Hey there! If you’re a parent, you know how tough it can be to keep your little ones entertained and productive at the same time.
But have no fear – creative play is here! It sparks imagination and learning and helps improve skills that your toddler or preschooler will use for the rest of their life.
Best Activities for Toddlers
Bubble Wrap Runway
Unleash your child’s inner track star with this activity! Lay out a long strip of bubble wrap and let them run, jump, and skip along while popping the bubbles. It’s a great way to develop their gross motor skills.
Indoor Treasure Hunt
Who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt? Hide small items around the house and give your little one clues to find them. This game promotes problem-solving and critical thinking.
Sensory Bins
Get ready for a mess (but a good one)! Fill a plastic container with rice, beans, or sand, and let your child explore and play.
Sensory bins promote tactile learning and provide a calming effect.
Cardboard Box Castle
Your child will feel like a king or queen with a castle made from a cardboard box! This activity fosters creativity and imagination.
Paint with Ice Cubes
The painting just got cooler! Freeze water and food coloring in an ice cube tray, and use the colored cubes to paint on paper.
This activity encourages fine motor skills and color recognition.
Puppet Palooza
Bring your child’s favorite stories to life with a puppet show starring homemade puppets made from socks or paper bags.
It’s a great way to promote storytelling and communication skills, plus it’s sure to be a hit with your little audience.
Terrifyingly Fun Tissue Box Monsters
Turn an ordinary tissue box into a spooky monster masterpiece! Cut out eyes and a mouth, then let your child’s creativity run wild as they decorate it with stickers, markers, or paint.
This activity is perfect for encouraging fine motor skills and unleashing your child’s inner artist.
Dough-Tastic Adventures
Mix some homemade playdough using flour, salt, and water, and watch your child’s imagination fly!
Add food coloring or scents for extra fun and sensory play. This activity is perfect for promoting fine motor skills and sensory exploration.
Flashlight Frenzy
Take the tag to the next level with a game of flashlight tag! Turn off the lights and let your child run wild, promoting gross motor skills and spatial awareness.
Plus, it’s a great way to burn off energy before bedtime.
Dress-Up Relay Race
Who will be the ultimate fashion champion? Set up a relay race where children must dress in different clothes and accessories before passing the baton.
This activity encourages teamwork and gross motor skills, plus it’s an excellent opportunity for some silly photo ops.
Sudsy Car Wash Fun
Get ready to make a mess with this cardboard car wash activity! Please set up a car wash using sponges, soap, and a hose, and let your child’s imagination run wild as they play.
This activity promotes imaginative play and gross motor skills, plus it’s a fun way to cool off on a hot day.
Stone Stories
Use rocks and paint to create images of characters, objects, or scenes from stories, then let your child’s imagination run wild as they use the stones to tell their own stories.
This activity promotes storytelling and creativity, plus it’s a great way to spend a lazy afternoon outdoors.
Bowling Bonanza
Set up an indoor bowling alley using plastic bottles and a softball, and watch your child’s hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills improve.
Plus, it’s a great way to bond as a family and have a friendly competition.
Sidewalk Masterpieces
The world is your canvas with this fun sidewalk chalk art activity! Draw pictures and patterns with colorful chalk and watch your child’s creativity and fine motor skills flourish.
Plus, it’s a great way to get fresh air and sunshine.
Sticker Storytime
Let your child’s creativity soar with this fun sticker scene activity. Provide blank paper, stickers, and watch as they create scenes and stories, promoting creativity and fine motor skills.
Plus, it’s a great way to spark their imagination and storytelling abilities.
DIY Marble Run
Are you ready to roll? Build a marble run using cardboard tubes and tape.
This activity promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills as children determine the best way to construct their marble run and get the marbles to roll through it.
Musical Statues
Get your groove on! Turn up the music and have children dance until it stops, freezing in their best statue pose.
This activity promotes listening skills and gross motor skills as children learn to control their movements and listen for when the music stops.
Balloon Volleyball
Ready, set, spike! Inflate a balloon and play volleyball with your hands or a soft paddle.
This activity promotes hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills as children learn to hit the balloon repeatedly while keeping it from touching the ground.
Paper Airplane Contest
Fly high and far! Create and decorate paper airplanes, then see whose plane can soar the furthest.
This activity promotes problem-solving and spatial awareness skills as children experiment with different designs and launch their aircraft to see how far they can go.
DIY Obstacle Course
Get ready to jump, crawl, and climb! Up an obstacle course using pillows, chairs, and other household items.
This activity promotes gross motor skills and problem-solving as children learn to navigate the system and overcome obstacles.
Make Your Own Board Game
Roll the dice and let your imagination run wild! Design and create your own board game with your child, using anything from markers and paper to clay and playdough.
