Drawing & Scribbling with a Make-and-Do Activity for 1-Year-Old Toddlers

One easy starting point for drawing & scribbling with a make-and-do activity for 1 year old toddlers is a familiar activity that gives your child time to look, move, listen, choose, or respond. The purpose of this make-and-do activity activity is simple: make drawing & scribbling visible, active, and enjoyable enough to revisit on another day. Set up the make-and-do activity idea as a short supervised hands-on activity for drawing & scribbling, using age-appropriate materials so your child can repeat the key hand, eye, or sensory action at a comfortable pace. Treat that as the starting idea, not a script you have to follow perfectly—adapt the pace, materials, and number of turns to your child’s interest.

Quick Activity

Use the make-and-do activity idea as a tiny play invitation rather than a test. Set up the make-and-do activity idea as a short supervised hands-on activity for drawing & scribbling, using age-appropriate materials so your child can repeat the key hand, eye, or sensory action at a comfortable pace. Show the first turn yourself, pause, and let your child’s response decide whether you repeat, simplify, or add one small variation. This supports making intentional marks while exploring grip, pressure, direction, and creative expression.

Related Resources

Looking for more ways to support drawing & scribbling beyond this activity? Explore Arts & Music for art and music materials that extend the skill through creative, sensory, rhythmic, and hands-on activities. For guided local or online learning opportunities, browse Art & Creativity to find art classes, creative workshops, studios, lessons, or events where children can explore the skill with guidance.

What This Practices

This kind of activity is useful because it connects the learning idea with a real experience. Instead of asking your child to remember something abstract, you give them something concrete to notice and respond to. For a 1-year-old toddler, participation can look like looking, pointing, moving an object, copying an action, choosing, gesturing, or trying a word. The focus is not on speed or correctness; it is on giving your child a useful experience with drawing & scribbling that is easy to repeat.

What You Need

large paper and jumbo age-appropriate drawing or art materials

Safety note: For children under 3, choose only large, age-appropriate materials and supervise the entire activity.

How to Do It

Arrange the make-and-do activity materials so your child can reach them comfortably and the main action for drawing & scribbling is easy to see.
Demonstrate the movement slowly—reach, grasp, place, press, draw, transfer, squeeze, guide, or manipulate—without turning it into a correction exercise.
Let your child try in their own way. Participation can include looking, pointing, moving an object, copying an action, choosing, gesturing, or trying a word; help only enough to keep the materials safe and usable.
Repeat the same hand or sensory action several times, then make one small change such as position, texture, direction, size, or target.
Stop when hands look tired or interest drops. End with a simple observation about what your child did rather than how neatly it looked.

What to Say

Keep your language short and connected to what is happening. You do not need to use every phrase below; choose a few that sound natural in your family.

“Pick it up.”
“Place it here.”
“Press gently.”
“Use two hands.”
“Try a slow movement.”
“You changed how it looks or feels.”

What to Notice

There is no single response you need to see for the activity to be worthwhile. Look for small signs that your child is engaged with the idea.

The goal is participation and curiosity, not a perfect answer or finished product.
If interest fades, stop and try again another time; short positive experiences are easier to repeat.
Your child may show interest through pointing, copying, choosing, moving an item intentionally, using a gesture, or trying part of a word or action.

Make It Easier

Use one clear example, one short phrase, and plenty of modeling. Pointing or moving an object can be the whole turn.

Try This Next

Once the make-and-do activity idea feels familiar, keep the same basic structure but change one feature—location, object, order, role, or example. Add one second example or repeat the same skill during another familiar routine later in the day.

Use It in Everyday Life

The easiest way to keep learning useful is to let the same idea show up in ordinary moments. Try one of these simple extensions:

Keep sessions short and stop before hands are tired or frustration takes over.
Invite participation in safe everyday tasks such as placing, carrying, drawing, pouring, turning pages, or putting items away.
Repeat the hand or sensory action used in drawing & scribbling with different safe materials so practice stays fresh.

Keep Learning

This is one practical way to revisit drawing & scribbling with a make-and-do activity for 1 year old toddlers through short, playful practice. Within Fine Motor & Sensory, related ideas to explore next include Play Dough & Molding, Reaching & Grasping, and Stickers & Collage. You do not need to work on them all at once; choose the one that naturally connects with what your child enjoyed today. Follow your child’s interest, keep the tone warm and low-pressure, and stop while the activity still feels successful.