Best Musical Toys & Gifts for 1 Year Olds

By: Mary

Kids just love playing with toys that play music, make noise, have songs they can sing along to and more!

There’s just something about music that makes them so happy, as they bop to the beat and hum along in their own cute way.

At age 1, children are very curious.

Hearing new sounds captivates them, making them want to explore more about how that sound is created.

Toys that play music for toddlers help your child to develop their auditory senses, explore and develop their creative side, assist in their language development, improve their motor skills and so much more!

We researched hundreds of toys and compiled a list of the best musical toys for 1 year olds based on a combination of feedback from parents as well as our own strict selection criteria.

We’re sure you’ll find the perfect musical gift for your 1 year old!

Affiliate disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means that if you visit a link on our site and make a qualifying purchase, we may earn a commission. This is at no extra cost to you.

Here Are Our Top Three Picks

Our top pick: Fisher-Price Dance & Move BeatBowwow

Second place: LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table

Third place: Baby Einstein Strum Along Songs Magic Touch Musical Wooden Electronic Guitar

A Word from a Psychologist

Written By: Psychologist Natasha Tanic

  • Babies and toddlers enjoy sounds and music
  • Musical toys can boost creativity, memory, and auditory sense development 

Babies and toddlers are naturally curious about music. A one year old will enjoy pushing buttons to make sounds or shaking toys to produce sounds.  

Developmental Benefits of Musical Toys

Therefore, toys that produce music are not just fun. They provide myriad educational benefits such as:

  • Teaching children cause and effect
  • Promoting hand-eye coordination
  • Encouraging creativity
  • Providing a calming effect
  • Promoting movement and motor development
  • Keeping children engaged 

In addition, musical toys encourage independent play, fostering self-regulation and confidence. 

Best Music Toys For One Year Olds

B. Parum Pum Pum Drum Set Of Musical Toys

The B. Parum Pum Pum Drum is a beautiful set of musical instruments for your music loving one year old!

Your toddler will receive the following:

  • Lime colored snare drum
  • 2 Egg shakers
  • Bee maraca and clacker combo
  • Jungle Bell Ant
  • Caterpillar tambourine
  • 2 Centipede drumsticks

This eye catching insect themed drum set will have your child boppin’ and movin’ to the beat as they try out all the instruments to hear what sounds they make!

It’s tailored perfectly for your little one as the drum not only has a handle, but it also has a strap to make it easier to carry.

For even more fun, each of the musical instruments is shaped like a letter of the alphabet which you can use in clever ways to develop your child’s learning.

One of the things parents said they really love is the fact that all the musical instruments can be stored right inside the drum!

Why We Recommend The B. Parum Pum Pum Drum Set Of Musical Toys For 1 Year Olds

  • Kids love exploring their creative fun side trying out all the various musical instruments!
  • Insect theme is a big hit with toddlers!
  • Can be used to teach your child simple rhythms
  • As each instrument is shaped like a letter, it can be used to help your child learn those letters
  • Encourages your child to develop their own rhythms
  • Teaches cause and effect as your toddler works out that certain actions create certain sounds
  • Helps your child’s development and motor skills
  • Parents love that all the musical toys store inside the snare drum
  • Top quality, extremely well made and built to last for several years!

VTech Musical Rhymes Book

VTech Musical Rhymes Book

This beautiful VTech Musical Rhymes Book packed with over 40 songs, familiar nursery rhymes and so much more is the perfect first birthday or Christmas gift for any 1 year old toddler.

Featuring easy-to-turn pages that are perfect for tiny hands, it has two modes of play;

  • music mode
  • learning mode.

For your music loving toddler, it has five colored piano buttons and each one will play a different note when your child presses them.

There are 6 old time favorites nursery rhymes for your toddler to learn;

  • Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush,
  • Old MacDonald Had A Farm,
  • A-Tisket A-Tasket,
  • Are You Sleeping,
  • Hey Diddle Diddle,
  • and Little Boy Blue.

