52 Things to Do With Toddlers at Home

Kelly R. said:  Use cushions and other household objects to create an obstacle course with things that kids can go over, under, through and around. Time them and see if they can beat their own times!

Kelly R. said:  In a large pot, combine 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup salt, and 2 tablespoons cream of tartar. Mix together and add 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon oil, and food coloring until you reach your desired color. Cook over medium heat and stir for about 5 minutes until the mixture forms into a ball. Remove from the pot and knead on a floured surface until the play dough is nice and smooth. Store in a container with a lid.

Kelly R. said:  Few things delight a child more than seeing grown-ups wearing a ridiculous variety of wigs, masks and accessories, so join in on the fun!

Alexandra F. said:  Save a cardboard box or two from the recycling bin for your toddler to transform into a rocket ship, a playhouse, a truck cab, a doll's crib...anything she can imagine! You'll keep your toddler busy and she'll have a fun new toy to play with, too.

Kelly R. said:  Use painter's tape to create city streets along your floor, make buildings out of LEGOs to place around the different blocks, and drive hot wheels around the town.

Alexandra F. said:  As the mindboggling success of toy review and unboxing videos have demonstrated, kids love to watch kids playing and doing everyday activities. Make your toddler the star of his own video by recording him playing or just being silly - toddlers will love watching themselves over and over (and over) again!

Alexandra F. said:  Bubble baths are a fun and practical indoor activity for toddlers at home. If your kiddo is bored, take a midday bath or just put on a swimsuit for a little bit of splashing fun. Break out the bubble bath and bath toys and have an indoor "pool" party!

Kelly R. said:  You can make an epic pillow fort with couch cushions, sheets, and chip clips to hold things in place!

Alexandra F. said:  This minute-to-win-it game is a great boredom buster for all ages. All you need to do is to keep a balloon in the air without touching the ground - it's one of the easiest things to do with toddlers at home to keep them entertained!

Alexandra F. said:  Dumping stuff out is a favorite toddler pastime, so put it to good use and let them help you take clothes in and out of your washing machine and dryer!

Alexandra F. said:  Choose a board book or three and cuddle up for some reading time.

Alexandra F. said:  Simple crafts like crayon leaf rubbings, decorating paper plates, and outlining letters or numbers with stickers are all fun things to do with toddlers at home. So many ways for little hands to create art, learn, and have fun!

Kelly R. said:  Take a length of cardboard, draw a couple of lanes and set it on an angle (the bottom of the stairs works well for this). Toddlers can release toy cars at the top of the lanes and watch them race down.

Kelly R. said:  Poke small holes into a cardboard box and let your toddler pound golf tees into the holes with a toy hammer. This is also a good use for a spare piece of styrofoam you might have lying around.

Alexandra F. said:  Prepare a meal, take care of a baby, mow the lawn...toddlers love to mimic the things they see us do, and it is a great way for them to develop language skills, too. And, while there are plenty of toys to encourage pretend play, toddlers are just as happy to use whatever you have at home for their games!

Alexandra F. said:  And whenever possible, use a video app like Zoom, FaceTime or Skype so your toddler can see Grandma face to face! If everyone has time, consider playing a game during your video chat like 20 Questions, Headbanz or Simon Says. Or, have a special virtual read aloud of a favorite picture book.

Alexandra F. said:  This is a great age to introduce simple puzzles. Puzzles with larger pieces are best for little hands, and 24 pieces or even up to 50 pieces will be enough to keep toddlers busy without too much frustration!

Alexandra F. said:  Your toddler is probably starting to learn some simple songs, so turn on your favorite album of kids music and sing along!

Alexandra F. said:  I’m not even joking. I mean, you won’t get all those hours at once, but it’s incredible how long the scooping, excavating, digging and dumping will hold their attention - especially if your toddler loves trucks!

Alexandra F. said:  Then knock it down! Use Duplos, blocks, Magna Tiles, cups - anything your toddler can stack, then knock over.

