The Best Children's Books for a One Year Old

One-year-old children are constantly learning, even without someone obviously trying to teach them. According to Dr. Maria Montessori, one-year-old kids are in the sensitive period of language. They are driven to seek out things that help them grow language. In fact, children this age are learning about 10 new words every day. Repetition helps children learn, and simple books with strong graphics and lots of repetition help them learn.

  1. Rhyming

    • Rhyme and repetition inspire great fascination in toddlers. Books that have a lot of repetition help them feel comfortable and in control, and silly rhymes help keep their attention.

      Dr. Seuss is a master of language, repetition and rhyme. He created many classics, including ̶0;Hop on Pop.̶1; Michele Gough, of Dallas, Texas, has a one-year-old who asks for this favorite book by name, ̶0;Up Up.̶1; Her son̵7;s name for this book matches the rhyme for one page with a cup and a pup on it. After numerous readings, he can even ̶0;read̶1; the pages along with her.

    Learning Emotions

    • One-year-old children are just beginning to branch out and explore their worlds. Books about love and togetherness help them feel safe and secure.

      ̶0;Guess How Much I Love You,̶1; by Sam McBratney, is a sweet book about how a father and his son love each other. Deidra Graves, of Round Rock, Texas, has a three-year-old and a newborn. Deidra̵7;s husband has read this favorite book to her children since before they were born. They are soothed when it's read to them.

      ̶0;Counting Kisses,̶1; by Karen Katz, is the corollary to ̶0;Guess How Much I Love You.̶1; In this bedtime book, a mom and her daughter count down the kisses to bedtime.

    Learning Colors

    • Colors are frequently in the first-words repertoire. Books that identify the many colors around us help reinforce the first-learned words.

      "Color Zoo," by Lois Ehlert, combines colors and shapes. As you turn the pages, the colors and shapes turn into faces.

      "Freight Train," by Donald Crews, is a Caldecott Collection book. It is full of simple pictures of train cars, labeled with their names and colors.

      "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?" by Bill Martin Jr., is another kid's classic. The repetition and use of common words, animals and colors makes this a prime opportunity for a one-year old to "read" on his own.

    Practicing Memory Skills

    • Most people think of books as stimulating language skills, but interactive books can also stimulate memory skills.

      ̶0;The Big Shiny Sparkly First Words Book,̶1; by Willabel Tong, combines shiny colors and picture flaps to engage young children as they explore and learn.

      ̶0;Hide and Seek Elmer,̶1; by David McKee, is another colorful flap book. It stimulates memory skills as children play an interactive memory game throughout the book.

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