Parents love that it has a volume control and it comes with batteries so your child can enjoy it straight away!

A number of parents shared that their one year old loves this interactive musical book and will sing along to the songs in their own way!

They also mentioned that they found it was the perfect travel toy for car trips and trips to the restaurant as it keeps their toddler entertained.

Why We recommend The VTech Musical Rhymes Book

  • Kids love the illustrations, the piano keys and the nursery rhymes!
  • Introduces your child to rhyming, colors, sounds, first words and more
  • Helps to develop your toddler’s auditory skills
  • Great travel toy as it’s lightweight and keeps your child engaged
  • Very well made and parents like that it has a volume control

Fisher-Price Bright Beats Dance & Move BeatBowWow

If your one year old loves bopping to the beat to catchy music, then they are going to love the Fisher-Price Bright Beats Dance & Move BeatBowWow!

Available in Green or Pink, it is suitable for both boys and girls age one and up.

The hero in this set, BeatBo is a super cute puppy who’s really smart, barks, wags his tail, bobs his head, wiggles his ears, plays music, teaches numbers and phrases and so much more!

He’s just like a real puppy who will rapidly become your toddler’s new best friend!

BeatBo is a wonderful music toy that can teach your child songs, colors, counting and get them dancing and moving to their own beat.

He comes packed with 25 songs for your child to enjoy and has lots of fun phrases for your child to learn.

But what’s the best thing about BeatBo?

It is the upbeat, fun and exciting music he plays which will encourage your toddler to get up and dance on their own or with their friends.

BeatBowWow will encourage your child to bop, stomp, wiggle, shake, and more, giving them fun exercise to music.

Several parents shared that BeatBo is their 1 year old’s most popular musical toy.

They added that it’s a wonderful Christmas of birthday gift idea for any young toddler.

Why We Recommend The Fisher-Price Bright Beats Dance & Move BeatBowWow

  • Kids just fall in love with BeatBo as he is just adorable and loads of fun to play with!
  • Buttons are easy for your child to press to play music, turn on lights and make the puppy move
  • Great interactive toy that keeps your child entertained and engaged for long periods
  • Encourages your child to express themselves creatively through dance and movement
  • Teaches cause and effect, as your toddler will learn what happens when they press different buttons
  • High quality musical toy that your child will enjoy for years!

Videos is from TTPM Toy Reviews Youtube Channel.

Hohner Kids Toddler Music Band

The Hohner Kids Toddler Music Band is a wonderful set of five different musical instruments that would make a great gift for 1 year olds.

Your toddler will receive an eye-catching colorful xylophone, a sea drum with an underwater scene and lots of colored beads, a yellow bell shaker and two other colorful musical instruments.

They all come packaged in a nice storage box with a handle for carrying. 

Your child will love playing the xylophone as it has a nice quality sound and it’s also in tune.

When your toddler shakes the sea drum, the beads will make a really nice sound for them to dance to.

A number of parents shared that this is a wonderful starter music set for one year olds and their child absolutely loved it!

Several parents share that they were impressed with the quality and how durable this music set is and the fact that the instruments actually sounded great!

Why We Recommend The Hohner Kids Toddler Music Band

  • Music loving toddlers just love playing with these musical toys!
  • Lovely sounds and xylophone is in tune 
  • You can store the mallet under the xylophone
  • Great introductory music set for kids age 1 and up
  • With so many instruments, can be used for cooperative play with your child’s friends or siblings

Woby Hip Hop Dancing Walking Swing Goose

This adorable Woby Hip Hop Dancing Walking Swing Goose is fast becoming a very popular musical toy for 1 year olds!

Super cute doesn’t even begin to describe this wonderful eye-catching Hip Hop Goose who comes with three different types of hip hop style music for your child to dance to.

He can dance and sing and will change direction whenever he bumps into a wall or some other obstacle.

Your toddler will have great fun chasing Hip Hop Goose around!

