The Best Gifts For 1 Year Old Boys That Will Keep Them Active
Sometimes buying gifts for very young children can seem difficult. At the age of one year old, it is unlikely they will remember receiving the gift and it will probably not last as long as gifts for older children – like these gifts for 10-year old dudes. With this in mind, you should keep a reasonable budget and focus on the educational value of the toy.
Thankfully there is a wide range of toys perfect for this age group. From educational toys to gifts that can develop motor skills, there is a good selection of gift options currently on the market to help enrich the development of the child you are buying for.
- View the Best Toys for 1 year old Boys, Below.
- 1. Mega Bloks Big Building Bag
- 2. Ancaixin Baby Balance Bike
- 3. Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball
- 4. VTech Busy Learners Activity Cube
- 5. Baby Einstein Take Along Musical Toy
- 6. VTech Musical Rhymes Book
- 7. VTech Smart Shots Sports Center
- 8. TOP BRIGHT Wooden Race Track
- 9. LEGO DUPLO My First Number Train
- 10. VTech Pop-a-Balls Push & Pop Bulldozer
- Buyer’s Guide
We consulted experts, bloggers and customer reviews to bring you the lowdown on the best gifts for one year old boys, as well as a guide on what factors you should consider before you make a purchase.
View the Best Toys for 1 year old Boys, Below.
1. Mega Bloks Big Building Bag
Read Customer Reviews Here »
Construction based toys are a great way to develop early coordination and imaginative play skills, however, traditional building block kits are unsafe for very young children. Mega Bloks are a great option as these are larger and safer - eliminating choking hazards and making them easier to use for small hands. This bag comes with 80 building toy blocks in various shapes and sizes making it a great option for early imaginative play. They come in a variety of colors.
Though there are no instructions included, these are great for keeping young children entertained for hours as well as for playing together with the child to encourage simple constructions. Mega Bloks are designed by Fisher Price who is a well known and trusted brand for children’s play products. They are very reasonably priced, making them a great general gift for more distant relations and family friends.
The building toy bag is very spacious and is perfect for storing the blocks tidily. These block sets for kids are compatible with other Mega Bloks toy set, so expander packs can be purchased. They are produced with BPA and PVC free polypropylene plastic, so they are safe against chewing. They are manufactured in Canada by high manufacturing standards, making them a great ethical option.
Why We Like It
- Good for early coordination development
- Simple and budget friendly
- Safely manufactured
2. Ancaixin Baby Balance Bike
Read Customer Reviews Here »
Recommended for 10-24-month-olds, this is a perfect first birthday present to promote active play and early physical activities development. This bike does not use pedals, so young kids can ride it using their feet making it much easier for them to use. It is easy to construct in a few minutes - customer reviews love how easy and quick it is to build. This is a bit pricier than other gifts on the list, so is best for close family members.
The main body of the bike is made with reinforced carbon steel materials ensuring it is sturdy and safe to use. The wide seat makes sure it is comfortable for small children, and the enclosed wheels are also very durable. The four wheels keep the bike easy to balance, and the steering wheel is limited to 135 degrees to prevent kids from falling over. They are also designed to limit noise.
The bike is made in China, however, has been approved to conform with American manufacturing standards. It is not adjustable, so will only last kids until they reach two years old. Customer reviews love the durability of the bike and how easy it is for kids to use. They come in both blue and pink color schemes, so you can purchase one to fit the personality of the child.
Why We Like It
- Easy to use and build
- Sturdy and durable
- Great customer reviews
3. Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball
Read Customer Reviews Here »
This bumpy ball has been awarded Amazon’s Choice for infant toys thanks to its high quality and great customer reviews. This play ball comes with multiple sections to help the development of babies and toddlers. The different textures and materials are great for helping the child learn and improve their cognitive skills and their tactile sensitivity. The bumps are large to make them easy to grasp and encourage passing from hand to hand and throwing.
There are two rattling sections to strengthen listening and recognition skills as well as improve neural connections in the child's brain. Each bump is in a different color. As one year olds are still developing their language and communication skills, this toy is great for helping them learn how to describe textures, sounds and visual cues such as color and shape. It is very budget friendly, so great for any relation - especially distant relations and family friends.
