Games with 1 year olds are simple, but fun.
Games with 1 year olds are not competitive but are meant for play and to teach basic concepts. Playing games with your baby can create stronger emotional bonds with your child. These games, because the activities are meant for a young child, do not take a lot of equipment and set-up time and only require your attention.
Drop Objects
Children at this age like to drop objects and have you retrieve them. However, you can nudge the child to pick up the object. This activity teaches cause (dropping) and effect (retrieval). Teaching a child to pick up a dropped object gives the child early responsibility and helps when he is asked to do chores as an older child.
You will need a bucket or clean coffee can for the activity. Roll up socks into a ball. Let the child drop the socks into the bucket or can. Retrieve or ask the child to retrieve the objects from the can. You may use objects like clothespins or other things you keep around the house but be careful that the objects are not small like buttons, coins, or marbles. A child can put small objects in his mouth and choke.
Find The...
This is a game that you can play when you are reading to a child. Ask the child if she can find a specific object in a book or magazine. This activity helps the child to identify objects by name and strengthens focused observation. Tell the child if she is correct, or point out the correct object.
Head and Shoulders
An important part of a child's development is learning body parts. This is a game that you can do at bath time, before or after the bath. Always be present to supervise a bath, and have your hands available to support and help the child during the bath. Never leave a child unattended in or near water. You can teach the child with the rhyme, "Head and shoulders, knees and toes...eyes and ears and mouth and nose," while touching the pertinent body parts.
Hide and Seek
Hide and Seek is a trust-building game. Hide behind a bed or a sofa for a few moments, and then peek out at your child. The message to the child is that the parent, after leaving, will come back. This activity will make separation easier when the child is school age. However, do not encourage hiding behavior in children because this can be a problem if there is a fire. Emphasize that it is the adult who hides and returns. The tag line can be, "Mommy (or Daddy) hides, but I always come back," or words that are similar.
Pat-a-Cake
Pat-a-Cake is a game that exercises your 1 year old's fine motor control. Help your child clap his hands while you sing the rhyme, "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man...," et cetera.
Roll and Catch the Ball
Rolling and catching a ball helps your baby develop focus and tracking skills, as well as hand and eye coordination. You simply show the child roll the ball and then push the ball toward the child. The child, however, might decide that rolling the ball elsewhere and watching you retrieve it is fun. This is a variation on Drop Objects. Ask the child to retrieve the ball and roll the ball to you to teach interactive play.
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