Fun activities for 1-year-olds you can do at home

A classic go to for any baby and toddler, play dough is a fun and safe way to let your baby explore their pincer grasp and also help develop their hand muscles. It's also pretty relaxing for us parents too if you ask us!

If you don't want to buy your own play dough, it's super easy to make at home. Just follow this simple tutorialwhich requires five ingredients we all have in our kitchen for a safe and cheap play dough for your toddler.

You'll have no doubt come across these toddler busy boards before. If you're wondering what on Earth is this, it's basically a board full of all the little fiddly things your child's hands usually aren't allowed near (but always get to), such as door locks, keys, chains and any other fiddly thing they gravitate towards in the home.

Learn how to build your own or buy your own with our simple tutorial.

Not only is messy play great for getting those little hands working, it's also great for sensory play, even though it might be a little stressful for parents to watch. Top tips for keeping mess to a minimum? Take everything outside if it's summer or get yourself a huge disposable mat or table cloth for the kitchen floor to scoop everything up with afterwards.

From finger painting to making slime, we've rounded up some of the best messy play ideas for your tot to have a go at here.

Water is so much fun for little ones, especially when the weather is warm. For thissimple yet fun water play idea, all you'll need is a storage box, water, a sieve and some ball pit balls. You can challenge your tot to only fish out the one colour of the bballs, then see how many they can fish out at a time to improve their gross motor skills.

We've rounded up our favourite sensory play ideas to boost your little one’s learning, development and creativity. From marshmallow fun to rainbow noodles, here are the best sensory play ideas for your tot.

Matching skills are brilliant for your tot to learn at this stage, and there's no easier way to learn this than sorting colours into groups.

From sorting pom poms, pieces of lego, paper or anything you can find around the house, getting your baby to sort these into piles makes for hours of simple fun and learning.

How many loo rolls do you get through a week? Why not put those little cardboard rolls to use by turning them into shakers? Simply use a milk bottle lid to seal one end using duct tape to secure, and pop some rice inside before sealing the other end. Then you and your little one can decorate with colours and stickers to finish off your DIY instrument.

Another fun activity for water, pop some of their water proof toys into a big storage box, fill with warm water and some gentle washing up liquid and give your tot a sponge or brush for a fun washing up game. Just remember to lay down plenty of towels for this one!

Colander's can provide so much fun - not only are they great when it comes to playing in the water, they're also excellent for threading things like pipe cleaners through them, weaving them in and out.

Ask them to make a nice necklace for a loved one with a simple penne pasta necklace and string. Take this fun activity to the next level by painting each pasta shape in bright colours. Threading the string through each piece of pasta is brilliant for developing that pincer grip.