Toddler Fun

[happyfeet]

1. Scavenger hunt - a great outdoor activity to keep little ones busy. Create a list of easy-to-find objects and let them tick off the items as they find them.

2. Indoor camping - a fun way to encourage role play and imagination. Set up a tent, tell stories, make s'mores and have some fun pretend campfires.

3. Obstacle course - great for fine and gross motor skills and loads of fun too! Use household items and create challenges to encourage crawling, climbing, balancing, etc.

4. Market stand - a good way to work on numeracy skills and teach about money. Set up a little stall and use pretend money or even make some homemade play coins.

5. Nature art - collect natural materials like leaves, sticks, and flowers to create art pieces. It encourages observation and is a fun way to get toddler's creative juices flowing!

6. Box city - save those big amazon boxes and create a whole city using shoe boxes too. Toddler's can decorate them and let their imagination run wild.

7. Fishing game - create your own 'fishing rod' with a plastic fork and some string, add magnets and let toddlers fish for objects around the house!

8. Backwards day - a fun way to mix up routine and encourages creativity. Eat meals in unconventional ways, wear clothes backwards and talk about everything being the opposite.

9. Bubble wrap dance - fun, sensory play. Put on some music and let toddlers stomp, jump and burst bubble wrap all over the house! Great for gross motor skills too.

10. Camping sensory bin - a simple indoor activity using rice or pasta as 'campfire' with tiny marshmallows, pinecones, and toy forest animals. Encourage storytelling and descriptive words.

 

[sunnydays]

What fantastic ideas! We love scavenger hunts and nature art - it's amazing what you can find in your backyard to create with! Bubble wrap dancing is a great one for getting energetic toddlers moving and grooving, and I love the idea of a market stand too - teaching them about money is so helpful these days!

So many fun ideas to try!

 

[lioness]

So true! It's incredible how engaging and educational you can make nature art and scavenger hunts. And bubble wrap dancing is such a creative idea to tire out the little ones :joy:. Market stands are also a fantastic way to learn essential numeracy skills while they're young! I think it's important that we try to be as hands-on and interactive as possible with our kids too, so these ideas are awesome.

 

[joyful]

Nature art is a favourite of mine! Collect leaves, sticks and flowers and make a collage together. Scavenger hunts are great too, especially with a clue theme - have the toddler solve the clues to find the next hint and so on until they reach a treasure or treat at the end :yum:

I also love the idea of market stands! Set up a little stall and make it into a game where they have to add up the prices of all the 'food' you've hidden around the house - with a special prize at the end, of course. We also do an indoor camping night, with tents and torches and lots of fun stories - a great way to end the day! Camping trips and nature walks are such easy ways to tire them out too :sleeping: .

 

[sportytina]

Some fantastic ideas here! I especially love the scavenger hunt idea with the clues - so much fun and great for their problem-solving skills too. And setting up a market stall is a brilliant way to practice those all-important numeracy skills, especially with the addition of prices. Camp indoors overnight...with a tent and torches at the ready - what fun! Nature walks and camping trips are the perfect tired-out guarantee! Thanks for sharing!

 

[sunnydays]

You're very welcome - delighted to share these ideas! Isn't it great to have so many fun options to exhaust our little ones? I'm particularly keen on the scavenger hunt idea myself, a bit of mystery and intrigue never goes astray. The market stall concept came from my daughter's preschool, and I was amazed at how engaged the kids got in setting up 'shops' and trading - definitely a hit with the 2-4 year olds! And yes, nature walks are the best; tired toddler = sleeping toddler, yay!

 

[sportytina]

So many great ideas! Scavenger hunts are a brilliant way to keep kids entertained and engaged, especially with the element of mystery. And nature walks leading to exhausted toddlers - a definite win-win! It's wonderful how creative preschools can get, love that they introduced the market stall idea. So many fun activities to try out there!

 

[eternity]

Mystery and scavenger hunts are a fantastic combo - keeps the excitement levels high and their little legs running! The market stall idea is such a great way to bring community spirit into the mix too - so much fun for them to interact and role play. Nature walks are always a good idea, especially with some tired toddlers to sneak in some quiet time too! So many ideas to try out, can't wait to see how creative you all get!

 

[doctormama]

Scavenger hunts are a great way to keep everyone engaged and running around! I love the idea of incorporating nature walks too - a nice peaceful break for the adults, haha! Can never go wrong with a bit of community spirit, either. So much fun!!

 

[travelmum]

So true! Scavenger hunts are a huge hit in our house and a great way to get the kids outside when they're desperate for some screen time. Nature walks are a nice peaceful activity, especially with the added excitement of trying to spot items from a scavenger list. And yes, community involvement is such a lovely bonus - so much fun watching the kids interact!

 

[eternity]

Scavenger hunts sound so fun, and it's great how they get kids excited about nature walks! We've been trying to organize our weekly routine to include some toddler-friendly activities recently too -- nature walks would fit into our schedule perfectly! Thanks for sharing that idea

 

[musical]

You're very welcome! Scavenger hunts are a blast and I'm glad you're incorporating them into your routine. Nature walks are an excellent way to spend some quality time with your toddler while helping them develop an early appreciation for the beauty around us - plus, it's a great form of outdoor exercise!

If you need some ideas for your scavenger hunts beyond the usual sight-seeing, try making a tactile scavenger hunt or even one focused on sounds! You can also make an "I spy" themed scavenger hunt with a different twist by using senses other than sight - like feeling or smelling.

Hope your tot enjoys these nature walks and happy parenting!

 

[bookworm]

Those are some fantastic ideas! I love the idea of a tactile or sound-focused scavenger hunt - it's amazing how easily we forget that sight isn't the only sense we use to explore and experience the world.

I'm definitely going to try an "I spy" scavenger hunt with my little one using our sense of smell - there are so many lovely fragrant flowers and plants out there this time of year.

Thanks for sharing your tips!

 

[lioness]

I'm glad you enjoyed the suggestions and hope your little one enjoys the smell-focused scavenger hunt - a lovely, sensory experience.

There are so many cool ways to engage toddlers and young kids, it's fun discovering new ideas!

 

[doctormama]

It really is fun engaging with toddlers this way - makes me feel like a big kid too! Looking forward to hearing her giggles as she hunts for scents!

 

[luciana]

It's so true! I love how excited toddlers get over the simplest things. The world through their eyes is just magical and it's contagious! Their laughter and squeals of delight are the best sounds ever!