Let's check out some activities for toddlers that are just right for times when you don't know what to do with your toddler.
Fun with water, filling and emptying, reading, imitating, dancing, a little light sport... what could be simpler!
But... it can be hard to keep a toddler amused all day.
So the ideas below are designed to help you out at home during those moments when boredom strikes.
These activities for toddlers don't require any special equipment, just what you already have at home - toys, books, and stuff from around the house.
A little water play... scribbling... bathtime for toys - or why not make your toddler a cosy nest to wriggle around in - oh yeah!
A list of activities for toddlers
Play at the sink Use a step stool and stand next to your toddler if they are a bit unsteady. Put some water in a bowl, add spoons, jugs, plastic beakers and any other kid-safe objects to fill and pour with. Add soap bubbles and enjoy!
Have a pedicure Activities for toddlers can include a little pampering too!
Set a waterproof cover on the floor, and fill a bowl of water. Soak your toddler's feet without too much splashing! A nice warm footbath is just wonderful! Then dry his or her feet, and rub in some nice toddler skin cream. This could be a good moment to give your toddler a toenail trim, or for little lady toddlers who can sit still, an additional session with some nail painting.
Give a soft toy a "bath" Use child soap in warm water, and bathe a soft toy (if it can be washed, of course.) Rinse thoroughly, squeeze out, plump up and hang out to dry. Or wash a set of plastic toys that need a bath too!
Fill and empty boxes Got toy boxes? Empty one out, take a look at everything, have a play, then put them all back in again.
Bang saucepans A couple of saucepans and lids and a wooden spoon or two, and your toddler can bang away to their heart's content. Play some music too and bang along in time!
Sit with a pile of books Reading activities for toddlers are wonderful. Sit down with your toddler on the sofa with a pile of books between you. Your tot can choose a book, then you can read it together. Then choose another one.
The moment your toddler tires of this activity, simply stop. You can slowly train your child to take a choice of books, sit down, and look through some of them by themselves.
Look at things in the mirror Stand in front of a wall mirror and get your child to copy what you're doing - making faces, raising your arms, moving your head.
Copy me, copy you Looking at each other, copy each other! Stick out your tongue, scratch your ear, open your mouth, close your eyes. Or do this as a fitness activity - run on the spot, march around the room, crawl into the next room.
Take turns game Give your child practice in taking turns. How about with some blocks? You put a block down, I put a block on top of it, then you put on another block, and so on. Or use a pack of cards. I take a card, you take a card. Or laying the table - I set down a table mat, then you.
Scribbling Artistic activities for toddlers provide lots of fun. With some chunky crayons, sit together at a table with a large blank piece of paper in front of you. You scribble first - it's very therapeutic! Then your tot can scribble too! Who can scribble big? Who can do the tiniest scribble? Who can make the most colorful scribble?
Or why not make scribble "people" - make a scribbly round shape in a light color, then add eyes, a nose and a mouth in darker colors? Add some arms and legs - and hey presto!
Soft toy boogie Get as many stuffed toys as you can and set them in a circle, with you and your toddler standing in the middle. Start the music, and dance with your toddler. Then grab a soft toy "partner" and dance with it, set it down, and take another partner! Your toddler will love dancing with their soft toys!
Floor bat and ball Take two kiddie bats and a small soft ball. Sit on the floor a few feet apart, and bat the ball along the floor back and forth to each other.
Balloon soccer Being British, I'm not sure about American football technicalities... but I'm sure you can adapt this soccer game to suit! We simply marked a "goal" area on our wall, by placing a stuffed toy to the left and right of the goal area. Then my son had to try and kick the balloon past me to hit the wall! I was an extremely active goalkeeper, leaping about and making funny faces and noises... but that balloon just kept getting past me!
Toddler skittles Take some empty plastic bottles and line them up - either in a straight line or skittle-fashion - and then roll a ball and try and knock them down.
Collect the mail from the mailbox A practical activity for toddlers: pop out to collect the mail together. Got a letter to post? (I know, email has taken over your life...) - Well, if you do, you can always get your child to help stick on the stamp and post it into the mailbox for you!
Sweep the yard With a kiddie broom, this activity keeps your tot wandering about for quite some time. You can sweep, too, with your big broom.
Water plants with a small watering can Even if you've just had a downpour, toddlers can still enjoy watering the garden! Or just go round the house with their can watering your houseplants, under your supervision of course. Only recommended if your child isn't likely to keep watering the plants when you're not looking :)
Do a jigsaw again and again Or at least three times! Simple toddler jigsaws are great fun, you can talk about what's in the picture, turn the pieces upside down before you start (once your child is familiar with the puzzle) and then turn one up and see if you know where that piece will go. If you have three or four jigsaws, do them all, and leave them out to show Daddy or Mom later.
If you like jigsaw activities for toddlers... ...don't forget you can also use toddler wooden peg puzzles - simply pick up each piece by the peg, and slot it into the correct spot.
Crayon and notebook If your child can handle a pen, great - if not, use a chunkier crayon. Give your child a small notebook and crayon, and let them "make notes." You can make a few notes too! Kids love their notebook if they have to sit and wait somewhere.
Make a nest Here's a cosy activity for toddlers. Grab a load of bedding, and take it into your living room. Pop it all down in a corner or down by the sofa. Let your toddler crawl about under the bedclothes and roll around - and don't forget to add a few soft toys or a favorite book. This can be quite boisterous, if your tot decides to leap around and then dive into their nest! But it can also be quite nice and calming for them.
Play in the band Get all your child's musical instruments out, and play them together.
Don't wake me up This is one of my favorite activities for toddlers. Lie down, and loudly announce that you are going to sleep. Immediately close your eyes and start snoring. Once your tot pokes you, wake up with a shock, and say, "My oh my... I have been fast asleep! But I'm still tired. I must go back to sleep again!" - and then repeat.
Junk play Grab a large cardboard box, and whizz around the house, collecting toddler safe objects you don't mind your tot playing with. A few clothes, empty cereal packets, a wooden spoon, some building bricks - you know the kind of stuff. Then set the box next to your toddler and let them make the most of it! One of the messier activities for toddlers ;)