This present will also be well received by parents as it uses play to encourage early fine motor skills and cognitive development. It is recommended from birth to three years of age, so will still be useful for the child for a further two years. Sassy is a new but well renowned brand who specialize in developmental toys for toddlers and young children. It is made with safe materials and customer reviews love the interactivity of the toy.
Why We Like It
- Great for early development
- Well designed and manufactured
- Budget friendly
4. VTech Busy Learners Activity Cube
Read Customer Reviews Here »
This is another great developmental toy with a variety of practical activities and fun features. There are 14 different interactive features and five sides with different activities. It is highly interactive, encouraging early neural connections and cognitive development. It is suggested from six months to three years, so will be a relevant toy for a couple of years after first giving it as a gift. The music buttons come with 25 different songs and melodies to keep young children entertained and fully involved in the toy.
Vtech is a trusted brand who are well known for their excellent early learning toys that utilize play to encourage development. Each toy develops skills in three areas - language and cognition; social and emotional skills; and physical and to develop motor skills. This toy uses imaginative play to develop these areas, with fun shapes, lights and sounds as well as basic rattling functions and animal buttons. The toy has adjustable sound to prevent parents from becoming irritated, and it automatically switches off whilst not in use.
It introduces animal sounds and names, helping one year old boys with their communication and description skills. The plastic used is PVC and BPA free keeping it safe against chewing. It is very reasonably priced and customer reviews love the interactive nature of the toy and how long it can keep young children entertained.
Why We Like It
- Keeps children entertained
- Interactive features
- Great for imaginative play
5. Baby Einstein Take Along Musical Toy
Read Customer Reviews Here »
Musical toys are an excellent option for developing young children’s recognition skills and instilling an early love of music. This musical toy is portable, making it great for taking along on long car journeys and on family trips away from home. It has an adjustable sound level which will keep the parents happy and free from the repetitive nature of children’s musical toys. It is suggested for kids from 3 to 36 months old. The toy comes with large buttons making it easier for kids to switch between songs.
There are flashing, dancing lights that keep the child engaged in the toy and stimulating their cognitive skills. There are seven melodies from classical music including Mozart, Vivaldi, and Chopin giving kids and early recognition of these classic songs. Baby Einstein is a renowned brand helping develop kids early artistic skills and encouraging them to learn more about classical music and other traditional art forms.
Though it cannot play entire pieces, it plays each song for around two to three minutes and will play the most recognized portion of the song. The fun design includes a large handle which is easy for small hands to hold and has grasping balls to keep it steady in their hands. Customer reviews love how well the music sounds, claiming it to be easy to listen to and high quality.
Why We Like It
- Develops early music skills
- Adjustable sound levels
- Portable for kids on the go
6. VTech Musical Rhymes Book
Read Customer Reviews Here »
This is another great toy for early musical development and focuses on nursery rhymes. It takes the form of the book and includes lyrics to the nursery rhymes, so will last them right through to when they are learning to read. It features six of the most well known nursery rhymes - including Old MacDonald Had A Farm, Hey Diddle Diddle and Little Boy Blue. The book format also develops early fine motor skills, and the large buttons are easy for small hands to use.
There are five piano buttons at the side of the book, playing different instruments sounds - guitar, drum, maracas, violin, and trumpet. It requires batteries, however, comes with a toy set included, though we do recommend including a couple of replacements. The light up a star in the center of the book flashes alongside the tune of whatever song is playing, developing rhythm and keeping the child engaged. The pages feature fun illustrations using bright colors.
It is intended for kids from six months to three years of age, however, we suggest it will also be useful when the child is first learning to read thanks to the lyrics on each page which can be read alongside the songs. There are also fun twisting and sliding toys on each page encouraging interaction with the music. There is a learning mode included to develop early vocabulary, enhancing communication and language development.