Amy S. said:  Toddlers arrange geometric shapes into forms and figures. Most puzzles come with patterns varying in difficulty, so even little ones can work on shape identification and visual-spatial reasoning. It also can be fun for kids to come up with their own designs!

Vanessa M. said:  When my kids were toddlers, one of our favorite indoor activities was taping markers to the back of toy cars or trains. Roll out butcher paper or poster paper and let the little ones draw fun designs as they roll the cars and trains over the paper!

Lisa R said:  Painter's tape can be used on all types of floor (even carpet) to temporarily make hopscotch grids, obstacles, or pretend roads. For a long time we had a tape circle, two lines, triangle, square and pentagon going down a hallway. We had a little dance (turn around in the circle, jump feet apart on the two lines, etc.) that reinforced shapes and counting. It also just made going down that hallway more fun.

Alexandra F. said:  This is a great way to help your toddler build her vocabulary, and even sneak in some color recognition and counting practice! Set them on a hunt to find and gather objects they will recognize, such as three yellow Legos, five blocks, a red apple, a pillow, and two blue socks. Another fun variation is to draw pictures of different objects on individual post-it notes and hide each note. I make a "map" of the hidden items by drawing them all on a single post-it/paper, which my toddler loves.

Alexandra F. said:  Those shape sorter toys are great but you don’t need special toys for a fun sorting activity for toddlers - just sort any toys you have at home by color or shape. You’ll be surprised by how long this holds a toddler’s attention. It's great for developing fine motor skills, too! Of course, be sure to keep a close eye if you use any small objects that could end up inside a curious toddler’s mouth.

Alexandra F. said:  I don't think there is anything in the world more exciting for toddlers than bubbles. Chasing these magical floating spheres around and popping them is the height of fun! Bubbles are most fun outside, but can also work inside depending on your space and flooring - and comfort level with getting a little soap on the carpet and furniture. And, if you go through bubble solution as quickly as we do in our house, consider making your own - it's another fun and easy activity to do together!

Alexandra F. said:  Sure, toddlers can't do much real cooking yet, but that doesn't mean they don't love to help where they can! One of my 2-year-old's favorite activities is to measure, scoop and dump ingredients when I am cooking or baking. Mixing spices is his specialty, so he often helps prepare the taco seasoning when we make salsa chicken.

Alexandra F. said:  If you are okay with a little mess (hey, you have a toddler, mess comes with the territory!), let your toddler take everything out of a safe kitchen or other drawer (pots & pans, clothes, spoons, etc), and then put everything back in.

Alexandra F. said:  This is a perfect toddler activity for springtime that involves plenty of scooping and pouring. Have your toddler scoop soil into any small containers (we use yogurt cups with holes poked at the bottom for drainage). Place a few seeds inside, cover them with more soil, then water. Keep your seedlings inside near a window for sunlight. Use a bin or box to contain the mess, water them regularly, and watch them grow! Once your seedlings are ready you can transfer them to your garden or a larger container.

Alexandra F. said:  Boogie down to your favorite kid-friendly tunes. Your toddler will definitely still be dancing long after you’re ready to sit down!

Alexandra F. said:  Go beyond Candyland and explore any of these other fun board games for toddlers. Or, consider tweaking other games you love for your littlest player. Our 2-year-old loves playing a simplified version of Headbanz with the rest of the family, and his favorite game of all is Double Shutter, which has been perfect for helping to promote his number recognition and counting skills.

Alexandra F. said:  This simple toddler activity is seriously the best - super easy to do and it keeps kids busy for a good while! Take a pad of Post Its and write the alphabet (or the numbers 1-9), one letter (or number) per note. Then, hide all of the notes around the room, and send your toddler on a mission to find them. My 3 year old LOVES this game, and I love how easy it is to prepare, and that it helps reinforce letter and number recognition to boot - win win win!