This activity promotes creativity and problem-solving as children think about the rules, design the board, and come up with game pieces.
Sock Puppets
Get ready for a sock-tacular show! Create puppets using old socks and decorations like googly eyes and pom-poms.
Then, put on a puppet show! This activity promotes storytelling and creativity as children create their own stories and bring them to life with their sock puppets.
Indoor Picnic
Bring the outdoors in! Have a picnic indoors with snacks and a blanket.
This activity promotes social skills and imagination as children share snacks and create imaginary scenarios on their picnic blankets.
Make Your Book
Write your adventure! Please fold the paper and staple it together to create a book, then have your child write and illustrate their story.
This activity promotes creativity and literacy skills as children use their imaginations to create reports and develop their writing and drawing skills.
Memory Game
Are you up for the challenge? Create a memory game using index cards and pictures or words.
This activity promotes memory and concentration skills as children work to match up the cards and remember where each one is located.
Yoga Adventures
Time to stretch it out and explore! Follow along with a kid-friendly yoga video, or make up your poses.
This activity promotes physical activity and mindfulness. Pretend to be animals or characters from your favorite stories while doing yoga to make it even more fun.
Nature Explorer
Take a walk and observe nature, like plants and animals. This activity promotes observation skills and an appreciation for nature.
Bring a nature journal to document what you find and draw pictures of your favorite plants and animals.
Pom-Pom Challenge
Cut holes in a cardboard box and have children drop pom-poms through them. This activity promotes hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Create different challenges, like using only one hand or closing one eye, to make it even more exciting.
Pasta Party
Use string and different shapes of pasta to make jewelry. This activity promotes creativity and fine motor skills. Create bracelets, necklaces, and pasta crowns for silly dress-up fun.
Melodic Wind Chimes
Create a wind chime using items like seashells or bottle caps. This activity promotes creativity and fine motor skills.
Experiment with different materials to create unique sounds and a relaxing melody to enjoy in your backyard or by an open window.
Build a Fort
Use blankets, pillows, and furniture to build a fort. This activity promotes creativity and imagination.
Shape Sorting
Sort items around the house by shape. This activity promotes shape recognition and problem-solving.
DIY Bird Feeders
Make bird feeders using items like pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed. This activity promotes appreciation for nature and fine motor skills.
DIY Instruments
Create homemade instruments from household items, such as rice in a plastic container for a shaker or rubber bands on a tissue box for a guitar.
This activity promotes creativity and fine motor skills.
Masking Tape Roads
Create roads on the floor with masking tape and let your child drive toy cars along them. This activity promotes imaginative play and gross motor skills.
Creative Fun
Busting out the slime/playdough
You can buy slime from the store or make play dough at home. That’s it. That’s all you need to keep your little ones busy for some time. Slippery objects are fun, and there are no risks of them getting hurt.
Solving a jigsaw puzzle
My kids love solving puzzles 🧩. We have so many different kinds of puzzles at home. My kid loves cartoon puzzles. There are a lot of colors, and they get to pick their favorite characters. I remember Snoopy being my favorite!
Playing a board/card game
Some days, when my boys aren’t getting along, I make them sit together so that we can play board games ♟️ together. I love playing UNO, and I taught them as well. These indoor games are fun and brain-racking for everyone.
Listening to a podcast
In case you don’t know, there are plenty of online podcasts for kids. I often put on a nice one about books or short stories for my kids to listen 🎧 to while they are having lunch or are done studying.
Pro Tip:
Some of my top recommendations would be Book Club for Kids and Stuff You Should Know.
Building a fort
Well, you know kids and their fascination with a fort? My boys often use sheets, curtains, blankets, and rugs to make a cozy fort 🏰. It’s a bonus if they have siblings. They can all play together without creating a nuisance.
Doing an art project
If you want to keep your kids engaged and improve their creative skills, you can assign them a simple art 🖼️ project like making cards and bracelets or filling up a scrapbook. This will help you if they are passionate about art.
Playing with paper dolls
Yes! Even boys can play with dolls 🪆. I make these handmade paper dolls that they pretend to dress up, feed, bathe, and put to sleep. If your child loves crafts, you can ask them to make their own dolls, too.
Doing a science experiment
You can buy a book of science 🧪 experiments for kids to do at home. There are plenty of activities that include very simple ingredients that you can easily provide them with. This is fun to do and educational as well.
Cooking something delicious
I’ve always encouraged my kids to experiment in the kitchen. Even if they are young, find simple recipes 🥘 from your cookbook that they can try their hands at. Encourage them to make their best effort and appreciate what they prepare.
Playing with boxes
If you are out of breath trying to control your kids, just give them some empty cardboard boxes 📦. Toddlers enjoy playing with random stuff, and they can either jump in or make a mini fort. Let them use their imagination.
