The best Christmas gifts for a 1-year-old are simple toys they can act on: a busy board to explore, a toy on wheels to push, a box to fill and empty, sturdy books to point at. Our first pick for 1- and 2-year-olds is a wooden busy board with the child’s name on top, which we add for free. Below you’ll find what children this age enjoy, our handmade ideas, and good gifts we don’t make ourselves.
We make wooden toys by hand in Italy, and these are the ideas we suggest to our own friends and family.
What 1- and 2-year-olds like to play with
Between 12 and 24 months, most children want to move, open, close, push, drop, fill and empty, again and again.
Many children take their first steps around their first birthday, and many take several months longer; both are normal. Toys that roll or can be pushed give them a reason to cross the room.
Hands get busier too. Sliding, lifting, fitting a shape into its hole: at this age that is real work, and repeating it is how they practice.
They are also discovering cause and effect. Drop it and it falls, push it and it moves, so a toy that answers with a sound or a movement holds their attention.
Montessori-inspired gifts follow the same logic: fewer toys, natural materials, and toys that do one thing well, so the child does the work, not the toy. Whatever you choose, follow the age marked on each toy.
The busy board: our first pick, with their name added free
A busy board gathers several small, real activities on one wooden panel so a toddler can practice them at their own pace, and on ours we add the child’s name at the top for free.
Our personalized wooden busy boards come in three series. On the Wild Animals board, 22.8 x 18.9 inches, your child drives a car across the savanna, looks for the hidden lion, learns the shapes and peeks in the mirror. The Space board has a star to move across the galaxy, shapes, the alien’s antennae and a mirror. The Llama board has a flower on the cactus, shapes, the llama’s ears and a mirror.
All three are marked for 6 months and up, so they suit a child turning one as well as a child turning two. The name is what turns a toy into their board.
You can order it with its wooden stand, or without the stand if the family already has one of our baby gyms. Each board comes with a Cherieswood envelope and your message, which we write by hand.
For more on how children use one, read our Montessori busy board buying guide.
Wooden busy boards handmade in Italy: add your child's name at no extra cost. See all busy boards
Toys on wheels: a wooden giraffe and a little car
A toy on wheels is a simple, lasting gift for a child who is crawling, cruising along the furniture or taking first steps, because it gives them something to push, chase and follow.
Our wooden giraffe on wheels is made by hand in Italy from different woods and wax. You can add your own gift message at checkout.
Our handmade wooden car is smooth to hold and finished with wax. At just 4.7 x 3.5 inches, it fits in a Christmas stocking, and it comes with an envelope carrying your message.
Push it across the floor, lose it under the couch, find it again: at this age, that is a complete game.
A keepsake gift: a toy box with a cross-stitch design
If you’d like a gift that outlasts the toys, a wooden toy box with a cross-stitch design keeps toys in order now and childhood memories later.
Our rocking horse toy box is made of pine wood, measures about 12 x 16 x 9 inches (30 x 40 x 23 cm) and carries a cross-stitch rocking horse. We also make it with a cross-stitch teddy bear and with a giraffe.
There’s a bonus at this age: 1-year-olds love to empty a box and fill it again, so tidying up becomes part of the game. Later, the same box keeps books, drawings and the small things worth saving.
A cross-stitched rocking horse toy box, a giraffe and a little car: old-fashioned wooden toys, handmade in Italy. See all wooden toys
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Cherieswood Rocking Horse Toy Box$149.50 -
Cherieswood Wooden Giraffe$48.00
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Cherieswood Wooden Car$30.00
Cause and effect, for a little later: the clown drop
Toddlers love toys where one action gives a clear result, and a clown drop shows that result with movement and sound.
Our wooden clown drop is a beech wood cascade. You place a clown, a bee or a butterfly at the top, and it sways down the steps, making a sound on every one. It supports hand-eye coordination, and it’s a calm toy to watch together.
It isn’t a first-birthday toy: it’s meant for a slightly older child, so check the age marked on its product page and keep it in mind for a later Christmas or birthday.
Gift sets: one bigger present from the whole family
If grandparents, aunts and uncles want to give one present together, our gift sets combine a wooden baby play gym and a busy board, plus a mat or a bookshelf, in one gift.
The Continuous Play bundle combines a wooden baby play gym with the charm series you choose, a busy board with your child’s name and a soft mat. The Perfect Gift bundle pairs the play gym and the personalized busy board with a bookshelf, and the Full Experience bundle adds the mat as well.
One honest note: a play gym is made for babies, so these sets make the most sense when there’s also a new baby in the family, or when you want one gift that starts at birth and grows into the busy board. You’ll find them all among our baby gift bundles.
Not sure what they already have? Give a gift card
When you don’t know which toys are already in the house, a Cherieswood gift card lets the parents choose a play gym, a busy board or a toy themselves.
It also saves you from two identical presents under the same tree, and lets the family choose the busy board series and the name.
A newborn gift that lasts: play gym and busy board sets, handmade in Italy. Or a gift card. See all gift sets
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First Steps bundle$109.90
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Wild Animals Kit (0-12)$248.90
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Gift Card Cherieswood$50.00 $200.00Price range: $50.00 through $200.00
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The Continuous Play bundle$260.00
More gift ideas for 1-year-olds that we don’t make
Good gifts at this age don’t have to come from us, and these are ideas we would happily put under the tree ourselves.
- Board books and fabric books: thick pages, simple pictures or real photos, easy for small hands to turn.
- Stacking cups: they stack, nest and pour, and they work in the bath too.
- Bath toys: choose ones that are easy to clean and dry, ideally without holes that trap water.
- A shape sorter or posting box: start with one shape and add the others as they get the idea.
- A sturdy push cart: something to fill with blocks and wheel around the room.
- Child-size tools: a small cloth for wiping the table, a little watering can, a basket of their own, in the Montessori spirit.
- A Christmas keepsake: an ornament with the year, or a handprint you make together and frame.
- Time together: a toddler music or swim class, or an outing planned around nap time.
FAQ
Quick answers for parents, grandparents and friends shopping this Christmas.
What is a good Christmas gift for a 1-year-old?
A toy they can act on: a busy board, a toy on wheels, stacking cups or sturdy board books. Our first pick is a wooden busy board with the child’s name, which we add for free.
What are good Montessori gifts for a 1-year-old?
Simple toys in natural materials that do one thing, so the child does the work: busy boards, push toys, posting boxes, stacking cups and child-size tools.
Is a busy board a good gift for a 1- or 2-year-old?
Yes. Our busy boards are marked for 6 months and up, so they fit both ages, with pieces to move, shapes to explore and a mirror. We add the child’s name on top for free.
Are wooden toys good for 1-year-olds?
Wooden toys are sturdy, pleasant to hold and simple, which suits this age well. Whatever the material, follow the age marked on each toy and check it now and then for wear.
Can I add a personal message to the gift?
Yes. Our busy boards and wooden toys come with a Cherieswood envelope: you type your message at checkout, and we write it out by hand.