Alexandra F. said:  Toy instruments are great for this age group, but you don't really need them for your toddler to make his own music. Some pots, pans, and wooden spoons will do just as well, and there are plenty of easy tutorials for homemade instruments that are perfect for this age group.

Alexandra F. said:  My 2 and 4 year olds love this simple yard game, and it's easy to play for as long or little as we want. One person is the traffic light, and stands on one end of the yard/sidewalk/hallway while everyone else lines up across from them. When the traffic light yells out "green light", everyone runs as fast as they can to get to them. When they say "red light," everyone has to stop. Whoever gets to the traffic light first, wins!

Alexandra F. said:  My kids love to hide stuff and have me find it, telling me I am "warm" or "hot" as I get closer to the hidden item and "cold" or "freezing" the further away I get.

Alexandra F. said:  Hide your toddler’s toys around the house for her to find. We also love hiding toys in our pile of kinetic sand and using our mini trucks to find and dig them out. A fun twist on this game is to hide pieces from the same puzzle, then put the puzzle together when all the pieces have been found.

Alexandra F. said:  Toddlers love to splash, pour and play with water. A water table is great when the weather is warm and the kids can splash outside, but if you are ok with a little mess some bowls and plastic cups inside will do just as well. Lay a big towel or two out on your kitchen floor to try and contain the mess, but a change of clothes will probably be inevitable! Or, explore other creative ideas for playing with your water table, indoors and out!

Kelly R. said:  Give your toddler an old house painting brush you're ready to retire and set them up in the driveway with a container of water. They can dip the brush and "paint" designs all over the driveway, the sidewalk, or the outside of the house.

Kelly R. said:  Spray some shaving cream on a covered tabletop (or on a window!) and let your toddler draw in it with their fingers.

Kelly R. said:  Easter Egg Hunts are easy toddler activities all year round...it definitely doesn't have to be Easter! Hide them inside or outside, and let your toddler take a turn hiding them for you to find, too.

Kelly R. said:  Break out the Play Doh, kinetic sand, aqua beads, or your family's favorite sensory toys and start squishing.

Alexandra F. said:  The awesome thing about toddlers is that they can find fun in almost anything - even cleaning up! Especially if you throw a silly song into the mix ("clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere, clean up, clean up, everybody do your share") putting toys aways and tidying up can be one of the most helpful things to do with toddlers.

Alexandra F. said:  This is a great game to help toddlers practice following directions, as well as their listening skills. It's also a great game to play over video chat with Grandma or Grandpa!

Alexandra F. said:  Collecting sticks is one of my toddler’s very favorite things to do outside, and I appreciate that it saves me the trouble of all that bending over to pick them up myself!

Alexandra F. said:  Find a piece of string or yarn, tie it around any of your toddler’s toys and have them “walk” the toy around the house.

Alexandra F. said:  Use dolls or stuffed animals to act out “doing” things around the house, like playing with your toddler’s toys, climbing on a chair, looking out the window - really, anything! If you’re getting ready for potty training, have your toddler help all the stuffed animals use the potty, keeping her busy and getting her used to the potty at the same time.

Alexandra F. said:  And play peek-a-boo! Toddlers love to hide in curtains and have you find them, or to have you hide and surprise them with a “boo!”

Kelly R. said:  Find something around the house that you have a good number of to repurpose as bowling pins - empty puffs containers, water bottles, tissue boxes, toilet paper. Arrange them either in a bowling setup or as a simple pyramid, depending on what you use. Let your toddler roll a play ball to knock them down, and make sure he helps set them up again!

Alexandra F. said:  This classic kids game is especially well suited for playing inside with toddlers and preschoolers, as you can control the environment a bit more than when you are in a larger outdoor space. And, toddlers love the thrill of finding, and being found!

Alexandra F. said:  Break out the puppets, stuffed animals or favorite dolls and act out a classic picture book or nursery rhyme. Or follow along as your toddler makes up her own story!