Inventing a board game
This is a great idea to keep your kids busy for a long time. Just give them a blank DIY board game 🎲 kit and ask them to design it and create a new board game. This improves their creative mind.
Pro Tip:
You can buy the Apostrophe Games Blank Game Board from Amazon. It’s the best!
Playing hide and seek
If you have two kids like I do, the best way to keep them busy is to ask them to play hide-and-seek 👀. They can do it for hours and not get bored. If you are free, you can also play!
Clicking pictures
If your kid is interested in photography 📷, try giving them a camera/phone and ask them to take pictures. This might be an excellent passion they would want to pursue later. You get to see the world through their eyes.
Making art
As a parent, you should introduce your kids to art 🎨. It not only broadens their vision and imagination but also helps them grow an empathetic heart. Let them feel free to do what they want- painting, sculpting, or rock art!
Working with LEGOS
My kids love LEGOs. You can get a handbook that guides kids through LEGO creations. Let them choose something they want to make, and then leave them to work and enjoy a warm cup of coffee and some alone time.
Playing dress-up
I don’t get to do this a lot because my boys keep wearing these black t-shirts. But you can dress 👕👖 your little ones in different costumes and do a photoshoot. You might have a diva or supermodel in the household!
Helping others
Teach your kids to do nice things for others from a very young age. For example, baking cookies to welcome the new neighbors. This not only keeps them engaged but also lets them understand the importance of empathy 🥰 and compassion.
Pro Tip:
Encourage your kids to read books to other children, be it their sibling or a friend.
Designing a postcard
Get blank postcards 📮 and ask your little ones to design them. You can send these with gifts to your family or use them during the holidays. They can use crayons and pencils to turn these white pages into beautiful artwork.
Rock painting
Collect rocks from the street or your backyard and use watercolor to paint 🎨 them. The dull rocks can easily turn into beautiful pieces of art. Ask your kids to leave them out so that you can easily decorate your house.
Doing a treasure hunt
Just hide some candy or toys in a corner of the house and come up with a map 🗺️. Ask your kids to complete the treasure hunt 🕵️♀️ to find the surprise. This will make them think hard to reach their gifts!
Outdoor Fun
Going for a long walk
The best way to keep your kids engaged outdoors is to take a nice walk 🚶🏽♀️🚶🏽. You can go to a nearby park or even take them along to do grocery shopping. It’s also a great way to get some exercise.
Playing catch
One of my most vivid childhood memories is that of my brother playing catch ⚾️ with Dad. I often ask my husband to take the kids out and throw a ball or a frisbee around. It’s a good father-child bonding activity.
Having a picnic
You can simply pack a lunch, grab a blanket, and go to a nearby park with your kids. It would be a mini picnic 🧺 where you can spend quality time with your family and also enjoy the beauty of nature.
Pro Tip:
Give them something they don’t usually have, like candies or a juice box.
Making sidewalk art
Give your kids some sidewalk chalk or glitter chalk, and let them make art 🖼️ with the best of their imagination. They can look online for chalk art projects as well. Also, there are plenty of fun chalk games available for the little ones.
Making an obstacle course
If you have two kids, this is the best activity to help them develop a sportsman spirit. Make an obstacle course 🚩 and turn it into a competition. Also, you can run through it together if you want to join them!
Making a bird feeder
To promote environmental consciousness in kids, you can ask them to make bird 🐤 feeders and hang them on your balcony. To make things more interesting, give them a pair of binoculars and an encyclopedia to watch and identify the birds.
Backyard camping
Set up a tent for the kids in your backyard and ask them to go on a camping 🏕️ adventure. You can give them cool stuff like camp lights and fun treats. Ask them to write a journal about their day.
Bookish Fun
If your toddler has learned to read by themselves, these are some of the best activities to keep them busy. You can assist them in certain cases if required.
Listening to audiobooks
Get a membership to any online audiobook 🎧 platform so that you can avail of audiobooks for your kids. This is a great activity to improve their vocabulary and listening👂🏼skills. Also, they will sit quietly in a corner for hours.
Pro Tip:
My personal recommendations in this category will be Because of Winn Dixie and The One and Only Ivan.
Solving a word puzzle
My kids love crossword puzzles 🧩, and I have many related books for them. It is not only fun and engaging, but they also get to learn so many new words and their meaning. It’s an amazing way to keep them busy!
Reading a book
Well, nothing gets better than this one. I have always been a bookworm and want my kids to be the same. Once they find the magic in books 📚, they’ll immerse themselves in it. Books will indeed become their best friends.
Writing a story
If you want to improve your kid’s writing ✍🏼 skills, the best activity for them is writing a story based on a topic they like or you provide them with. Wait to see what their imagination and perception come out with.
