1. Narrated walk. What you'll need: nothing Why it's good for 1-year-olds: It may sound simple, but the act of walking around your house and labeling everything you see ("That's a piano; here's ...

With more than 15 different activities, it’ll teach your one-year-old first words, feelings, emotions, colors, and counting. AMAZON $24.99. WALMART $24.99 $19.79.

The upshot: 1- and 2-year-olds who were frequently read to had bigger vocabularies than their peers, while vocabulary size shrank with a rising level of screen time among 2-year-olds.

Our best activities for one-year-olds will occupy their minds and get them working on their developmental skills — all without expensive materials (or, heaven forbid, screens). If you do want ...