If your child grabs his neck pretending to catch him, Hip Hop Goose will shout “Don’t catch me…I can’t dance!” which kids go crazy over!

This Dancing Goose musical toy will make your toddler laugh over and over with his funny dance moves which your child will try to imitate.

It’s good to know that there are two volume settings. One for quiet time and one for when you child is playing with their friends.

Why We Recommend The Woby Hip Hop Dancing Walking Swing Goose

  • Most fun, interactive, dancing, musical, engaging, fun toy ever for toddlers age 1 and up!
  • Kids just cannot get enough of Hip Hop Goose as he encourages them to dance, move and exercise
  • Kids love that if they grab the Goose’s neck he will shout out!
  • Great for helping your toddler to develop a love and healthy respect for animals

LeapFrog Musical Rainbow Tea Party Set

If your 1 year old loves to have tea parties with their dolls, stuffed animals or toddler friends, then they are going to love playing with this gorgeous LeapFrog Musical Rainbow Tea Party Set!

This beautiful 10-piece tea set includes a lovely colorful teapot, 2 cute cups, 6 pieces of cake on a plate and has high and low volume options to control sound levels.

There are 7 songs and 50 phrases for your child to enjoy and learn. This beautiful musical tea set will teach your child about colors, counting, matching, sharing, manners and social skills.

When your child flicks a switch on the side of the tea pot, the tummy part of the tea pot with light up and show 6 different colors in various rotations.

Your toddler will also here bubbling sounds from the tea pot and an invite to a tea party!

When your one year old presses the heart-shaped button on the front of the tea pot, one of the seven lively and entertaining songs will start to play!

And when the song ends, they’ll head a whistling sound just like a real kettle!

When each song finishes, the tea pot will light up a tell your toddler what flavor of tea they’re having!

Every time your child presses the heart-shaped button, the color and flavor will change. This is a great way for your toddler to learn about colors, flavors and matching.

As your child tips the tea pot to pour, they will hear a pouring sound and when they lift the lid of the pot, they’ll hear all kinds of fun phrases and noises.

For even more fun, that have six pretend slices of cake, all different colors to match the rainbow colors.

Several parents shared that this is one of the most adorable musical tea sets for kids they’ve ever seen and they love that their children learn while having fun!

Read more about LeapFrog toys on their website.

Why We Recommend The LeapFrog Musical Rainbow Tea Set

  • Kids love this musical tea set, with all it’s sounds, songs, and fun features!
  • Perfect for encouraging your child to engage in pretend play
  • Ideal for independent play as your child can have pretend tea parties with their dolls, stuffed animals and action figures
  • Also suitable to cooperative play as your child can play with their toddler friends or siblings
  • Great musical toy for teaching your child about sharing and social skills
  • Tea set can be used to teach your child colors, counting, matching and more
  • Fun, entertaining songs for your child to enjoy
  • Kids loves all the wonderful sounds this musical toy kids tea set makes
  • Helps to improve your childs motor skills
  • Wonderful toy that will grow with your child as it’s built to last

Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube

The Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube is a wonderful toy for any 1 year old and introduces them to classical music.

There are 5 instrument sounds with this Magic Cube for your toddler to enjoy and become familiar with; Piano, French horn, Harp, Flute and Violin.

If your child would like to add or remove any of the instrument sounds, then they just need to push a button. There’s a special button for them to push if they’d like to hear all the instruments playing at the same time.

Your toddler will get to listen to an enjoy 8 Mozart masterpieces.

Each side of the Magic Cube has a different color with a cute animal playing the highlighted instrument.

Some of the sides will light up and flash in time to the music. The buttons are easy for your toddler to push.

For added safety, the cube has soft round corners and it comes adjustable volume control which parents really like.

A wonderful interactive musical toy for encouraging creative play, a number of parents shared that their olds kids and even they themselves loved playing with this Mozart Musical Cube!

The Muchkin Mozart Magic Cube requires 3 AA batteries which are included and several parents shared that the music is lovely and their one year old loves it so much!

