Activities for One Year Olds

[Momof4]

I love washable markers and they wash off of faces and hands but I try to watch the babies so that they don't end up in their mouths. Parents love it when I print up pictures that indicate my themes like the ocean or snow or cowboys, you name it, and their children bring them home. After they colour the pictures we sometimes glue on or tape on different media like feathers, beads, cotton balls, or other things that can give the pictures an extra ooomph. I think it's important for the children to learn about glueing and taping too.

I make my own thick fingerpaints with a bit of flour, water and food colouring which is safe if it ends up in the mouths but I have them fingerpaint on special shiny 'fingerpainting' paper. I tell the parents that it's important that the children learn the difference between eating and crafting at at the same place (their booster seats) at my house and that's the first step to learning about crafting.

We go to our local parks and I bring the magnifying glasses so the children can be 'detectives' and look for tiny things in nature. We bring home collections and make a little collage or statue (with my hot glue gun) with leaves, pinecones, maple keys, etc.

I have to admit that I don't like the 'sensory bin' idea and only have one shoebox filled with different things that I pull out now and then when we are having a day to pass activities around the dining room table. In my opinion, everything in the world, inside and outside is 'sensory'!

Anyway, just a few of my opinions and ideas!