Ladies -
Any suggestions for good games/ activities for our DS? He'll be one next week. He's largely pretty happy exploring, banging, climbing, swinging doors open, flipping pages on books, pushing buttons, dropping things, opening drawers, trying to get into the toilet, and fish tank, anything musical, and taking on stairs.
Is it too soon for things like playdough and paint?
he might be teething again (8 teeth already), or it might be because he's on the cusp of walking, or it might be because my parents report heonly takes 1 nap with them, but he's been cranky of late with my hubs and with the manny.
so any suggestions for games/ activities which are surefire winners with the 1 year old set would be greatly appreciated.
My DD LOVES "drawing". I started out with dry-erase crayons and a board, but those are pretty messy (They clean up out of pretty much anything really easily though!), so now we switched to a magnadoodle thing. That's great because there is no mess, and it's helping her learn her shapes. (it has shape stampers that came with it...)
Too soon for most games - he'll eat/chew anything with pieces and you don't want to worry about choking hazards.
Teething rings and rattles are ok.
You might try playing 'patty cake' with him (and eentsy weensy spider and 'this little pig went to market').
It'll take him awhile to catch on, but babies love the contact, the songs/rhymes and little games we play with our hands/toes.
I would not do paint yet, but he can the same amount of fun with pudding!
Congrats on making it (almost) a year!!! My DD is 18 months and while we haven't tried (non-toxic) paint yet, we're conquering crayons (just get the kind that supposedly wipe off the walls.) We also have large-piece puzzles, even if she just plays with the pieces. But the crayons are definitely a hit. Remember, it's never too early for games, even if you make them up! Happy bday!
throwing or kicking small balls.
Playing with balloons - very closely supervised in case one pops.
play tent or tunnel to crawl in - or just a sheet over a table :)
spoons bagging on pots and pans.
Those large mega blocks or wood blocks
Shape sorters, cause and effect toys, peek a boo, musical instruments like shakers and drums are all hit with my kids around this age.
I'd say yes too young for playdoh, but close for painting. For me it depends on how oral they are and when they can stand on their own. Hold one hand at the easel and give them a paint brush in the other. I have a 14 month old that loves it! Make sure to have a washrag handy and use non toxic paint (of course).
Way too soon for paints! You could introduce play-doh, but I don't think he'll get much out of it for another year.
At this age, they are really all about exploring their environment, which is exactly what you are describing.
When my little guy was 1, he loved:
- Pots and pans
- play piano
- soft blocks
- Board books with "flaps" he could lift
- "Busy Beads" (really cute)
Musical instruments, Little People farm, board books, low ride on toys, stacking rings, shape sorters, etc.
My 2 boys loved:
ride-on / push cars
toy cars (race them in the hall)
shape sorters
putting things in and out of boxes (an different size eggs that fit into each other)
mini animal figures, learning their sounds and names
balls (bouncing, rolling, throwing into a goal or box)
a busy box/ discovery box which you just put random stuff from around the house with different textures, shapes, colors; i.e., hairbrush, spoon, comb, sponge, etc. talk to him about each one and how they feel, how they are same, different, etc)
I had blocks for my kids. Memory is good to.
