20 Best Learning Toys for 12-18 Month Olds 2024
BY BRITTANY STUART UPDATED: FEB 12, 2024
Parent-approved educational and fun toy ideas that a toddler will actually play with this year.
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Ah, the delightful chaos of toddler playtime! We know playtime is almost every minute of our child's day so we are constantly on the lookout for the best kids toys. Toys that not only capture our little one's attention but also contribute to their budding curiosity and development. Finding that perfect balance between playtime amusement and developmental growth is an ongoing quest.
When choosing the best toys in 2024, it's important to consider safety, durability, and age-appropriate features. Toys should be easy to hold with vibrant colors and interesting textures. Music toys are great for this because they engage multiple senses. Consider choosing toys like Montessori toys that inspire exploration, supporting your child's natural curiosity and discovery instincts.
Having just celebrated my one-year-old's birthday, I have recent experience finding the ideal toys firsthand. Here is a list of carefully chosen toys that will entertain your child and spark early learning and exploration. From those tentative first steps to their babbling attempts at talking, you’ll find toys for any stage!
FINE MOTOR SKILLS TOY
Wooden Activity Cube for 12-18 Months
CREDIT: DUCHONG
Discover the 7-in-1 Wooden Activity Cube, a versatile and parent-approved Montessori toy for one year olds, promoting sensory development, counting skills, and logical thinking. Crafted from high-quality wood, this compact and safe cube makes an ideal first birthday gift, fostering early learning and social skills.
MOST GIFTED TOY
Crawling Crab
CREDIT: CONTROL FUTURE
Interactive crawling crab that moves fast, plays fun sounds, lights up, and captivates babies during tummy time. Perfect for 0 to 12 months, this engaging crab helps infants develop neck muscles and encourages crawling, becoming a huge hit with the entire family, including older kids and pets.
AMAZON EXCLUSIVE TOY
Playskool Busy Ball Popper Toy
CREDIT: PLAYSKOOL
Activate the poppin' fun with a big button, engaging fine motor skills, and delighting children with 5 colorful balls, 8 songs, and silly sound effects for an exciting sensory experience.
LEARNING TOY
VTech Pull and Sing Puppy
CREDIT: VTECH
An interactive walking dog that introduces numbers, colors, and body parts through playful buttons, songs, and engaging sounds. As a perfect age-appropriate toy for 6-month-olds, it aids in motor skill development, and as babies grow into toddlers, it becomes a companion for learning walking and movement skills, offering a delightful dual experience of play and education.
TEETHING TOY
Roku Amazon Remote Teether
CREDIT: FU STORE
Baby wants to steal the remote?! Look no further! They can have their own. This 3-pack teether set, designed in vibrant colors, aids in babies' sensory development, flexibility in their hands, and promotes good oral hygiene habits with gentle silicone bristles.
SENSORY TOY
Suction Cup Spinner Toys
CREDIT: TOHIBEE
These suction cup spinners offer a fun-filled day for toddlers, featuring cute bee, carrot, and sun shapes with strong suction cups that make them versatile bath toys.
EDUCATIONAL TOYS
20Pcs Matching & Sorting Farm Animals Toys
Delight your little one with our Toddler Farm Animals Toy Set, a collection of 20 pieces that includes 10 charming animals and 10 barns. Designed for fine motor skill development, these toys serve as both finger puppets and a playful way for toddlers to explore farm life, making them an ideal and safe educational gift.
CREATIVITY TOY
Magnetic Tiles building Blocks
CREDIT: JASONWELL
Fuel your child's creativity with our Fun Magnet Blocks, a clear set covering various shapes that encourage imagination, creativity, and motor skills. These educational STEM toys facilitate learning through play, promoting color recognition, geometric shapes, and architectural design, making them perfect presents.
IMPROVES CONCENTRATION
Pull String Learning Toy
CREDIT: JKGIFTS
Popping bubbles and sliding balls, designed to exercise sight, hearing, and touch. These high-quality and safe baby sensory toys facilitate color recognition, promote fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and tactile simulation for babies aged 6-18 months, making them perfect for bath or travel fun.
BEST BABY WALKER FOR SMALL SPACES
VTech Sit-To-Stand Learning Walker
CREDIT: VTECH
Enhance your baby's motor skills and sensory development with our top pick for the best baby walker designed for small spaces. The removable tray, engaging auditory training features, and balance development elements make it the perfect choice for compact living environments.
SHAPE SORTER TOY
Colorful Cube Sorter Toy
CREDIT: MINGKIDS
This toy encourages one of your child’s favorite activities - putting toys inside and pulling them out. This Montessori-inspired toy encourages shape and color recognition. A top choice for parents seeking both engaging play and educational development.
SILICONE TEETHER
Stacks of Circles Soft Teething Toy
CREDIT: MOONKIE
Keep in mind - we don’t want to chip a tooth! These teething rings contribute to educational development by fostering fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving, and hand-eye coordination—while doubling as a soft and innovative teething solution.
PROBLEM-SOLVING TOY
Fisher-Price Stacking Toy Baby’s First Blocks
CREDIT: FISHER-PRICE
Watch as your child has fun sorting, stacking, and dropping these chunky blocks through slots, fostering hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and problem-solving skills.
STEM TOY
ring Stacker
CREDIT: SASSY STACKS
A traditional learning toy ring promoting early STEM learning through sorting, size understanding, sequencing, and building skills. This specific stacker features on the popular YouTube channel, Ms. Rachel!
ORGANIZATION TOY
mushie Stacking Cups Toy
CREDIT: MUSHIE
Elevate your baby's playtime with this vibrant round tower! Not only is it visually stimulating, but stacking the colorful pieces also fosters the development of organization and motor skills for an enriching play experience.
STACKING AND BUILDING TOYS
Baby Blocks
CREDIT: B. TOYS
Stack, squeeze, chew, and play away the days as your little one explores vibrant colors, discovers various animals, and learns numbers 1 to 10. With ten blocks offering 60 sides of sensory fun, this set ensures both entertainment and valuable learning experiences.
STACKING AND COUNTING TOYS
Stacking Cups
CREDIT: THE FIRST YEARS
Nesting cups are a classic and essential for every child’s toy collection! Children revel in fitting them together, stacking them up, and turning them over, while the large numbers on the base facilitate counting and early number recognition skills.
BEST BOOKS FOR ONE-YEAR-OLDS
Baby Books Touch and Feel
CREDIT: BEIENS
Babies love touching! These colorful cloth books engage babies with crinkles, squeakers, and textured animal tails, fostering audio recognition, motor skills, and sensory interaction in a safe and travel-friendly format.
BEST SELLER BOOK FOR INFANTS
Touch-and-Feel Book
CREDIT: ERIC CARLE
This heartwarming book is perfect for demonstrating the love a child receives and your baby will enjoy interacting with all of the animals!
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS TOY
Sensory Ball
CREDIT: EDUSHAPE
Let your little one explore their senses through the natural desire to touch while enhancing your child's gross motor skills. Any ball will promote crawling, grasping, and improving balance and coordination.
