10-ish Fun Ideas to Keep Your Littles Busy at Home

It’s easy to run out of things to do when all of your favorite toddler-friendly places aren’t quite safe yet. They days can feel extra long when your creative ideation stops at, “feed them breakfast.” Trust me, I’ve been there, so I decided to jump into my Toys “R” Us mindset and think like a kid.

I researched and paid attention to what my tiny dudes enjoy and braved getting messy for the sake of making memories with my sweet boys. I’ve compiled a list for you to sift, try and throw in your own twists. Let me know what you try or any new ideas that worked for you!

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Toddler Fun List

1. Sensory Box. This is super simple, easy, sometimes messy, time filling and fun. Fill a large tupperware container or water table (both reasonably priced on Amazon) and fill with sand, water sensory balls, colorful soapy water (just add food coloring), rainbow bubble foam, ice on hot days, dyed rice and beans or any other sensory thing for their tiny hands. Check out Happy Toddler Playtime or Busy Toddler for more fun ideas.

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2. Tiny Chefs. Let them cook a meal with you. I’ve begun teaching our boys about spices and sauces because, “seasonings make our food taste good,” as I like to tell my boys. I’ll let them try spices their tiny palates can handle and explain to them the flavors they’re experiencing. A simple meal your little chef(s) can help out with is spaghetti. Whether you choose to make homemade sauce or doctor up store bought ragú, plus your littles are more likely to eat the dinner they helped cook for themselves. It’s a win for dinner time and a life skill you can build upon.

3. Build a Fort. At the beginning of the quarantine, my husband and I built a huge fort in our living room out of sheets and blankets. We had it up for weeks and it quickly became a safe haven for all of us. A cozy nook that was warm and full of pillows and blankets where we watched movies, took naps and had sleepovers. It was our saving grace those first few weeks. I also built the boys a huge card fort in their best and a tepee in our backyard. Be as creative as you want to be!

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4. Trampoline with Trampoline Waterpark. It’s hot outside if you haven’t already noticed, and if you own a trampoline or plan to get one, the trampoline waterpark is a lifesaver. When all else fails, our boys will put on their swimsuits and jump and splash until their hearts content. If you’re worried about your toddler and stairs, we bought a jump slider for them to get on and off of the trampoline.

Tip: Throw some water sensory balls onto the trampoline during a not-as-hot day and your ears will be filled with giggles while they jump, throw and dodge the colorful, cool, tiny balls.

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5. Kid Chalk Spray. Our boys honorary aunty surprised us with a pack of kid-friendly chalk spray because she knew we didn’t mind messy fun. I can’t rightfully express how much fun the boys had spraying our fence, themselves and each other. Click HERE for attachment to make spraying easier for little hands.

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6. Camping. We bought a camping tent once we grew tired of re-building our living room fort, lol. You don’t have to leave your home if staying overnight outdoors makes you cringe or if your small humans aren’t quite ready for such an adventure. You can pitch that marvelous tent in your backyard or your living room—we’ve done both and our boys loved the living room idea but our youngest was not OK with sleeping outside just yet, even with daddy. However, he made it back in the tent in time for breakfast!

7. Chalk Car Wash. This was incredibly fun. Give your kid(s) all of the sidewalk chalk, preferably large ones, and tell them they have have to fully cover their toddler-sized monster truck, barbie car, or any toy that has a large surface to color. Fill a large bucket with soapy water (I filled their water table) and a couple of rags, put on some dancing music, and it’s a good time for everyone. Our boys were singing Working at The Car Wash while they were cleaning their car!

8. Oobleck. It’s the weirdest thing ever but a lot of fun. I have some friends that won’t touch it because it’s confusing to the senses, but if you’re cool with strange, you’ll love it! Click HERE for the link I used to make rainbow oobleck. If you don’t want the colors to eventually turn into a funky brown, try using colors that compliment each other. I will say, it can be difficult to stir.

9. Roley Poley Hunt. If your kiddos are into catching bugs, this is a great way to have fun on a family walk or get your exercise in when your kiddos won’t allow it at home. Grab a pale, cup, bug house, etc. and look for roley poleys, ladybugs, and whatever else is fun for them and not gross for you. You can also create fun “hunts” in your home by doing a dinosaur/car/doll, etc. hunt.

10. House Project. It seems like now is the time for all of the house renovations we’d been putting off and our small buddies would love in on the fun! I chose to start them out small and let them help paint our patio furniture. Our youngest was enjoyed it for about two minutes before he said, “I’m done!” LOL But Blaise, our 3yo, was all about it. I will say, they both enjoyed scooping up dirt and picking up rocks in order to redo our back patio with their daddy.

11. Sidewalk Chalk, Water Paint & Bath Crayons. These are all staples and easy go-to’s. I just couldn’t leave them off of my list.

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Related Article: #LiveYourLife