Toddler time passes very quickly. This is the stage when your baby is the cutest. Your toddlers are eager to learn and explore things, so it will sometimes be a little “troublesome”. Especially when your children fall on summer vacation, they will bother you everywhere, anytime! Do you need ideas for exiting activities for children at home to keep them busy without having to stare at the screen for too long? Here are 7 fun toddler activities at home every child will love.
These activities are perfect for days when you can’t go outside or want to spend quality time with your toddler. Let’s get started!
Activity 1: Puzzle Finding and Sorting
Puzzle play is an exciting activity for toddlers that helps them grow and learn in many ways. Puzzles also teach toddlers about colors, shapes, and patterns. It also helps them improve their memory and focus. When a toddler completes a puzzle, they feel proud of themselves. As a parent, you can help your child enjoy puzzles by starting with easy ones and then giving them more complex puzzles as they get better at solving them.
To make it even more engaging, hide puzzle pieces around the room and have your child find them. Once they’ve collected all the pieces, work together to sort them by color or shape before putting the puzzle together. This activity will keep your toddler engaged and excited as they search for the missing pieces and complete the puzzle.
Activity 2: Animal Hospital
Animal Hospital is a fun pretend play activity that encourages your toddler to take care of their stuffed animals. To set up the animal hospital, gather some stuffed animals and pretend they are sick or hurt. You can create a simple hospital area using a cardboard box for a small bed.
Encourage your child to be a veterinarian and take care of the animals. They can use bandages, pretend medicine, or a toy stethoscope to help the animals feel better. You can also create simple diagnoses for the animals, such as a cold, a broken leg, or a stomachache.
For example, you can say, “Oh no, Mr. Teddy has a fever! Can you help him feel better?” Your toddler can then pretend to give Mr. Teddy medicine, a blanket, and much love. This activity helps your child develop empathy, imagination, and nurturing skills while having fun.
Activity 3: Homemade Playdough
Making playdough at home is a fun and easy activity that your toddler will love. Mix flour, salt, water, oil, and food coloring to create a soft and pliable dough. Let your child knead, roll, and shape the playdough into various objects. This sensory activity will help develop their fine motor skills and creativity.
Here are a few examples of how you can use playdough to teach your child:
- Letters A, B, and C: Encourage your toddler to shape the play dough into the letters A, B, and C. You can show them how to form the letters first. And then let them try on their own. As they create the letters, say the letter names aloud and help them sound out simple words that start with each letter, like “apple,” “ball,” or “cat.”
- Different kinds of cars and trucks: Help your toddler mold the playdough into various shapes to create different vehicles. As they build the vehicles, you can talk about the different types of cars and trucks, their colors, and the sounds they make.
- Fruits: Assist your child in shaping the playdough into various fruits. It could be oranges, bananas, or strawberries. You can use different colors of playdough to make the fruits more realistic. While creating the fruits, discuss their names, colors, and flavors with your toddler.
My child especially likes the game of finding and pointing to objects that are named after making them. You list all the things on the table, then say the name, for example, “a red car,” and let the child find and show you. This game is extremely simple, but it can make my child laugh excitedly.
Activity 4: Coloring
Coloring is a classic activity that never gets old. Provide your toddler with coloring books, crayons, and markers, and let them express their artistic side. You can also use this opportunity to teach them about colors and shapes.
Parents should look for good topics for their children to color. The topics selected will be related to children’s interests to create more excitement for them. For example, boys like dinosaurs, cars, and planets, while girls pick flowers and dolls.
You can consider these coloring books specially designed for toddlers:
Activity 5: Building things with Lego Duplo
Construction Lego Duplo blocks are the perfect size for little hands and are an excellent tool for building and creating. You can encourage your toddler to build towers, houses, and other structures with the blocks. This activity promotes spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, and creativity. Plus, it’s a great way to introduce your child to engineering and construction.
For my case, Lego is the toy that children play the longest because they can create anything with them. It is a long-term investment for parents!
Activity 6: Car Ramp with Carboard
Create a simple car ramp using a large cardboard box or carton. Cut the box in half diagonally to create a ramp and place it on a flat surface. Give your toddler toy cars and encourage them to race the cars down the ramp. This game is especially for kids who love cars (primarily boys). My child likes cars, so he likes this game a lot!
Activity 7: Drop the Ball Down the Tube
For this activity, you’ll need a few empty toilet paper tubes and small balls. Tape the tubes to the wall or a door at different heights and angles, creating a maze-like structure. Show your toddler how to drop the balls into the tubes and watch them come out at the bottom.
This activity is excellent for teaching your child about gravity and cause-and-effect relationships. It’s easy but fun!
Conclusion for Toddler Activities at Home
Engaging your toddler in fun and educational activities at home is essential for their growth and development. These seven toddler activities at home are just a few examples of how you can keep your little one entertained and learning. The most important thing is to have fun and spend quality time together. So, get creative, be patient, and enjoy watching your toddler learn and grow through play.
Enjoy toddler time!
Read more: Toys for Problem-Solving: Exploring 7 Toys that Stimulate a Child’s Imagination
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