Writing a letter/thank you note
I know; nobody goes for handwritten stuff nowadays. This is why it’s all the more important to teach your kids the value of making someone feel special by writing them a thank-you 🤗 note or letter ✉️ and keeping a personal touch.
Writing a play
If your kid loves writing 📝 stuff, you can also provide them with a scenario and ask them to make a short play out of it. They might even want to rehearse it and put up a show for the family.
Keeping a family newsletter
To keep your relatives and friends updated about what’s going on in your family, ask your kids to keep a newsletter 📰 regularly. Your loved ones get to stay connected with you, and your little one keeps busy doing something creative.
Pro Tip:
I have introduced the concept of ‘Letter Wednesdays,’ where we all write letters to each other in the family.
Keeping a journal
Journaling is an excellent way to keep your little ones busy and help them explore themselves, especially their thoughts and emotions. Teach them that writing in a journal 📒 is the best way to release one’s negative emotions and stay positive.
Pro Tip:
Writing in a journal before going to bed actually helps us sleep better.
Water Fun
If your kid loves playing in the water 💧, this section is for you. All these activities include water play and keep your little ones busy having fun!
Turning on the sprinklers
Get your kids in their swimsuits and simply turn on the sprinklers 🚿 in your backyard. Also, if you want them to do something productive, you can use this activity to get them to wash their bikes while getting super wet!
Pro Tip:
You can change out the tubs and work with either water or sand, whatever you prefer.
Water balloon fight
Well, this is the easiest and most enjoyable activity you can get your little ones to do. Just give them some water balloons 💦🎈and your work is done. They can toss it against each other or play however they like.
Washing the car
Always try to get your kids to help you with chores while they are young. It makes them responsible and helpful. So, give them a bucket, a sponge, soap, and the hose, and they will wash the car 🚘 for you!
Setting up a water table
This activity is best for toddlers and preschoolers. You can buy a water 💧 table or make one at home using PVC pipes. Trust me, kids can spend long hours at the water table. Nice way to catch a break, no?
Right into the bathtub
Well, nothing like it if you have a bathtub 🛁 at home. Throw in a few pool toys, squirt toys, or bubbles, and get your kids in. Make bath time fun. It not only keeps them busy but also relaxes them.
Guilt-Free Screen Time
This section is a bit tricky. Keeping your kids busy doesn’t mean sticking them in front of the TV or iPad. Our goal is to keep them busy by keeping them off-screen’. So, try to limit screen 📱 time for your little ones as much as possible.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t see anything ever. Under your careful supervision, you can let your kids watch videos that are entertaining or informative.
According to Susan Friedman, “The quality of what children watch on screens is more important than how much they watch.”
Here are a few screen time activities for your little ones to keep them busy:
Watching Mister Rogers
For me, it’s the best show to watch 📺 with your little ones. It’s a slow-paced show for children that will eventually make them calm. My boys loved watching it, and they still do. Guilt-free screen time? This is it!
Watching kid-friendly documentaries
There are plenty of documentaries 🎥 available online that are meant for kids. They are informative, colorful, and very engaging. Find something that your kid will love watching and also get to learn from. That’s what you call a kids’ movie night!
Pro Tip:
My boys loved watching The Biggest Little Farm and Chasing Coral as kids.
Watching book adaptations
Do you remember being introduced to Harry Potter through the movies 🎦 for the very first time in your childhood? Yes, that’s a fun way to get your kids to watch fun stuff and read books 📖 they have been adapted from.
Listening to a famous actor
There are online platforms where actors 🎭 read children’s books. Kids engage in listening to stories if they come from a familiar voice that they adore. These videos are free, and it is a great way to keep your kids busy!
Listen to authors’ audio stories
There are plenty of authors for kids who not only write interesting stories but also make audio stories out of them so that kids can listen 🎧 to them, even if they can’t read. Find such videos of authors reading out.
Going on a virtual safari
If your little ones are fond of animals 🐅🐆, you can take them on a virtual safari and show them their favorite wildlife creatures in their natural habitat. This is also a good way of connecting with nature from your home.
Pro Tip:
Even I loved watching the Beluga whales, penguins, and otters at the Georgia Aquarium.
Picking a class
If you want your kids to utilize their screen time to learn new things, you can sign them up for a class, for example, to learn to play the guitar. This keeps them engaged, and they are doing something productive.
FaceTiming with a friend/relative
You can hook up your kid with a friend/ relative via Skype or Facetime 👩💻 when they are free. They will stay in touch with those who live far away, and this is a great way to improve their communication skills.
Doing yoga
There’s no age to start doing yoga 🧘🏽♀️. It’s excellent if you can get your toddlers to do it. There are plenty of videos online that guide kids through doing yoga poses that are helpful for their physical and mental well-being.
These activities are just the tip of the iceberg regarding creative play for children. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and let your child’s imagination run wild!
I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my Next startup Cledemy.Com)