Roots & Routines

Life with a toddler is never boring. They are little sponges that soak up everything around them, full of wonder, curiosity, and of course energy. It can be overwhelming finding things to keep them entertained. The good news is toddlers are so curious about the world around them, it doesn’t take much to peak their interest. You don’t need a fancy toy or a big trip, there are a lot of things you can do right at home that are just as engaging.

Here are some fun ideas you can try with your little one.

1. Sensory Bins

Toddlers love exploring textures. Create a sensory bin with different items for them to explore.

Beach Bin – add some crushed graham cracker crumbs, and some beach toys for them to play with.

Snow Bin – in the winter time add some snow from outside, and some shovels. You can even get really creative and add items for them to make their own mini snowman.

You can also keep it simple adding items such as rice, dried beans, or cotton balls with some scoops and toys for them to play with.

Sensory bins are great because they help your little one to build fine motor skills. I posted a link to our favorite one if you are interested.

2. Water play

Fill a bin with water, bath toys, cups or other items. Set this up outside on a warm day and let them go to town.

In the winter you can also fill your bathtub with toys and put your kiddo in a swim diaper, let them splash and play.

Water tables are also fun especially for those kiddos on the verge of walking. They can cruise around the table while they play. There are some great options on Amazon or you could check out your local Facebook Marketplace.

3. Arts and Crafts

Finger Painting – you can create great finger paints that are toddler safe out of puddling. You can also buy some vegetable based paints on Amazon.

Sticker Play – what child doesn’t love stickers. Head to the dollar store and get a bunch of dinner fun patters for them to play with.

Chunky Crayons – these can be really fun to make. Take a muffin tin and add in cupcake liners and lots of assorted broken, and peeled crayons. Let them pick the color combinations. You can even add in some glitter for fun. Melt these in the oven and then let them cool. Your toddlers will have a great time coloring with these big crayons and as a plus they aren’t a chocking hazard.

4. Building Towers

Stacking blocks, cups, or even empty containers helps toddlers learn about balance and cause-and-effect. And of course—knocking the tower down is always the best part!

5. Outdoor Nature Walks

My kiddo loves going for a ride in her stroller or even just walking beside mommy and daddy for a Saturday morning walk. Let them explore the different textures, grass between their toes, smelling the flowers, and finding fun little pebbles and sticks. Make it interactive and create an “I Spy..” scenario.

6. Music and Dance Party

My daughter LOVES to dance. She’s always grooving especially to Disney hits.

Turn on some music and dance around with your toddler. It’s silly they will giggle and laugh plus it helps to get some of the wiggles out.

For added fun create your own music, add in some drums, xylophone, or kiddie piano. Music is great for boosting their mood but also can help with their coordination.

7. Pretend Play

Kids love to play pretend whether it be pretending to be a teacher, store owner, doctor or fairy princess. Playing pretend encourages imaginative play, creativity and helps them learn real life skills.

Restaurant – grab some play food, set up a little table and get them some play trays for carrying food. Pretend to be their customer, or help them serve food to their stuff animals. You can get play food on Amazon for next to nothing, and you can always find play kitchens on Facebook marketplace.

Store – grab a play cash register and a mini shopping cart and have them buy items from around the house. They can play the store clerk or the customer.

Doctor- get them a doctors kit and let them take care of all your scrapes and bruises. Throw in some fun bandaids they can use too.

8. Easy Baking Together

My daughter loves helping me out in the kitchen. Give them simple tasks like shaking a bag of breadcrumbs while you coat something, helping to mash bananas, or adding toppings into a muffin mix. They will love being a part of the process.

We love to decorate Christmas cookies together around the holidays. She loves to help with the frosting snd sprinkles.

You can get a Toddler Tower on Amazon. This helps to boost your kiddo up so they can reach the kitchen counter while making sure they don’t fall. Here is a link to our favorite: https://amzn.to/3XwSujf

9. Reading Together

My daughter loves reading. We started reading to her from the moment she came home from the hospital, and now she LOVES books. Every night after her bath, we snuggle up as a family and let her pick from a bunch of books to read. We will usually lay out a pile in front of her and she will pick the ones she wants to read and hand them to us.

Reading is great for encouraging language skills, imagination, and family bonding.

10. Obstacle Course or Forts

Create an obstacle course out of pillows, couch cushions, tunnels, tents or one those foam crawling blocks.

Create a fort for them to play in or even sleep in. Use tables, blankets or even couch cushions.

Forts and obstacle courses are great for rainy days or just when your kiddo needs something new and creative to do. It helps to burn energy and encourage imaginative play.

Final Thoughts

Toddlers don’t need complicated plans—just a chance to explore, play, and spend time with you. By weaving these activities into your days, you’ll spark joy, creativity, and learning while making lasting memories together.

Comment some of your favorite activities to do with your kiddos.