Best indoor activities to do with your toddler
All parents can agree – keeping a toddler entertained can be difficult. With their short attention spans, they get bored fast, especially when stuck inside for the winter. With the cold months approaching, you need a way to have fun and engage your little one without having to bear the weather outside.
Although finding indoor activities for toddlers can seem like a challenge, it’s a great way to save money and spend quality time together. Take a look at these fun, educational activities that are sure to keep your toddler happy.
Finger painting
Let your toddler’s creativity shine by letting them express themselves through art. Finger painting is not only a great sensory activity, but also helps them learn their colors and shapes. This can be messy, so make sure you use washable paint and set aside an area for painting that you can cover, so nothing gets damaged.
Build a fort
Who doesn’t love a good fort? Building a fort with pillows, blankets, chairs and anything else you have in the house is a great way to get your toddler engaged. It will help them learn how to build and strengthen their balance while also creating a great space to hang out and play more games in when you’re done.
Hot potato with balloons
The rules to this game are exactly what you think: don’t let the balloon touch the ground. Take your child’s fascination with balloons to the next level by incorporating a fun game and try counting how long they can keep it in the air or how many times you can hit it back and forth. With only one balloon, your toddler will learn hand-eye coordination and improve their arm strength.
Bean bag toss
In an area where there isn’t anything breakable, use tape or sticky notes to write out letters or numbers on the wall. Have your toddler stand behind a start line and toss bean bags at the correct letter or number as you say them. This is not only a great way to learn counting and reading, but is fun, too. If your little one’s skills are more advanced, try having them spell out a full word. Remember to have them retrieve their own bean bags to get that exercise in!
Scavenger hunt
Send your toddler on a fun hunt around the house to collect various items you list. The best part is, you don’t have to set anything up ahead of time. Simply tell your little one to find something green, or something that starts with the letter “T”, and watch as they learn colors, letters, and independence all while getting their energy out.
Freeze
Take your dance party one step further by making a game out of it. Put on your favorite music and when you press pause, everyone must freeze. If you catch anyone moving, they are out. To add another layer of difficulty, have everyone freeze in animal or letter shapes.
Simon says
This game is great for keeping your toddler active by having them do any action you can think of. If you want to integrate some learning, try asking them to complete tasks like “touch your nose,” to help them identify body parts, or “act like a monkey” to get them thinking about animals. If you want to really tire them out, have them run, hop, or do jumping jacks!
Playtime is an integral part of a child’s development, so have fun! Learning is important, but make sure you’re expanding beyond the traditional ideas of educational games, and let your child express themselves too. Incorporating exercises is also essential for those days spent inside, as it helps your toddler build strength and improve motor functions, not to mention tires them out so you can have a well-deserved break!
At Doona, nothing’s more important than your baby’s well-being. That’s why we’ve created an innovative stroller that transforms into a car seat with the click of a button, as well as our Liki Trike, that grows with your baby with 5 modes of use. We’re making parenting simple, for the winter, and all year round.
