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Safety first: Always supervise little ones, and skip small parts for kids who still put things in their mouths. Please read our play safety notes before you start.
Key takeaways
- Use large, washable, one-piece materials, and skip anything that fits through a toilet paper tube.
- Skip dried beans, coins, beads and small pom poms while your child mouths objects.
- Sort activities by what your child is doing, not by a month.
- Stay within arm's reach, and never leave a child alone near water.
- All twelve activities take ten minutes or less to set up.
In this post20 sections
- Quick Answer: What Works for a 1 Year Old Who Mouths Everything
- How to Use This Guide: Sort by What Your Child Is Doing
- If Your Child Sits and Explores
- 1. Kitchen drum kit
- 2. Stacking cups knock-down
- 3. Board book lap time
- 4. Treasure basket of big things
- If Your Child Crawls and Pulls Up
- 5. Painter's tape road
- 6. Card drop
- 7. Soft ball basket toss
- 8. Sealed sensory bottles
- If Your Child Walks and Carries Things
- 9. Laundry basket push walker
- 10. Splash tray with cups
- 11. Yogurt finger paint smear
- 12. Shallow bin of soft things
- What Most 1 Year Old Activity Pages Leave Out
- Which Activities Are Safest for a Child Who Mouths Everything?
- FAQ
Quick Answer: What Works for a 1 Year Old Who Mouths Everything
Pick activities with large, washable, food-safe or sealed materials, and stay within arm's reach the whole time. Skip anything small enough to fit through a toilet paper tube, because that is the size that can block a small airway.
| Skip for mouthers | Why | Use instead |
|---|---|---|
| Dried beans, rice, lentils | Small, hard and easy to swallow or inhale | Scrunched fabric scarves or large wooden spoons in a bin |
| Coins, buttons, beads | Small parts and choking hazards | Chunky wooden rings or stacking cups |
| Small pom poms | Soft, but easy to put in the mouth and swallow | Large felt balls or soft fabric balls bigger than the tube test |
| Dry pasta or noodles | Small pieces and hard when dry | Sealed sensory bottles or a bin of kitchen tools |
| Water with no adult beside it | A child can drown in very little water | Splash play with an adult within arm's reach, then empty it |
Speech Blubs says the same on its own list. Its FAQ advises materials too large to be a choking hazard and avoiding coins or dried beans for toddlers who mouth toys (source). We put that guidance up front.
How to Use This Guide: Sort by What Your Child Is Doing
Ages vary a lot at this stage, so each activity is sorted by what your child is doing, not by a month. A child who sits and explores can do the first group. A child who crawls and pulls up can do the second. A child who walks and carries things can do the third. If you are unsure, start with the first group and stay close.
Before every activity
If Your Child Sits and Explores
1Kitchen drum kit
Set a metal pot, a plastic bowl and a wooden spoon on the floor and let your child bang. Try the pot, then the bowl, then the floor mat, so the sounds change. This takes about thirty seconds to set up, and it is loud, so put it on a rug.
Ages: Sitting and holding things.
Prep: 1 minute.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a pot, a bowl, a wooden spoon.
Safety: use a spoon with no cracks, and take it back if it goes far into the mouth.
Smooth, one-piece spoons with no cracks.
2Stacking cups knock-down
Stack three or four cups and knock them over together, then hand them over to stack and nest. Cups that nest are good for dropping into the bin and taking out again, which is a game on its own.
Ages: Sitting and grabbing.
Prep: 1 minute.
Mess: low.
Supplies: stacking cups.
Safety: check for cracks and keep any removable parts out of the set.
Look for one-piece cups with no loose parts.
3Board book lap time
Open a sturdy board book on your lap and point to one picture per page. Say the word, and let your child hold the book or turn the page. Short books beat long ones at this stage.
Ages: Sitting on a lap.
Prep: 0 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a board book.
Safety: keep an eye on the corners, and take the book away if a piece comes off.
Thick pages and rounded corners hold up to mouthing.
4Treasure basket of big things
Fill a shallow basket with five or six large, clean objects from the house: a wooden spoon, a silicone spatula, a whisk with a tight handle, a cloth napkin, a large metal measuring cup. Let your child pull things out, one at a time. Swap one or two items out each time so it feels new.
Ages: Sitting and reaching.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a shallow basket, large kitchen items.
Safety: nothing smaller than a toilet paper tube is wide, and no sharp edges.
- Wash everything before it goes in the basket.
If Your Child Crawls and Pulls Up
5Painter's tape road
Press two long strips of painter's tape on the floor to make a road, and roll a large toy car or soft ball along it. Your child crawls the road, follows the tape with a hand, or pulls it up. Peel the tape off when it comes up so it doesn't go in the mouth.
Ages: Crawling.
Prep: 3 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: painter's tape, a large toy car.
Safety: tape goes in the mouth easily, so remove any strip your child has pulled up.
Low-tack tape lifts off most floors.
6Card drop
Cut a slit in the lid of a plastic tub and hand your child a few large, sturdy cards to post through it. Pull the lid off to find them again, and start over. The cards should be bigger than a toilet paper tube is wide.
Ages: Sitting or crawling.
Prep: 3 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a plastic tub, large cards.
Safety: use thick cardstock, and take away any card that gets soft or tears.
