Daily Activities to do with a One Year Old

Inside: These daily activities are *perfect* for a one year old. Make the transition from days with a baby to days with a toddler easier with these simple (and free!) activities you can do at home. Plus, find ideas for daily outings with your toddler. 

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Let’s be honest: how annoying is it when people (especially random strangers) tell you “it goes by so fast!” – super annoying, am I right? 

I don’t know what it is about that particular phrase, but it really gets to me.

Perhaps because it’s usually unsolicited advice, but maybe because it’s painfully true. 

The transition from sweet, sleeping baby, to active, toddling one year old happens in the blink of an eye. 

Suddenly you’re forced to go from postpartum survival mode to entertaining-this-toddler mode.

Sitting around in sweats with a spit-up cloth draped over your shoulder is no longer your life.

This toddler *needs* to be kept busy. And this mama needs some ideas, right?

One is such a fun age, though.

You may start to see glimmers of your budding toddler’s personality, especially as they start walking.

And yes – this is a huge leap in their cognitive development as well as yours as a mom. 

It’s important to remember that while one year old can feel so *big* – even more so if this is your first child, a one year old is still a baby.

• Most one year old’s still nurse or take a bottle.
• Most one year old’s need two naps.
• It’s these little things that help remind us, our one year old is still (in a lot of ways) a baby. 

That being said, it’s very important starting at 1, to develop a daily routine.

You can find my exact daily routine for 1 year old’s, here.

Toddlers need structure in order to thrive and learn the daily programs of life.

Establishing a daily routine will make everyday transitions easier, and can help minimize power struggles and tantrums as your toddler grows.

When kids know what to expect, and when to expect it, they are happier and more cooperative.

When is the best time to get out of the house with a one year old? And what Daily Activities should I do with my one year old?

If your toddler still takes two naps, you’ll want to work around their nap schedule. Most one year old’s are on a 10 & 2 nap schedule. They’ll nap at 10 AM and 2 PM. 

Both of my girls were early risers so we were always getting out of the house early.

If your toddler is flexible and can nap on-the-go, then structure your morning around a car nap and your afternoon around a nap at home. 

Every kid is different and what works for one child, may not work for another.

P.S. – Just for fun I’ve included pictures of *both* of my older girls in this post at age 1 – see if you can spot who’s who!

Let’s look at this basic daily routine outline – this will help guide you in planning daily activities for a 1 year old with two naps.

7 AM – Wake Up / Breakfast

8 AM – 10 AM – Indoor Activities 

10 AM – 11 AM – Morning Nap

11 AM – 2 PM – Daily Outing

2 PM – 3 PM – Afternoon Nap

3 PM – 4 PM – Outdoor Activities 

4 PM – 5 PM – Quiet Activities 

5 PM – 7 PM – Dinner / Bath & Bedtime Routine 

The times given here are of course approximate and will vary based on many factors, such as: the weather/time of year, your toddler’s nap schedule, only child vs. multiple children, etc. 

That being said, you can adjust these times as needed.

Below is a sample daily schedule for a toddler who only takes one nap. 

7 AM – Wake Up / Breakfast

8 AM – 10 AM – Indoor Activities 

10 AM – 1 PM – Daily Outing

1 PM – 3 PM – Afternoon Nap

3 PM – 4 PM – Outdoor Activities 

4 PM – 5 PM – Quiet Activities 

5 PM – 7 PM – Dinner / Bath & Bedtime Routine 

Whether you’re a full-time stay-at-home mom, a caregiver or on an extended maternity leave, you’ll need LOTS of daily activities, indoor and outdoor, in your arsenal. 

Let’s dive in…

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Daily Activities to do with a One Year Old

To make things easier, I’ve broken down this list of activities into Indoor (at home), Outdoor & Daily Outings. 

Please Note: All of these activities must be supervised. Never leave a one year old alone without adult supervision!

Indoor Activities 

Ball Pit

This is one of those “do I need this?” things. And also, “do I really want to be cleaning this up?” type thing.

And trust me, I feel you.

