If you've followed my blog for awhile, it's no secret that toddler activities are my favorite to post about. Now that I have TWO toddlers in the house, I have decided to start posting more activities specifically for moms with toddlers. Winters are hard for me, not only because I hate being cold, but also because it's harder to come up with fun things to do. Someone told me recently that this winter is supposed to be long and cold, so I am determined to make it the funnest one yet. Keep on the lookout for weekly toddler activities to keep you from getting too much cabin fever. In the meantime, here are some toddler activities I have done in the past:
Free Printables. One great place to start when looking for fun activities is some of our free printables for Kids round-ups. These include SO many activities, including lego activities, counting and learning activities, pretend activities, and others!
Busy Bags. We love busy bags so much at our house, I have probably made a 100 of these now! They are perfect for quiet time, driving, church, etc.!
Water Beads. My girls LOVE these. And they are way cheap (I'm talkin' 15,000 of them for less than $15). You can do all sorts of things with them, and they make a great sensory activity.
Play Dough Mats. Play dough is another necessity for indoor fun, but my daughter doesn't play as well (or as long) with it unless she has a specific task. Play dough mats turn play into an exciting learning activity (as well as plain old creative play). When I'm not up to pulling out the play dough, we also use play dough mats with dry-erase sleeves and use dry-erase markers or stickers!
Do A Dot Printables. Do a Dot markers are SO FUN, but don't think you have to go out and buy them right away in order to use the cute printables. You can easily use pom poms or stickers if you don't have the special markers. We also love magentic pom pom printables.
Bugs Sensory Activity We initially did this activity outside, but it can easily be done in sensory bins with sand or rice.
GeoPattern Printable (this one is particularly intriguing for older kids as well)
Grocery Shopping Printable I always seem to regret my bravery when I take my kids grocery shopping with me, but sometimes it just needs to be done. Here is a fun printable that turns grocery shopping into a game for your toddler and turns their focus in spotting specific items rather than throwing tantrums (or is that just my kid?).
Scavenger Hunts What kid doesn't love a good scavenger hunt? Here's a list of scavenger hunts to last you all year long.
Chores & Printable Money Toddlers aren't too young to start having their own chores. My 2-year old's current chores are picking up her toys, hanging up her clothes and helping mom unload the dishwasher. Looking for some fun motivation? Here's some cute printable money for a family store.
Quiet Books. I don't exactly have talent in sewing skills, so I have resorted to making some no-sew quiet books. We've done magnetic and velcro quiet books.
Felt Fun. Felt stories and activities make for great indoor activities. If you don't have the space for a huge flannel board, try our Felt Book. My life changed the moment I figured out I could Make my Own DIY Felt pieces with T-shirt transfer sheets and white felt.
Teaching moments. Take the long winters as an opportunity to teach your kids what really matters. Check out our post on Children's Books that teach valuable life lessons or our children's prayer journal template that helps kids understand how to form their prayers.
That's it for now. What would you like to see more of??