Keeping Toddlers Busy

Those toddlers are just full of energy! Some days it might seem impossible to keep up with them or keep them entertained. There are many fun activities to stimulate those little minds and maybe wear them out for a nap! Here are some ideas for activities for toddlers ages 18 months to three years:

Out and About Activities
• To keep those busy toddlers entertained in the car, as you are driving name things that you see and ask your toddler to point to them. For example, ask them “Where is the tree?” or “Where is the truck?”
• Waiting in the doctor’s office can be a challenge with a toddler. While you are waiting ask your child to walk over to the object you name.
• Before you set out on a car trip, choose a "Color of the Day." As you're driving in the car, shopping at the grocery store, or waiting at the doctor's office, help your toddler point to all the things she sees that match the color you've chosen. Help her identify those items.
• A fun and mess-free activity for toddlers to do while in the car or at the grocery store is sandpaper art. Cut various colors of yarn into different lengths. Show your toddler how the yarn sticks to the sandpaper. They can create a design, pull it off, and start over again.

Activities for the Outdoors
• What toddler doesn’t like playing in the mud? Fill a plate with thick mud and smooth into a flat, even surface. Have your child press his open hand into the mud and remove. Place the mud in the sun to dry. This won't last, but its fun to look at for a while.
• Let them dig for hidden treasure. Hide small objects in the sandbox for your toddler to find as they dig about. Use an old kitchen colander to sift through the sand to help find the treasure.
• If your toddler will stand still long enough, trace their shadow on a big sheet of newsprint or other paper. Let them finger-paint their shadow or color it with crayons or markers. You could also use pavement and sidewalk chalk for this activity.

Rainy Day Indoor Activities
• When you are stripping your beds, give your child the sheets from all the beds you're changing. They can use them to create houses, tents, forts, or anything else they can dream up. When playtime is over, help your child gather up the sheets and put them in the laundry basket, then take them to the laundry room together.
• Place chairs in a maze around the room. Let your child crawl among them or walk over them, or use them as a train for her stuffed animals.
• Have some fun bowling with your toddler. Line up three or four (or more) empty plastic soda bottles or unopened paper towel rolls. Show your toddler how to roll a large rubber ball to knock them over.