7Soft ball basket toss
Put a laundry basket on the floor and roll or drop a large soft ball into it. Move the basket closer or farther away. Take the ball out and do it again. This also works sitting down.
Ages: Crawling or pulling up.
Prep: 1 minute.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a laundry basket, a soft ball.
Safety: use a ball bigger than a toilet paper tube is wide, and keep it away from stairs.
Soft and light, and larger than the small-parts tube.
8Sealed sensory bottles
Fill a clear plastic bottle with water and a few large items, glue and tape the lid shut, and shake it to watch things move. Your child rolls it, shakes it and watches. Our guide to DIY sensory bottles has the sealing steps.
Ages: Sitting or crawling.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a sealed bottle.
Safety: an adult seals the lid, checks it after every play, and throws it out if it leaks.
If Your Child Walks and Carries Things
9Laundry basket push walker
Put a few towels in a plastic laundry basket for weight and push it across a carpeted room. Your child pushes it, pulls it, or climbs in and out. It is a good way to use up a short walk to the other room.
Ages: Pulling up or walking.
Prep: 2 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a laundry basket, a few towels.
Safety: stay next to the basket, use carpet, and keep it away from stairs.
10Splash tray with cups
Put a baking tray on a towel and pour in an inch of warm water. Hand over two plastic cups and a sponge, and let your child pour, scoop and squeeze. Always sit beside the tray. Empty it the moment you are done.
Ages: Sitting or standing.
Prep: 3 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: a tray, a towel, cups, a sponge.
Safety: never leave a child alone near water, even a shallow tray. Empty it when you finish.
11Yogurt finger paint smear
Spoon plain yogurt onto a high chair tray and let your child smear it. A drop of food coloring is optional. It is a clean way to give a child who tastes everything a safe way to paint.
Ages: Sitting in a high chair.
Prep: 2 minutes.
Mess: high.
Supplies: plain yogurt, a high chair tray.
Safety: yogurt is dairy, so skip this if there is a milk allergy, and talk to your doctor if you are unsure about foods.
12Shallow bin of soft things
Put a handful of scrunched scarves, large wooden spoons and soft fabric balls in a shallow tub for a safe, no-bean sensory bin. Our guide to taste-safe sensory bins for babies has more ideas.
Ages: Sitting or standing.
Prep: 3 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a shallow tub, scarves, spoons.
Safety: everything bigger than a toilet paper tube is wide, and an adult within reach.
Supplies for the 1 year old at-home list
-
Stacking cups
Typically $8 to $14
One-piece cups with no loose parts.
Check price on Amazon for Stacking cups -
Board books
Typically $8 to $20
Sturdy pages and rounded corners.
Check price on Amazon for Board books -
Soft fabric balls
Typically $8 to $16
Large enough to pass the tube test.
Check price on Amazon for Soft fabric balls -
Painter's tape
Typically $5 to $10
Peels off most floors.
Check price on Amazon for Painter's tape
What Most 1 Year Old Activity Pages Leave Out
Search for 1 year old activities and you will see lists of 30, 59, 86 or 100 ideas. The page we read most closely, from Speech Blubs, lists 10 activities, including a noodle sensory bin, a card drop, a pom-pom whisk, a painter's tape car track and a ball toss (source). It also tells parents to avoid coins and dried beans, which is a useful note, but the list itself includes noodles and pom poms.
That is the gap this guide fills. Water play needs a drowning warning, and small items need a clear size rule. We could not read some other top pages, so we are not saying what they include.
Which Activities Are Safest for a Child Who Mouths Everything?
What we like
- Large, one-piece, washable objects
- An adult within arm's reach
- One or two items out at a time
- Sealed items checked after each play
Keep in mind
- Anything small enough to fit through a toilet paper tube
- Water with no adult beside it
- Loose parts that crack or tear
- Leaving the room "for a second"
For more at-home ideas, see our toddler activities at home ideas and our free Screen-Free Activity Pack. Our Indoor Day Rescue Kit has 100 boredom cards sorted by energy level.
Frequently asked questions
What activities can a 1 year old do at home?
Banging pots with a wooden spoon, knocking over stacking cups, reading board books, rolling a soft ball, following a painter's tape road and splash play with an adult beside them. All use large, washable items.
What should I avoid giving a 1 year old who puts everything in the mouth?
Avoid coins, buttons, beads, dried beans, dry pasta and small pom poms. Anything that fits through a toilet paper tube can be a choking hazard. Choose large, one-piece items, and stay within arm's reach.
Is water play safe for a 1 year old?
Only with an adult within arm's reach the whole time. A child can drown in very little water, so use a shallow tray, never leave the room, and empty it as soon as you are done.
How long should activities for a 1 year old last?
Often only a few minutes. Offer one or two items, and stop when your child moves on. Short, repeated sessions work better than one long one.
Can a 1 year old have yogurt as finger paint?
Plain yogurt is an option for a child who already eats it, since it is a food. It is dairy, so skip it if there is a milk allergy, and ask your doctor if you are unsure.
Are sensory bottles safe for a 1 year old?
They can be if an adult seals the lid, checks the bottle after each play and throws it out if it leaks. Our DIY sensory bottles guide has the sealing steps. Keep contents large and never leave the child alone with it.
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