How to Entertain a One Year Old
Play the stacking game., Let them play in the bath., Read a book., Do an art project., Play shadow games., Bring out the bubbles.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Play the stacking game.
A favorite game for many babies and toddlers, this game can be played anywhere with no extra baby toys needed.
To play this game, simply take any small objects you can, stack them together, and then knock the stack down.
Baby will have fun knocking the stack down on their own too! This game is best done with toy blocks, but you can use any items you can find (so long as they won't break when you knock the stack over).
You can use tin cans (preferably empty and sealed off on top), plastic cups, small boxes,soft sponges and food items, among other small objects that can be found in your house.
Toy blocks are cheap, easy to find (sets can be frequently found at garage sales for about a $1), and also easy to store so if you think you'll be entertaining babies on occasion then you might want to consider keeping a set just as a backup option. -
Step 2: Let them play in the bath.
As long as you're willing to watch them vigilantly, a sink or bath-full of water is an easy way to keep a baby entertained for about an hour.
You might not want to actually wash them, since too much soap can be irritating for their skin, but you can let them splash in the water with a couple of toys.
Again, this can be very dangerous.
Babies can drown if you turn your back for even a second.
Even just a little water in their lungs can be dangerous.
If you want to take this route, you'll need to be really serious about paying attention.
If you don't have bath toys for babies, you can make a hand puppet out of a washcloth or a boat out of a Tupperware container. , Babies can usually understand much more language than they are able to communicate.
They'll be especially easy to engage if you read the books in the right way for a baby.
Don't just read the text like you would for a child who can understand the words: take a more lively approach.
Move your hand around the page, bouncing and sweeping, as you tell the child what's happening in the picture.
Keep your voice energetic and show lots of exaggerated emotion.
Baby will be fascinated! "Goodnight Moon" comes highly recommended for babies (it is, for some reason, almost addictive for small children), as do "Brown Bear, Brown Bear"
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar"
and "Pat the Bunny". , Babies don't have a lot of fine motor control but that doesn't mean that they're not hiding a little inner Van Gogh.
Art is great at not only keeping them entertained but it's also an excellent way to stimulate their brains, give them important sensory experiences, and help them build those motor skills that they'll need to keep developing.
An easy project to do is to make a card for one of baby's family members.
This can be a just-because card for mom, a birthday card for grandma, or a thank you card for brother or sister.
Take a sheet of printer paper and fold it in half to make the card.
Then, paint baby's hand and make a hand print on the front of the card.
Another good option is your old friend the coloring crayon.
You'll probably need to pay attention to make sure it doesn't just go straight into baby's mouth, but a crayon and paper should be more than enough to get baby's interest. , Babies are just starting to get the concept of shadows, so find a way to get them interested in this new concept by playing a game with shadows.The easiest way is to cut a butterfly shape out of a piece of paper and then shine a flashlight at it.
Get your baby to try to chase the butterfly! If you have the time and materials, you can also make full shadow puppets, which can be useful for making baby-safe "TV" that keeps your baby entertained. , Bubbles is to babies as video games are to teenage boys.
They will go nuts for bubbles.
This is an easy way to fill up an hour and keep your baby feeling happy and energetic.
It's also useful for motivating your baby to move around and do things you ask, making it a great way to teach them how to say things like "more".
If you don't have any bubble blowing equipment on you, don't worry.
LifeGuide Hub can show you how to make bubble solution and a makeshift bubble wand! -
Step 3: Read a book.
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Step 4: Do an art project.
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Step 5: Play shadow games.
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Step 6: Bring out the bubbles.
Detailed Guide
A favorite game for many babies and toddlers, this game can be played anywhere with no extra baby toys needed.
To play this game, simply take any small objects you can, stack them together, and then knock the stack down.
Baby will have fun knocking the stack down on their own too! This game is best done with toy blocks, but you can use any items you can find (so long as they won't break when you knock the stack over).
You can use tin cans (preferably empty and sealed off on top), plastic cups, small boxes,soft sponges and food items, among other small objects that can be found in your house.
Toy blocks are cheap, easy to find (sets can be frequently found at garage sales for about a $1), and also easy to store so if you think you'll be entertaining babies on occasion then you might want to consider keeping a set just as a backup option.
As long as you're willing to watch them vigilantly, a sink or bath-full of water is an easy way to keep a baby entertained for about an hour.
You might not want to actually wash them, since too much soap can be irritating for their skin, but you can let them splash in the water with a couple of toys.
Again, this can be very dangerous.
Babies can drown if you turn your back for even a second.
Even just a little water in their lungs can be dangerous.
If you want to take this route, you'll need to be really serious about paying attention.
If you don't have bath toys for babies, you can make a hand puppet out of a washcloth or a boat out of a Tupperware container. , Babies can usually understand much more language than they are able to communicate.
They'll be especially easy to engage if you read the books in the right way for a baby.
Don't just read the text like you would for a child who can understand the words: take a more lively approach.
Move your hand around the page, bouncing and sweeping, as you tell the child what's happening in the picture.
Keep your voice energetic and show lots of exaggerated emotion.
Baby will be fascinated! "Goodnight Moon" comes highly recommended for babies (it is, for some reason, almost addictive for small children), as do "Brown Bear, Brown Bear"
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar"
and "Pat the Bunny". , Babies don't have a lot of fine motor control but that doesn't mean that they're not hiding a little inner Van Gogh.
Art is great at not only keeping them entertained but it's also an excellent way to stimulate their brains, give them important sensory experiences, and help them build those motor skills that they'll need to keep developing.
An easy project to do is to make a card for one of baby's family members.
This can be a just-because card for mom, a birthday card for grandma, or a thank you card for brother or sister.
Take a sheet of printer paper and fold it in half to make the card.
Then, paint baby's hand and make a hand print on the front of the card.
Another good option is your old friend the coloring crayon.
You'll probably need to pay attention to make sure it doesn't just go straight into baby's mouth, but a crayon and paper should be more than enough to get baby's interest. , Babies are just starting to get the concept of shadows, so find a way to get them interested in this new concept by playing a game with shadows.The easiest way is to cut a butterfly shape out of a piece of paper and then shine a flashlight at it.
Get your baby to try to chase the butterfly! If you have the time and materials, you can also make full shadow puppets, which can be useful for making baby-safe "TV" that keeps your baby entertained. , Bubbles is to babies as video games are to teenage boys.
They will go nuts for bubbles.
This is an easy way to fill up an hour and keep your baby feeling happy and energetic.
It's also useful for motivating your baby to move around and do things you ask, making it a great way to teach them how to say things like "more".
If you don't have any bubble blowing equipment on you, don't worry.
LifeGuide Hub can show you how to make bubble solution and a makeshift bubble wand!
About the Author
Shirley Jenkins
With a background in realestate, Shirley Jenkins brings 5 years of hands-on experience to every article. Shirley believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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