Fun & Easy Stay-at-Home Activities for Toddlers

Today’s post features fun and easy activities to entertain your toddlers! With most of the world under stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus, we know how hard it is to juggle working, homeschooling kids, and daily household responsibilities (the dishes just keep multiplying?!). That’s why we are featuring fun and easy ideas to keep your toddlers entertained! Check out the ideas below.

Inside Craft Ideas

To start off our activity list: crafts! The toddler age is the perfect age to introduce crafts. It helps them develop fine motor skills, improves hand-eye coordination and dexterity, boosts self esteem and encourages self expression. Our ideas below also use simple items found around the house so there’s no need to buy much for these activities.

1. Toy Rescue
This activity is fairly simple to set up and is a good sensory activity for toddlers. Grab a few of their favorite toys or items around the house. Or, grab some plastic containers and cardboard tubes; toddlers love those just as much as toys sometimes! Using a tape that’s relatively easy to come off like painters tape, tape each toy down to a cookie sheet. Surprise your toddler with the challenge to rescue each of their toys by pulling the tape off. They will love this fun activity!

2.Cardboard + Pipe Cleaners
This activity can be done with items you have around the house. Save a used cardboard paper towel or toilet paper tube or a cardboard cereal box, grab some scissors and some craft pipe cleaners. Carefully cut holes in the cardboard and have your toddler put the pipe cleaners in the holes. They’ll be entertained and developing key motor skills during the activity. This is also a great one to do if you need some quiet time for a work conference call.

3. Pom Pom Push and Color Match
Next up, you’ll need a plastic container (any used food containers work, just make sure it’s clean and dry to start), markers, and some craft pom pom balls. Cut circle-shaped holes in the top. Use markers to outline each hole a different color that corresponds with the pom poms. Have your toddler practice pushing the pom poms through the correct colored holes. Reds match to red holes, blues to blue holes, etc. This is a great activity for toddlers to practice colors. It’s also easy and cheap, and uses supplies you can find around the house. A win-win!

Get Outside

The silver lining to being in quarantine right now is that, for a lot of us, the weather is starting to warm up. Spring is here! So get outside and enjoy the beautiful outdoors with your kids. The ideas below are all fun activities to do in your own backyard.

1. Bust out the Chalk
Sidewalk chalk is a fun activity to do this time of year; and it will keep your kiddos entertained for quite a while. Try one of these chalk stencil activities like this stained glass window idea using painters tape or this color and shape chalk game. Another easy idea, with the coronavirus keeping first responders and emergency personnel busy, help your toddler write thank you notes to all those keeping us safe. Your neighbors will appreciate the inspiring and appreciative notes too!

2. Water Fun
Bust out the hose for some backyard water fun. A few ideas we like to entertain toddlers: get the kiddie pool out and some bath toys or have your toddler help wash toys outside. This activity allows your kids to develop sensory motor skills like hand-eye coordination and playing with different textures like water and bubbles.

3. Plant a Garden
Introduce your kids to plants! Whether you have a house with a backyard and can dedicate an area for them to house their “garden” or just have a planter vase, either work. Help your toddler plant a flower, plant, or vegetable (whatever is conducive for the space). Get some dirt, add some water, and viola! Your toddler will have his or her very own plant to take care of and nurture throughout the season. It’s something they can check on daily and feel proud of as the plant grows.

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Help in the Kitchen

With some extra time spent at home, try incorporating your toddlers into meal preparation and cooking. It will help them learn early development skills and allow them to see and become used to different types of foods and ingredients. Try these activities below.

1. Pour and Mix Ingredients
This requires a bit of setup time but is worth it to incorporate your little one. Get all the ingredients out for your dinner and have them help measure and pour each ingredient into the proper bowls for mixing. Make sure your toddler’s hands are clean before you start!

If you want to start with something simple, try a simple meal first like cereal. Try having them measure out the cereal and the milk portions then combine the two together. Your toddler will get more advanced the more you do this and be able to start understanding numbers, measurements, and different ingredients.

2. Wash Produce
Another easy activity for your kiddos is to have them wash produce to prep for meal time. Just make sure they have a safe stool to stand on at the kitchen sink, get them a bowl full of fruit and vegetables and let them rinse each with warm water and towel dry. Simple and helpful!

3. Measuring Cups and Food Containers
If you need to keep your kid entertained safely by themselves, try this activity. Grab some measuring cups and plastic food containers and let your toddler practice stacking them inside each other and playing with the different shapes. The only negative here is that you’ll have to rewash all of these once they are done, but this activity is fun for your toddler and will keep them entertained for a solid block of time. It’s also cheap and easy as these are items found around the house.

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