Why We Recommend The Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube

  • Kids loves creating their own orchestra sounds with this wonderful musical cube!
  • Great introduction to different instrument sounds for your toddler
  • Your child will learn about cause and effect as they work out which button creates which instrument sound
  • Enhances your child’s auditory skills
  • As your child’s learns the tunes, it will help to develop their memory skills
  • Helps your childs develop their own sense of tempo and rhythm
  • Wonderful interactive toy as your child can roll it, push it, flip it and more!
  • Comes with volume control which parents love
  • Music is really soothing for kids and parents love it too
  • Has round corners which makes it a safe msical toy for one year old
  • Kids love watching the lights flash on the sides of the cube
  • Great for encouraging your child to get up and dance to the beat
  • Well made, sturdy and will last a long time
  • Excellent travel toy to keep your toddler engaged and entertained

Baby Einstein Discover and Play Piano

This gorgeous Baby Einstein Discover and Play Piano is the perfect musical toy gift for Christmas or a one year old’s first birthday!

It comes with soft piano keys numbered one to five and has three different modes of play; instruments, animal sounds and numbers. The number mode will say the number in English, Spanish and French!

For your music loving toddler, there are over 20 classic melodies for them to enjoy and sing along to! T

Here are also 3 buttons that will light up while music is playing and your toddler can press them for fun sounds.

One of the buttons is a cat, the other a dog and the third one is a duck. When your child presses them, they will hear meow, woof or quack-quack for even more fun and enjoyment!

This wonderful play piano has volume control which parents really like and it has a built in speaker for sound.

A number of parents shared that they bought this musical toy piano as a first birthday gift for their toddler and it was a big hit.

They shared that their child really engaged with it and spent hours playing with it.

Why We Recommend The Baby Einstein Discover and Play Piano

  • Kids have great fun playing with their toy piano, pretending to play their own tunes and more!
  • Great interactive learning toy as it teaches your child numbers in 3 different languages
  • Over 20 melodies for your child to enjoy and bop along to!
  • Ideal musical toy for encouraging your child to engage in creative and pretend play
  • Introduces your child to different instument sounds and animal sounds
  • Teaches your child about cause and effect as they work out how to manipulate the buttons to create certain sounds
  • Lights and sounds captivate and hold your toddler’s attention
  • Helps to enhance your child’s auditory skills through listening to new sounds and learning to differentiate them
  • Perfect for independent play as your toddler will amuse themselves for hours playing their own music!

What Else Is Available

Habausa.com

Crateandbarrel.com

Buybuybaby.com

Frequently Asked Questions About Musical Toys

Are Musical Toys Good for Babies?

Yes, they are. Just make sure that the sounds are not too loud, so your infant doesn’t get scared.

Most children show genuine interest in music from the earliest age.

Music toys can help your one year old child develop creativity and language.

In addition, research indicates that musical toys promote emotional skills, enhance memory, and improve mood.

For further reading, Playgroupnsw.org.au has an excellent article on the music’s benefits for toddlers in their Resources for Parents section.

Can Musical Toys Soothe a 1 Year Old Child?

Yes, they usually can. Musical toys can help soothe your child when they are upset or crying, improve their mood when cranky, and redirect their attention when your child experiences a behavioral challenge.

How Can Musical Toys Encourage Child Development?

Musical toys come with various sounds, colors, textures, and shapes.

Exploring their different features can promote sensory development, language, hand-eye coordination, cognitive skills, self-expression, and fine motor skills.

How does Music affect my Child’s brain development?

Music makes your child more mentally alert (even your unborn child!)
In fact, for children with longer reaction times, music improves their sensory processes.

Also, playing an instrument improves your child’s sense of vision, touch, and hearing.

Are musical toys good for autistic children?

Yes, musical toys are perfect for them.

These toys stimulate brains to make new connections and strengthen the existing connections.

This is good for their mental health and cognitive abilities.

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