Crafting with your little one is a great way to stimulate their creativity and develop their fine motor skills. While it may seem challenging to find activities that are appropriate and engaging for a 1-year-old, there are many fun and easy arts and crafts projects that you can do together.
In this blog post, we will share a range of simple and safe craft ideas that you can try with your 1-year-old. From finger painting and playdough to sensory bags and cardboard box creations, there are many activities that will delight and engage your little one.
Not only are these activities fun for your child, but they also provide an opportunity for you to bond and spend quality time together. Crafting is a great way to create memories and celebrate your child’s unique personality and creativity. So, grab your art supplies and get ready to have fun with your 1-year-old!
RELATED: Painting With Babies: 25 Easy Art Projects
Benefits of Crafts for 1 Year Olds
1. Stimulating Creativity
Crafting activities encourage your child’s creativity and imagination by giving them the freedom to experiment with different materials and express themselves in their own unique way.
2. Developing Fine Motor Skills
Crafting activities like finger painting, playdough, and cutting with safety scissors help to develop your child’s fine motor skills, which are important for tasks like writing, drawing, and buttoning clothes.
3. Encouraging Parent-Child Bonding
Crafting with your child provides a special opportunity for bonding and quality time together. It’s a great way to create memories and celebrate your child’s unique personality and creativity.
4. Promoting Sensory Development
Crafting activities that involve different textures, colors, and materials can help to promote your child’s sensory development, which is important for their overall cognitive and emotional growth.
5. Boosting Confidence
Crafting activities give your child a sense of accomplishment and pride when they complete a project or create something new. This can help to boost their confidence and self-esteem.
Arts and Crafts Supplies for 1 Year Olds
When it comes to art supplies for 1-year-olds, it’s important to choose materials that are safe and appropriate for their age and developmental stage. Here are some art supplies that are suitable for 1-year-olds:
- Washable Paint: Non-toxic and washable paint is a great option for finger painting, handprints, and other messy art activities.
- Playdough: Homemade or store-bought playdough is a fun and tactile material that 1-year-olds love to squish and shape. Find a taste safe play dough recipe here and a homemade play dough here.
- Large Crayons: Chunky, easy-to-grip crayons are perfect for little hands that are still developing their fine motor skills.
- Washable Markers: Non-toxic and washable markers are a good option for older 1-year-olds who are starting to experiment with drawing and coloring.
- Safety Scissors: Blunt-tipped safety scissors are a good tool for 1-year-olds who are learning to cut paper and other materials.
- Stickers: Peel-and-stick stickers are a fun way for 1-year-olds to decorate their artwork and develop their hand-eye coordination.
- Construction Paper: Large sheets of colorful construction paper can be used for various art projects like collages, drawing and painting.
- Glue Sticks: Non-toxic and washable glue sticks are easy to use for 1-year-olds and they can be used for paper crafts and collages.
- Sponge Brushes: Sponge brushes are a fun and mess-free way for 1-year-olds to paint and they come in different sizes and shapes.
- Washable Crayons: Non-toxic and washable crayons are an alternative to markers and can be used for drawing, coloring, and even for making rubbings.
- Chalk: Chalk is a fun and tactile material that 1-year-olds can use to draw and make patterns on different surfaces like sidewalks, chalkboards, and paper.
- Puffy Paint: Puffy paint is a fun material that 1-year-olds can use to make 3D art by squeezing it onto paper or other surfaces.
- Dot Markers: Dot markers are an easy-to-use alternative to paint and markers that 1-year-olds can use to make dots and patterns on paper.
- Pipe Cleaners: Soft and bendable pipe cleaners can be used by 1-year-olds to create simple sculptures or to string beads.
- Watercolor Paint: Watercolor paints are a good option for 1-year-olds who are ready to experiment with color mixing and brush strokes.
Remember to always supervise your child during art activities and make sure they do not put any small objects or materials in their mouth. Additionally, make sure to use non-toxic materials and choose activities that are appropriate for their age and developmental stage.
15 Fun and Easy Crafts for 1 Year Olds
Crafting with a 1-year-old can be a fun and rewarding activity, but it’s important to choose age-appropriate projects that are safe and easy for them to do. Here are some easy craft ideas for 1-year-olds:
1. Finger painting
Set up a washable finger painting station with non-toxic paint and let your little one create their own masterpiece.
2. Playdough
Make your own homemade playdough or purchase some from the store and let your child squish and shape it to their heart’s content.
3. Sticker Collages
Provide a sheet of stickers and let your child stick them onto a piece of paper to make their own unique creation.
4. Tissue Paper Collages
Cut up small pieces of colorful tissue paper and let your child glue them onto a piece of paper to make a colorful collage.
5. Paper Plate Masks
Cut out eye holes and a mouth hole in a paper plate and let your child decorate it with paint, markers, or stickers.
6. Handprint Art
Dip your child’s hand in non-toxic paint and help them make a handprint on a piece of paper. Then, let them decorate the handprint with markers or stickers.
7. Pipe Cleaner Sculptures
Give your child a handful of colorful pipe cleaners and let them bend and shape them into their own unique sculptures.
8. Sensory Bags
Fill a zip-lock bag with hair gel, glitter, beads, or other small objects and seal it shut. Let your child play with the bag and squish the objects inside.
9. Cardboard Box Creations
Provide your child with a cardboard box and let them decorate it with markers or stickers. Then, help them cut out doors or windows to make their own playhouse or car.
10. Tissue Paper Flowers
Cut out flower shapes from construction paper and help your child glue on small pieces of tissue paper to make colorful flower petals.
11. Contact Paper Collage
Cut a large piece of contact paper and stick it to a table or wall with the sticky side facing out. Provide your child with small pieces of tissue paper, feathers, or other lightweight items and let them stick them to the contact paper.
12. Painted Rock Art
Collect some smooth rocks and let your child paint them with non-toxic paint. Once the rocks are dry, they can use them as decoration or play with them.
13. Paper Plate Animals
Cut out animal shapes from paper plates and let your child decorate them with paint, markers, or stickers.
14. Popsicle Stick Puppets
Glue popsicle sticks to cut-out shapes of animals, people or characters, and let your child color or paint them to create their own puppets.
15. Bubble Wrap Stamping
Dip a piece of bubble wrap in non-toxic paint and let your child stamp it onto a piece of paper to create a textured design.
Remember to always supervise your child during crafting activities and make sure they do not put any small objects or materials in their mouth. Have fun!
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Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles that show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 airs in the summer of 2023! We were also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
WANT TO TRY ONE OF THESE CRAFTS FOR 1 YEAR OLDS LATER? PIN IT NOW, SO YOU CAN FIND IT EASILY WHEN YOU NEED IT!