Cleaning up plastic balls all over the house is not really my idea of a good time, but guess what? To a 1 year old, that plastic ball scavenger hunt is everything! 

Here are some simple ways to make the most of your ball pit:

• Practice throwing the balls into the pit or a bucket (this can also help redirect for a toddler who loves to throw things)
• Hide little stuffed animals inside
• On a nice day, fill a baby pool with the plastic balls! 
• As your toddler gets older, practice color-sorting into buckets

Play Kitchen

Yes! Even a one year old can have fun banging things around in a play kitchen. A good play kitchen can last for years and is undoubtedly a favorite “big” toy as little ones grow. My girls still use their play kitchen daily!

Here are fun ways a 1 year old can use a play kitchen:

• Provide them with baby-safe empty containers such as: old oatmeal cartons, various plastic storage containers (Tupperware), wooden spoons, empty spice bottles or shakers.
• Give them play dough to use in the play kitchen (get my easy homemade play dough recipe, here)

More Easy (At Home) Activities for 1 Year Olds:

• Soft foam blocks
• Mini board books
• 30 Activities for 1 year olds from Busy Toddler
• How to do Sensory Play with 1 Year Olds from Days with Grey

For more Daily Activities for 1 Year Olds, follow my Baby Activities & Learning Board on Pinterest!

Outdoor Activities

My kids LOVE to be outside. Yes, even in the summer heat. I get the feeling most kids are like this, but especially one year olds.

Once your baby learns to walk, staying inside seems limiting. They want to get out and they want to explore. 

While leaving the house every day might not be an option for you, if you’ve got a backyard, a frontyard, or even just a patio, you’ve got yourself a space for some fun outdoor activities. 

Little Slide

You can grab this Little Tykes slide on Amazon for $35. Thirty-five dollars. Years of fun. 

Push Toys & Ride-On Toys

When your baby was learning to walk, they may have heavily relied on push toys. Now that they’ve got that toddler wobble down, push toys are a favorite manipulative. 

I also used to keep one ride-on car in the house for rainy days, and one outside (like the one pictured below). 

Luckily, little ones tire out easily, so 15-30 minutes of pushing a toy around outside might get you that nap your desperately looking for. 

Wagon, Buggy or Stroller Ride

For days when you need your toddler strapped in to something so you can de-stress, can I recommend briskly pushing the stroller while listening to music YOU want to listen to? 

Let’s be real. Staying at home with kids is the *hardest* job on the planet. And sometimes, mom needs a break.

When you don’t have a relative or friend you can call in for backup – pack up your 1 year old in a stroller or wagon, give them a snack and attach a toy to the stroller.

Put your playlist on speaker and powerwalk around the neighborhood until you can feel yourself relaxing. 

Water Bowls or Water Table 

No explanation needed. On a hot day, there’s nothing better than having a water table for your one year old to play with.

If you don’t have one, various buckets or bowls of water will do just fine.

It should go without saying that a toddler should NEVER be left unsupervised while playing with water.

Outings

For days when you absolutely have got.to.get.out.of.the.house, here are my top suggestions of daily outings to take with your one year old. 

• Library (Storytime or Music & Movement)
• Splash Pad
• Grocery Shopping / Errands (AKA Target)
• Playground
• Baby Gym
• Lunch Date (don’t forget your ezpz!)

Bonus Tip for staying at home with a 1 year old:

Cover as many hard surfaces as possible in giant foam lettering (such as these). This provides your budding walker with lots of safe spaces to play around the house.

I always had foam lettering in my kitchen when my girls were little. That way I could make dinner while they played on the kitchen floor.

Bonus Tip for getting out with a 1 year old:

Always bring a baby-wearer, because you never know when you might need it. Remember that one year old’s are still more like babies than toddlers. You never know when your little one might become fussy, need to be held or take a nap.

This is my favorite baby-wearer.

More Resources for Life with Toddlers

• My 1 Year Old’s Daily Routine
• Easy Meal Ideas for Toddlers
• Easy Lunchbox Ideas for 1 Year Olds
• How to Get Your Toddler to Eat More Veggies
• 1 Year Old Feeding Schedule & Meal Ideas