While raising four busy boys, I’ve spent countless hours finding activities to get them busy. We’ve lived through lots of LONG, COLD winters with nothing to do but be inside together.
I’ve learned the hard way, that when our little ones get bored, or when left un-attended for even a few minutes, they find trouble and created messes!
I’ve searched the internet, and gathered my favorite ideas for keeping your toddlers busy!
Do you need a birthday gift idea? Many of the items below would make GREAT gifts. I’ve only included things that are pre-approved by my four children.
Each link I’ve included is an affiliate link, so that means if you click on it and decide to purchase the item, I will earn a small profit. Thanks for your support!
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1. Stacking cereal
Stack fruit loops or Cherries on Spaghetti noodles stuck in play dough!
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2. Fingerprint Characters and Stamps
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3. Color Wheel
Set out one item of each color, have your child search the house for items of the same color.
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4. Plasma Car
My oldest son received the Plasma Car for his first birthday – and each of my boys have been riding it ever since. This “bike” is almost 12 years old, and still one of their favorite toys.
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5. Balloons
All children love a simple balloon – just bounce it back and forth!
Step it up a notch with the Balloon Rockets. Kids enjoy watching balloons soar around the room! We purchased our Balloon Rocket set about 8 years ago and my boys still have fun with this! I recently bought replacement balloons to keep them entertained during quarantine.
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6. Shape Sorting
Or a do it yourself model:
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7. Make lunchtime special
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8. Don’t Eat Pete
What you need:
Any small snacks (cereal, candy, tiny crackers, peanuts, raisins)
1 piece of paper and a writing utensil
To do:
- On a sheet of white paper, draw a large grid – nine squares.
- Put a number on each square.
- Put a small snack on each square.
- Have ONE person leave the room.
- Have another person choose which square is “Pete.”
- Ask the person who left the room to come back. He or she eats one snack at a time. When they grab the snack that is “Pete,” everyone screams:
“DON’T EAT PETE!”
Their turn is over.
Repeat as many times as your kids are interested!
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9. Ball Ramp
My older kids made this for our toddler using toilet paper tubes and paper towel rolls.
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10. Ball Bounce
Use any plastic cups and ping pong balls or nerf bullets.
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11. Make your own bird feeder
Take an empty grapefruit, fill with peanut butter and bird seed. We’ve had all kinds of birds visit our feeder – and they are so fun to watch.
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12. Tracing
Make a “dotted” animal or letters for your child to trace.
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13. Sidewalk Chalk
Inside – use your sidewalk chalk with construction paper.
Outside – Create a “road” for their cars. Draw out hop scotch, train tracks, or write the alphabet!
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14. Play with water
Inside – Put any toy that can get wet into the bathtub.
Outside – 1. Pour water down a sloped path or driveway to see where it goes. 2. Put their toys in soapy water and have them give them a “bath.”
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15. Shaving cream
Put shaving cream in a large baggie with some food coloring. Let your child “squish it” or practice writing letters on it with their finger.
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16. Mess Free Coloring Book
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17. Finger Paint
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18. Pots/Pans and Spoons
Let your kids bang away. (Put in earbuds to keep it from driving you crazy!)
Another parent mentioned this idea: Giving your toddler pots and pans to bang on is a classic parent move, but here is a less noisy idea. Sit your toddler down with a pumpkin, melon, or squash and let them pound the vegetable to their heart’s content with a toy hammer. Most toddlers aren’t strong enough to do real harm with their hammer, so you can still make soup with your butternut squash once they’ve had their fun. She also says this works if you swap the hammer for stickers.
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19. Memory Game
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20. Hide and Seek
Little ones and big ones love this game.
You can also hide a toys, stuffed animals, or plastic eggs and let them search!
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21. Board Books
My boys enjoyed “Lift the Flap” books
They also loved Brown Bear and Goodnight Moon
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22. Dance party
Go Noodle is a good website to use for dance moves
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23. Drawing or Water Color Painting
Give your kids white paper and let them color, draw or paint.
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24. Paint Nails
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25. Bubbles
Bubbles always make kids smile!
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26. Sock Puppets
Little ones love puppets. Make a simple one with a glove.
All four of my boys BEG me to read the “Tickle Monster” book that comes with Tickle Monster ‘puppet’ gloves.
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27. Take a Drive
Strap your kids in to the car, drive around and listen to music or an audiobook.
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28. Old School LIGHT BRIGHT
I loved this as a kid and perhaps your kids will too?
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29. Sing together
Singing to and with your child builds a unique bond with them. And just like reading to your child, singing songs with them helps to boost their vocabulary and language skills.
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30. Stickers
Kids can put stickers over large letters to “trace” their name, or put sticker dots on a line you draw for them!
Click here to follow the “Busy Toddler” on Instagram for lots of fun ideas for toddlers.
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31. Exercise together
My mom started exercising with me when I was a toddler, and now I exercise with my kids. Set the timer for 20 minutes and MOVE!
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32. Play Dress Up
We keep a container of “Dress up” clothes for our kids. My boys have dressed up and saved the world thousands of times!
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33. PlayDoh
My toddler enjoys this little playdoh set.
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34. Busy Bag
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35. Lay in the grass and watch the clouds
Ask them what they see!
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36. MegaBlocks
This bag has brought hours of entertainment for my kiddos!
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37. Have fun with ice!
Make ice in different colors with food coloring and add to their drinks.
Freeze their toys and allow them to ‘excavate’ with a toy hammer.
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38. Memorize a verse together
It’s the SWEETEST thing to hear your little ones quoting Scripture!
The first verses my mom had me learn were Psalm 91:1 and Ephesians 6:. The first verse I had my kids learn was 1 Timothy 4:12.
Scripture memory is something that will benefit your children throughout their ENTIRE lives!
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39. Clean together
- Smaller things kids can do – wiping baseboards, lower cabinets, all door handles, pulling weeds, folding and putting away laundry, bathroom, bedroom, their closet, putting toys away and unloading dishwasher.
- I offered my kids a quarter to whoever could wipe down the baseboards and bring me back the dirtiest wet wipe.
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40. Play bean bag games
- Toss in buckets, pans, or boxes
- For more bean bag toddler games, CLICK HERE.
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Do you have an activity to share? Leave a comment!
Click here for 55 activities for kids of every age!
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