60 Best Gifts and Toys for 1-Year-Olds in 2024

You don't have to just gift great books (although, we do have a few of those too).

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They're not babies anymore — toddlers can move around on their own, understand the world around them better and, most of all, they love to play! While they might still reach for their old baby toys every now and again, the best toys and gifts for 1-year-olds are ones that will continue to help them along as their brains and bodies grow — something to keep in mind as you look for gifts for kids this age.

"One-year-olds are at a period in their development when they are becoming increasingly powerful and competent — evidenced by the fact that they are starting to walk and talk," says Rebecca Parlakian, M.A., E.D., a parenting expert from Zero to Three, an organization that focuses on kid development during the early years. "They are also really interested in big questions like, 'How does this work?' 'What does it do?' And, 'What happens if I do this?'” Our favorite toys help them explore and find the answers to these questions.

The old cliché that toddlers can find joy playing with a cardboard box can be true, but there are other developmentally appropriate toys that might hold their attention too. "These include simple items, like a ball to kick and chase, as well as things like push toys or toys that can be pulled on a string while walking," Parlakian says. "Toys can also pose fun challenges for 1-year-olds to figure out — think about a stacking ring, nesting cups, shape-sorters, a busy-box or simple wooden knob puzzles. And it’s never too early for a set of cube blocks, plus a basket or bucket to drop them in and dump them out of. And toys that make noise — like a xylophone, drum, or toy piano — are also a hit at this age."

What to avoid? Toys with small parts that can be choking hazards, moving parts that can pinch small fingers or extra-long strings that can get tangled up. That's still a lot of options. To help sort through the choices, The Good Housekeeping Institute tests toys year-round to make sure they're safe and will withstand the love of a 1-year-old toddler. Then, the best toys are shipped off to actual 1-year-olds and put to the real test. When all was said and done, these emerged as the best toys and gifts for 1-year-olds in 2024, which include current and former Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award winners. No matter which you choose, the toddler in your life is a very lucky kid!

Beep, beep! While your little one is working on their leg muscle strength, you can still push them around on this previous Toy Award Winner. Then, as they become a more confident walker, they can propel themselves. There are also lots of little features that spin, click and otherwise make noise to keep them interested. Ages 1+

Just press the button and colorful balls begin to pop out from the elephant's trunk, leaving your toddler free to run, chase the balls, and put them back in again. It includes four easy-grasp balls and also plays six fun songs. Ages 9 months+

Good Housekeeping Institute parent testers said their kids loved assembling the burger pieces and watching them spin down the pole. But when they get tired of stacking, kids can pop out the shapes in the center of the ingredients and use them as a puzzle, or take the onion, cheese, lettuce and tomato and play ring toss. Ages 1+

This play set combines the fun of a dollhouse with the excitement of a marble run — all in a toddler-sized package. The two included Weebles figures can roll down the chutes and slides and sit in the chairs and swings. Plus, there are more than 30 sounds they can activate. (The best is when the Weeble slides from the top to the middle floor and "lands" in the toilet!) Ages 1+

You get two classics for the price of one in this bundle, and they both offer a brain tune-up. First, kids are challenged with stacking the colored rings by size on a curved base, which adds to the difficulty. Then, after they're done playing with the shape blocks, they have to find the correct holes to return them to the bucket. Ages 6 months+

Good Housekeeping Institute testers loved the way this book used beautiful illustrations of animals to teach kids their colors. The end offers another look at ever animal, plus information about whether or not they're endangered. "My 3-year-old absolutely loves sitting there describing all the items of that color on the pages after we read the words," one parent said. Ages 1–4

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These carrots aren't just cute — plucking them out of their holes works on that all-important pincer grasp. Then, it becomes a matching game to get the right carrots into the right-size holes again. Ages 1+

RELATED: The Best Montessori Toys for 1-Year-Olds

Start your sporty toddler off with soccer and basketball with one toy. The set lights up and makes sounds while also keeping track of the baskets and goal on a light-up scoreboard. Ages 1+

This plush really captures a kid's attention with music and movements. It plays two songs — one for ABCs and one for counting — depending on which hoof you press. And it also moves its front hooves to encourage kids to clap along. In addition to a unicorn, you can get a bunny, cow, elephant or penguin. Ages 0+

This is a push toy, a walker, a role-playing item and a shape-sorter all in one! Early walkers love pushing around the grocery cart, just like their parents do. (It even comes with a little coffee cup to make it more realistic!) Then, food pieces on geometric shapes fit through the holes in tie sides of the cart, acting as a shape-sorter. The same pieces also fit into puzzles that store in the cart. And, after "checkout," they can play with the pretend food just like in a kitchen set. Ages 1+

Mickey fans can take their adventures into the bath or pool with this water-ready set, which comes with a Mickey that can go into and out of a boat, a turtle and a fish, all in their cool vacation getups. In addition, Playmobil has other Disney-themed bath sets, with characters like Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh with Piglet, Tigger and, soon, Moana. Ages 1+

Six boxes of different sizes, six animal friends, yet so many ways to play. Kids can stack the different sized boxes vertically and match each animal to its preferred house. Or they can arrange them horizontally to make a village for imaginary play. When that's done, they can use the animals as finger puppets, practice counting the boxes and animals, use the boxes to make other structures — and knock them down again. Ages 1+

Kids will love watching the balls roll and roll and roll down the ramp — but they also learn a lot by getting the balls from Point A to Point B. First, they can work on their gross motor skills by putting the ball in the slot and hitting it with the hammer, launching it onto the ramp, and they can see how the force of their blow can affect the speed of the ball. Then, at the end, the ball rolls into a compartment — which reinforces their object permanence — and they can hit the door with the hammer again to get it to come out. Ages 1+

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They'll be making their own mini masterpieces in no time with these egg-shaped crayons, which are easier for small hands to grasp. They'll get 12 colors in the pack, which will get them scribbling, coloring and working on their pre-writing skills. Ages 1+

This one impressed the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute because of how easy it is to adjust the height of the ladder (and the difficulty of the climb). They also liked how you can fold it to store it away when it's not in use. It also comes in a neutral wood color. Ages 6 months+

RELATED: The Best Pikler Triangles for Toddlers

Whether you want to practice your moo-moos and baa-baas or just have a little fun in the bath, this eight-piece set is just the thing when you need a small gift. They're big enough for little hands to grasp, and they squirt when squeezed, which is good for the hand muscles. Ages 9 months+

They'll work on balance and coordination when they push themselves along on this wooden ride-on toy. The wheels are rubberized, so they can use it indoors without damaging floors. Ages 1+

RELATED: The Best Ride-On Toys

This year, Fisher-Price debuted its first-ever line of wooden toys, exclusive to Walmart. For 1-year-olds, they made this charming menagerie. Kids need focus and coordination to stack the chunky animal blocks on the pegs. But the real fun comes when they mix them up, and see what happens when they put the lion head on the crocodile body. Ages 1+

This adorable Hanuman is also extremely portable — it has a velcro strap so you can put it on the stroller or car seat. In addition, it sings five popular mantras. If you opt for the bigger version (which doesn't have the velcro strap), you can also personalize it with a name. Ages 1+

This toy is intended to grow with a child: It starts off as a lay-flat item to use during tummy time, turns into a walker for kids taking their first steps, and then converts to either a grocery cart or stroller for older kids getting into pretend play. All in all, there are more than 40 play features, including buttons, spinners, lights and songs. Good Housekeeping Institute parent testers liked how siblings could interact with the toy in different ways. Ages 6 months+

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.

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