I am a blog ambassador for Lakeshore and am compensated for my work. I received product free of charge, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% mine. The sweepstakes prize is provided for the winner free of charge from Lakeshore.
Though it feels strange saying it, and while I don’t always feel like it, I am a seasoned mom. My little lady is the fourth one year old I have the pleasure of raising! Seriously. Let that sink in for a minute (then head over to my Four under Four parenting post to see how I do it!). Three years ago, when I was only raising one toddler, I was dedicated to providing my child with early learning experiences from the start. That meant talking to, singing with, and researching the best toys to provide my baby. Depending on how well clued up you are in baby gift-giving, it can be hard to get the right thing for your little one, if you do feel stuck, you can look at gift guides like gifts for 1 year olds to help you through the first stage! Three years later, not much has changed. I am picky when it comes to providing my kids with high-quality toys.
When Lakeshore Learning sent us several new toys for my one year old, I wasn’t at all surprised that they were perfect- developmentally appropriate, well made, and FUN! Even my older toddlers enjoyed them! They exceeded my quality test for toys in our house.
(featured above, Fill and Spill Sorting Tubes)
If you’re looking for developmentally appropriate toys that teach one year olds, here’s a quick checklist I use:
- Is the toy safe for mouthing? There should be no small parts or choking hazards.
- How easily breakable is it and is it highly reviewed? Sites like Overeview.io can help you answer this.
- Are there different textures to explore? Whether it be with their mouths or hands, one year olds will be learning through their senses and love to examine new textures!
- How can this toy promote vocabulary development? Physical development?
- Does the toy give my children a chance to think for themselves, providing open-ended exploration?
- Will this toy grow with my child? Once my child “masters” the toy, will there be other ways to use it?
- Will my child enjoy repeated opportunities to play with this toy?
Since kids learn through play, It’s important for me to invest in toys that promote early learning. Toys that last and can be used in many different ways are at the to of our list of essential toy qualities.
The Fill and Spill Sorting Tubes we received are my one year old’s favorite right now. She LOVES dumping the balls out, filling them in the tubes (don’t they look like test tubes?!?), then spilling them out again. This toy give her a chance to learn cause and effect through repetition and it’s fun! As she gets older, they’ll be great for sorting by color, texture, and pattern.
We also received the Building Language Discovery Boxes. These are one of my favorites! It includes four “boxes” (a house, barn, lunchbox, and toy box). Little Lady loved exploring each item in the boxes. We named them and sorted where they belonged. These are great for introducing prepositional words later (the bathtub is in the house, the doll is beside the toy box, etc.)
And how cute is this little lunchpail?!?
The Color Discovery Boxes are the last toy we reviewed this month and they are another item that will be used by all my kids! While even the youngest kids can explore the colors, textures, and patterns of the items in the boxes, older toddlers can practice sorting them in the correct boxes in various ways- by animals, crayons, colors, foods, etc.!
What standards do you have for toys in your house? Which one of these toys would your kids love?
Enter this month’s giveaway for a chance to win a $25 e-gift certificate to Lakeshore Learning by leaving a comment below, jut tell me your favorite Lakeshore Learning toy for one year olds!
(Winner will be chosen 7/28/2016. Winners must 18 years or older and reside in the US)
If you’re interested in shopping before the winner is announced, make sure to use this coupon code for 20% off!
Let’s Go Fishing! Playset
Absolutely love the lunch pail! How aforable for pretend play for a little one!
I love the big cardboard building blocks.
Love toys that can grow with kids and Lakeshore always has great stuff! I just saw those sorting cubes at a friends house and LOVED them! So many options and activities you could do with them.
My favorite is their soft and safe learning blocks! I love Lakeshore’s toys – they are our favorites
Such a cool post! I loved the checklist of questions you ask about the toys. Such a great tool for any age!
Those color boxes look great!
The color discovery boxes were a favorite for us at one year old! Still play with them at 6 and almost 4!!!
Hi Randi! You were the randomly chosen winner for this giveaway! I’ll be e-mailing you to confirm your prize today 🙂
Love the lunch box. My granddaughter would love it.
These look like super fun toys!!
Fill and sorting tubes are fun!
Fun! My little guys loves their safe and soft blocks
The boys really enjoyed the soft building blocks. (…actually they still do at 3 and 5!!) 🙂
My henry would love those tubes, cause he could spend forever with his stackable cups..too cute..
The color discovery boxes look so fun!
We love the caterpillar sorting mat!
As a teacher of students in the primary grades I find that any sort of toy that promotes vocabulary development, sorting, and exploration is a great one to have around. It seems that the Fill and Spill Sorting Tubes are a great addition to support this growth over time.
That lunch box set is adorable!
Our Baby Doll is a year old, and she loves to sort her toys by type and color! I think the color discovery boxes would be a hit 🙂
Keep up the great Mommy work, Clarissa!!!
So exciting! Thank you, Clarissa!
The color was exciting ! My son love them ! Thanks for sharing !