32 Indoor Toddler Activities

 *Originally posted on 1/13/16. Reposted to be helpful while we're all quarantined.  Enjoy!

Winter is in full swing.  And with that comes, cold weather.  Even in a mild climate like where we live, this particular winter has been bitterly cold. So with this colder weather, we are spending more time indoors and I'm looking for more ways to entertain and wear out my kiddo.  If you're in the same boat, there are just a few ideas for indoor activities:

*Take out the cookie cutters and playdoh--Don't put those Christmas cookie cutters away just yet.  Mix up a batch of homemade playdoh and see what kind of creations you can make.

*Have a dance party--The temperatures are cool so warm up with a dance party.  Turn on some Pandora and wiggle away the giggles, grumpies, or energy.

*Play Hullabaloo--We love Hullabaloo.  It's a great game for getting out some energy, developing listening skills, playing together.

*Do some marble painting--Marble painting is a great way to mix it up.  Make sure you're supervising with the marbles, but this can be a really fun one for any afternoon.

*Play with sensory bins--There are so many sensory bin ideas out there.  We've loved scented rice and the animals in the ice bins.  There are plenty to keep your toddler busy.

*Make a tent under the table--Throw some blankets over the dinning room table to create a tent, reading nock, cave, or submarine.  Use your imagination and see where it takes you.

*Do some water painting--Water painting really is a skill and can take time to develop.  Take some time to teach your toddler how to add the water and mix colors on the paper to create some lovely masterpieces.

*Thread pasta or pony beads--Threading pasta or beads is great for hand-eye coordination.  Pasta can easily be dyed and pony beads can be found at most dollar stores.

*Have tea time with your stuffed animals--Tea, juice, or even water can be made fun when combined with the idea of a tea party.  Serve some finger foods and add stuffed animals and you've got yourself a party.

*Make leaf prints--Whether leafs, pine needles or flower, go on a nature hunt for your supplies and return home to do some prints.  You can combine nature ideas that make a ton of different designs and prints.

*Create shadow puppets--When the sun peaks out from behind the clouds, be ready to make some shadow puppets.  Either on the walls or if it warms up a bit, make some in the driveway and trace with sidewalk chalk.

*Make lunch together--Kids love being in the kitchen.  It's a great way to learn listening skills, measurements, hand-eye coordination, and so much more.  Budget in a little extra time and get your kids in the kitchen with you.

*Go "swimming" in the bathtub--Find some fishy toys from the toy box, put on a bathing suit, and let your kids kick away in the bathtub.

*Make cookies--Back in the kitchen, why not let your kiddos help you make some cookies?  It's always a treat when Mommy lets you bake AND eat cookies.

*Use Daubbers on a white board--Invest in a new set of color daubbers and let your little one get creating.  Small white boards can often be found at the $ spot in Target or Dollar Tree.

*Go on an alphabet hunt--Whether in your home or neighborhood, print out the ABC's for your child and go on a hunt.  Whenever they spot a letter, let them cross it off their list.  It's a great way to improve letter recognition and sounds.

*Create an obstacle course--Obstacle courses can be as simple or elaborate as you want.  Use footstools, dining room chairs, pillows, and couch cushions to create a fun obstacle course to wear them out.

*Make a balance beam--Use a roll of masking tape to create an inexpensive balance beam.  Great for coordination and balance.  Once they master balance, try walking backwards, chasses, or ski jumps.

*Play with balloons--Blow up some balloons and see how long you can keep it up in the air.  Hit it back and forth, toss it to each other or create paddles with paper plates.

*Thread straws--Cut some plastic straws and thread with string.  Another great hand eye coordination activity.

*Draw and create yourself--Find a small handheld mirror and challenge your child to draw what they see.  Do you have long or short hair?  Blue or green eyes?  How is the face shaped?  What's on top: the eyes or mouth?

*Practice with scissors--Pull out a piece of scratch paper and start with straight lines.  Then draw curvy lines, circles, or letters.  Sit patiently with them and allow them to practice their scissor skills.

*Do a puzzle-- Puzzles are great for expanding vocabulary, hand eye coordination and time spent together.  Toddler puzzles can easily be found used or at the dollar store.

*Discover new ways to paint: Q-tips, cotton balls, toy cars, etc--There are so many new ways to paint.  Look around your home and you'll be surprised what you'll find.

*String fruit loops--Another low cost threading activity, stringing fruit loops can not only be great for coordination, but provide a fun treat afterwards.

*Play with oobleck--Oobleck is a fun homemade substance that is once liquid and then a solid.  It's fun to run through your fingers and squish around. 

*Drive cars through shaving cream--Find an inexpensive bottle of shaving cream and a few hot wheels cars.  Spray some shaving cream on the table and let the kids drive their cars through.  Easily cleaned up.

*Glue beans on letters-- Draw out a block letter and glue beans, pebbles, and pasta to fill in.  A great activity for learning letters, pairing upper and lower case and learning letter sounds.

*Have a "car wash" in the kitchen sink--Run a sink of warm water, provide some rags, and those hot wheel cars and create a car wash.

*Finger paint--Who can say no to finger painting?  Even as a mom, I love this one.  Use some blank paper for imaginations to run wild or if your child is nervous getting started, tear a page out of a Dollar Store coloring book.

*Make bean noise makers--Staple together a couple of paper plates and fill in with dried beans to create fun, inexpensive noise makers.  Decorate the outside with crayons, markers, and stickers.

*Create a one-man band--Look around your home for musical instruments, including the noise makers you just made.  Can your child come up with a fun beat or creative lyrics?  March around the house singing your new songs.

What about you?

What are your creative ideas for indoor toddler play?