one which matches your preference won’t be a hassle.
All-in-all, this should be enough to make all parents feel good about owning them!
This is Alisha Richardson. I am the founder of TopRatedForBaby.com. I am a professional content writer and blogger. I love to share my experience on this blog.
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