Why We Like It
- Great musical toy
- Good for developing rhythm
- Fun additional features
7. VTech Smart Shots Sports Center
Read Customer Reviews Here »
It is also important to develop early physical skills, and this toy not only does that but it will help develop early sportsmanship skills and encourage active play. Though many kids can walk by they time they are one year old, we do suggest you make sure they can confidently move around, kick and throw before going ahead with this purchase. This is a 2-in-1 toy, with a soccer goal and basketball hoop as well as two balls - one for each game. These develop early motor skills, helping kids learn how to play these popular games.
The goal is decorated with further interactive features. The buttons will teach kids about shapes, color recognition, and numbers, and there are over 50 songs, sounds and phrases included to keep the child entertained for hours. It requires 3 AA batteries which are not included, so we suggest including these and a replacement when giving the toy as a gift so it can be used straight away. There is an animated LED scoreboard which functions with both the goal and hoop.
These help kids keep score, and it can be played with siblings and play date friends. This toy is the Amazon Bestseller for Preschool Number Learning - a testament to the educational value of this toy. It is budget friendly, but quite a large toy so we suggest consulting with the parents before purchasing. It is designed for kids up to three years old and is very easy to assemble.
Why We Like It
- Great for early sports-based learning
- Packed with interactive features
- Good for playing with others
8. TOP BRIGHT Wooden Race Track
Read Customer Reviews Here »
This toy has been awarded Amazon’s Choice for wooden toys for one year olds thanks to great customer reviews and quality manufacturing. This toy is a vertical racetrack toy set with four double sided cars that can be raced down the track. It encourages observation, self-recognition, communication and fine motor skills development. The tracks have stoppers at the end ensuring the cars will not fall off before they reach the end, minimizing frustration and making it an easy toy to play with.
The toy is very well constructed from quality materials. The wooden parts are reinforced and coated for ultimate safety and durability. The plastic pieces are BPA free and colored with a non-toxic stain. The cars have sturdy wheels, and the axles are designed so they cannot be pulled apart. They are large enough to not be a suffocation risk but small enough to still encourage fine motor skills and grasping abilities. The parking lot at the top of the track can hold all four cars in one go.
The vertical nature of the race track also helps kids learn about basic scientific concepts such as gravity and speed. TOP BRIGHT have great customer service and will happily replace or refund any faulty items - this has been confirmed by customer reviews. Kids can play this alone or with others, encouraging interpersonal skills and communication. It is specifically designed for toddlers from one to three years old.
Why We Like It
- Amazon’s Choice for wooden toys
- Great educational benefits
- Well constructed and safe
9. LEGO DUPLO My First Number Train
Read Customer Reviews Here »
Like Mega Bloks, LEGO DUPLO is large LEGO pieces which have been designed for use by toddlers and young children. LEGO DUPLO has gone one step further by creating a range of prebuilt toys which can be customized with other DUPLO pieces. LEGO DUPLO blocks are also compatible with Mega Bloks, so will still be great if the kid already has some of these block sets. This train can be constructed and deconstructed, and the main carriage parts have numbers on the side to help young kids learn about numeracy.
The wheels and block sets are sturdy, and this toy is an excellent option for imaginative play. There are three characters included - a boy, a girl and a cat - which children can use to interact with the train. LEGO DUPLO block sets are designed with safety and ease of use in mind and are a well trusted brand amongst parents and educators. The toy is suggested for one and a half to three year olds, but we also recommend this for one year olds as they can learn to use the toy easily.
Each of the numbered blocks can be stacked, so kids can create taller single carriages as well as place them along the full length of the train. There are also bricks designed with food decorations, helping to encourage stories that include passenger and freight trains. Customer reviews suggest this is a great toy for teaching kids about routines, as well as how food is transported and basic etiquette for using public transport. You can also get an alphabet train version.
Why We Like It
- LEGO is a trusted brand
- Sturdy pieces
- Huge educational value
10. VTech Pop-a-Balls Push & Pop Bulldozer
Read Customer Reviews Here »
This VTech toy has been awarded Amazon’s Choice for toys for one year old boys and is the ultimate in educational toys for toddlers. Packed with early learning features, the main function of this toy is a bulldozer which collects toy balls and distributes them through a popping chimney. There are large, interactive buttons included on the side of the bulldozer to teach kids about color recognition, numbers, and music as well as develop their fine motor skills.
