Your child is now aware of his emotions, specifically of being bored. Four walls and a couch now seem familiar and unexciting to them. They always cry for going outside. It’s a middle stage when they are too young for school and too difficult to stay at home. The good news is we have arranged some fun activities that will help you tackle the situation without losing your sanity. We ensure that the right toddler activities can turn your now boring living room into an exciting brand new world for the child. Now, do not go thinking about buying some fancy luxury toys; you need a little imagination and leave the rest to your toddler.
Following are 10 fun toddler activities at home that can keep those tiny wondering hands busy and entertained.
10 Fun Toddler Activities from Things You Already Have
1. Building Sensory Bin
The easiest of all is to find a storage box or bin and fill it up with oats, raw rice or pasta. My personal recommendation is to use pasta as it is easy for you to pickup later. Now, find some small toys and hide them under. It is the most reliable among all the toddler activities as it combines curiosity, touch, and focus all in one box. To extend the duration of their activity, add empty containers and a scoop so that your toddler can enjoy the fun of transferring pasta from one container to another.
You can give a new touch to the same activity by changing the filling every few weeks. Some other filler ideas are dried beans, paper balls, or even ice in summers. Instill the habit of playing on a mat in your toddler to make cleaning easy for you. You can also place a small handheld broom nearby for toddlers to take part in cleaning as well.
2. An Obstacle Course
What you need are some cushions, a laundry basket, pillows, and painter’s tape lines. All of these are every house essentials and easily available. Parents like indoor obstacle courses among all other toddler activities because it burns off children’s pent-up energy without going to the park. Another fun part is that you can re-visualize the obstacle path every once in a while. Make sure that your paths include hopping over pillows, crawling under chairs, passing through cardboard boxes and walking on the tightrope on the floor. Your child will get tired after a few runs of a difficult obstacle path and will not create a fuss over nap time.
3. Pretend and Play
The most famous pretend and play of all time is hosting the tea party. Although it is more famous among girls but boys at this stage, don’t know it and will enjoy the same. This activity is the most consistent play on every toddler activities list. Have some play tea cups, stuff toys and a sitting area prepared to host a party. The activity is known to build social skills, table manners and imagination among the toddlers. Let your toddler take the lead; ask them about the menu and guest list to engage their leadership skills. Do not worry about setting everything as after a while your child would be able to do this themselves.
4. Challenge Them to Building Block
It is my favorite among all the fun toddler activities; it engages a toddler in an endless loop without requiring any tiresome cleaning afterwards. Stack all the block as high as it goes and knock them over to start again. As simple as it looks; building block is known for improving eye-hand coordination along with enhancing the problem solving skill. As the days go by, you can increase the level by challenging them to make simple shapes like car, table or chair. You can also use wooden block or discarded cardboard boxes if you do not have a building block set.
5. Freeze Dance Party
Music cheers our mood even on the hardest days. Similarly, toddlers enjoy this game even on their whiniest days. Play a song and dance around your living space, the rule is to freeze as soon as the music stops. Your random freeze moments and funny dance steps will make the atmosphere light and giggles heavy. It is one of the toddler activities that can lighten the mood after a heavy day and is perfect to end the day on happy note.
Pro Tip: Play your favorite song or music so that this toddler activity can turn into a treat for you as well.
6. Finger Painting
What you need is some paper sheet, washable paint and tiny fingers. Getting messy is the favorite hobby of a toddler and this activity fulfills that part. It’s the number one game on the messy toddler activities list. However, mess does not always indicates towards a bad thing. In this scenario, this activity helps your toddler in exploring and identifying colors. This also boost imagination and creativity among little ones.
Some tips for you to not lose your mind while cleaning are:
- Place a plastic mat on floor before starting the activity.
- Make your toddler wear an apron to promote cleanliness in them.
- Always use washable paints.
- Try to schedule your toddler’s shower time after this activity.
7. From Trash to Toddlers Activities List – Bubble Wrap
This activity comes on top of the low effort toddler activities list. Just save all the bubble wraps from your deliveries. Tape a bubble wrap on the floor and let your little one enjoy by jumping and stomping on it. Your toddler’s over the top expressions and giggles are the highlight of this activity. The tap-tap sound from bubble bursting grabs attention of your toddler and keep them occupied for a long time. You can also enjoy and relieve your stress by just listening to your child’s giggles.
8. Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Call out some house items like saying something round, or red or soft, and send your child to find it inside the house. Indoor scavenger hunts are the best among all toddler activities to build vocabulary and sense of direction simultaneously. These hunts do not need any preparation before or after the game. Just go on calling for the game at any given time you find suitable.
A tip for the hunts is to keep it simple in the start and a little silly to make enjoyable. For example, go and fetch something brown that daddy would wear. As the little one grow you can make the hints more complex.
9. Set up a Puppet Show
You can use discarded socks, paper bags, stuff toys or real puppets as well. The magic is more in the funny voiceover than the actual puppet. It is one of the toddler activities that promotes storytelling, creativity, imagination and vocabulary building, all at the same time. It is good for a child struggling with speech or word forming. Let your toddler take the lead and be the puppeteer. You will be amazed with their funny and creative stories.
Do not forget to give your toddler a make-shift stage for their puppet show. Just take an old cardboard box and transform it into a stage. This activity will also give your toddler confidence to stand on the stage and face audience in future.
10. Transform Bath Time into Play Time
It is my favorite of all the toddler activities. It crosses one of the daily chores, makes your toddler happy and gives you some time to breathe simultaneously. Fill the tub with a few inches of water and place some toy ducks and fish in it. Water play is known for its calming effects, it can change a cranky toddler into a peaceful one within minutes.
Be cautious water is no ones friend so always remain close and attentive to your toddler during this activity. Stay nearby where you can still listen to their giggles while reading your favorite book or scrolling through socials. Let them splash and scoop water as much as they want. You can also take this toddler activity to your backyard during summer days using an inflatable pool.
Looking Forward to Big Adventures
Even if you give the most luxurious and expensive playroom to a toddler, they will be bored of it after a week or so. Therefore, it is not wise to spend huge amounts on something attainable with simple activities. Your child will also feel connection and remember your efforts for lifetime. All you need is simple household items, ten to fifteen minutes for setup and little tolerance for messiness. It will all be worth it when you see your toddler smiling and content. You will be able to get some work done or just relax for a while.
These toddler activities are a proof that no small spaces or walls can hold you from having big adventures with your little ones. You just need a will and imagination to turn the couch into mountain and bath tub into an ocean. Let us know about your big adventures and share how you keep your toddler entertained in the comments below.
