What kinds of skills need to be built during the first year? The fact is, math isn’t the only thing that starts basic and keeps adding more advanced concepts. In the process of stimulation, the more certain senses and skills are developed, the more complex the toys for stimulation become. In the case of toys designed for children under one year, these toys are mostly visual, with sounds and touched incorporated as soon as a baby learns to grasp things better. By the first year, a child has a better sense of touch, and both sight and hearing are developed even more, and, as a result, toys are more tactile and involved than baby mirrors, mobiles, and soft toys that make a sound.
Stimulation toys geared toward children around one year are still soft, with the exception of small blocks. In terms of toys to develop certain senses, these toys are all geared toward sight, touch, and hearing. The changes for toys at this stage are that, for sight development, the toys may be brightly colored or patterned but they’re not in contrasting black and white with red mixed in. Musical toys still make sounds when touched or pressed but the music coming out is more complex. Rather than just jingling or crinkling, these toys may play a bit of Mozart, nursery rhymes, or make familiar animal noises. As toys are larger, touching them also allows a one-year-old child to experience various textures and shapes, from rounded to angular shapes to rougher or smooth textures.
Common types of toys for one year olds include play sets made of soft materials; rocking and push toys; musical toys like musical cubes and stuffed animals that play music when touched; and wooden blocks. Out of these, many of the toys are still made with softer materials, with the exception of the blocks. If you’re looking to teach your child a basic academic skill at this age, many block sets have letters and numbers printed on them. For social skills, many play sets have a theme coordinating all parts together for a child to use and play make believe games.