The handle is large and easy to use for small hands, and the toy is designed with BPA free plastic for ultimate safety. The wheels have built in motion sensors to keep the play interactive and automatically play music when being used. For kids that are only just learning to walk and develop their movement skills, this is a great toy with supportive features.
The bulldozer counts each ball that is collected, teaching kids about basic numeracy. This toy is suggested for kids from one to five, however, customer reviews suggest this is best for younger kids within that age range. Nevertheless, it should be a great toy to last the child a couple of years.
Why We Like It
- Great for numeracy and physical development
- Well constructed
- Amazon’s Choice for toys for 1 year old boys
Buyer’s Guide
Buying a gift for a 1-year-old boy can be a daunting prospect. You should keep to a smaller budget than you would with older kids, as it is likely the toy will not last them as long. Find some toys for 4 year old boys right here. There are a few toys recommended for toddlers from one to three, so we recommend sticking to these toys for any 1-year-old boy for something that will last a reasonable amount of time.
There are some other factors you should consider before going ahead and buying the toy for a 1-year-old boy. If you are really stuck, we suggest you speak to the parents for a better idea of what the kid needs and if your gift will be appreciated. The child likely will not remember receiving this gift, so it is important you keep the parents happy.
Safety and Durability
This should be your most important concern when purchasing a gift for any 1-year-old boy. Most toys for kids that are for sale in the US have to be approved before they can be sold, but there are a few things you can check out. Regulations will vary from state to state, so you should check how trusted the manufacturer is and what customer reviews say.
For plastic toys, make sure to get one that is BPA free. If the parts are decorated with bright colors, you should also make sure a non-toxic paint is used. Toddlers are still at a stage where they like to chew toys and put them in their mouth. For this reason, also make sure the parts are well sized to prevent choking.
In terms of durability, the customer reviews will give you a good idea of this. Metal and wooden parts should be reinforced, and the construction should be sturdy so the toys for kids do not fall apart and cause and effect injuries. Take a look at this advice from Safe Kids to know everything there is to know about baby toy safety.
Age and Development Appropriate
The product description will let you know how age appropriate the baby toy is, but you should be aware that one year old kids develop in different areas at different times. If the toy is top kids gift ideas for those that can already walk, you should check with the parents that the child is a confident walker.
You should also consider their language and numeracy abilities before purchasing an educational baby toy as some one year olds have more developed vocabulary than others and toys which teach them words they already know will not keep them entertained for long.
Educational Value
For kids of this age, you really should make sure it has some educational or development based value. Some toys can help with cognitive skills – recognition, language and numeracy – whereas others can help with physical activities skills, to develop motor skills and coordination.
Coordinate with others who are giving gifts to the kid to make sure they are receiving a good variety of gift ideas for 1-year-old that develop different kinds of skills. This ensures the child will be entertained equally by all of the toys, and will really help with their development.
Price and Size
For a one year old, you should be sticking to a smaller budget anyway as the baby toy will likely not last as long as gifts for older kids. Despite this, you can get away with a higher budget if you are a close relative. You do not want to outdo the parents, and if you are a more distant relative like an aunt/uncle or a family friend you will be expected to spend less than grandparents.
Likewise, you should leave bigger gifts like bikes for parents and grandparents. These are more initially impressive – even for one year olds. They also take up more space, so speak with the parents before purchasing to make sure they have somewhere to put the gift.
Conclusion
Though buying gifts for toddlers and very young children can seem challenging, there is a wide range of educational and fun toys available for this age group. It is important to stick to a small budget as one year old boys will not remember the gift once they are older anyway. You should also consider the child’s development needs and make a purchase based on something which will keep them entertained and provide good early learning value.
As always, if you are in doubt you should speak to their parents to help with the ideal gift. One year old boys will not have developed their own interests yet, so generic toys such as Mega Bloks or music based toys are an excellent option regardless of your relationship with the child.
You should also double check customer reviews to make sure the manufacturers live up to their claims, and also that the gift is durable and safe.
Expert Tip
Speak to others who are buying gifts for the child before you make your purchase. This not only prevents the risk of the kid receiving multiples, but it also means you can all buy a good variety of gifts in terms of educational and development value.