10 Activities For Your Toddler

It’s raining it’s pouring and your toddler is over it and so are you…

We’ve recently had a few days where our toddler has been stuck inside due to rain and cold and to be honest it hasn’t been especially pleasant until we decided to start breaking up our day by including activities that can be done inside. Not only has it been great fun for him, he’s learning, its stimulating and to be honest it’s brought back some of my inner child, which has got to be a good thing!

1. Edible play-dough -

I’ve been quietly waiting for the day when Jack can use play-dough… I love it! So I hunted on the net and found a great play-doh recipe that doesn’t seem to have as much salt as other recipes. At first I was very worried that he would try to eat it but he hasn’t and didn’t even attempt it!

Recipe: (I doubled this)

1 Cup flour

1 Cup water

2 Teaspoons cream of Tartar

1/3 cup of salt

1 Tablespoon oil

Food colourings

Place all the ingredients except the food colouring into a saucepan. Turn it on and stir until it all comes together like a ball in the bottom of your pan.

Remove from heat, divide into four/six bits and add your colouring. I used AmeriColors as they are fantastic and you only need a little to get your desired colour.

2. Homemade paints

There are plenty of recipes on the internet for making your own homemade paints, usually just good quality gel food colouring and dish-washing soap/liquid.

Here’s one I like but have yet to try:

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/2 cup corn starch

2 cups water

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and heat until mixture thickens. Cool and Pour into little containers. Once completely cooled add gel food colouring to get your desired colour.

3. Baking with me
I love baking so I thought why not share the joy. I’ve pulled a seat up to our bench top so that I can involve our little one he loves it. So far he’s decorated cupcakes and made dad a banana cake ( ate the flour and yoghurt). I just measured out the ingredients an let him tip it into the bowl.

4. Toilet/paper towel rolls/egg cartons/boxes

Use these to make things like glasses, ramps for cars, to paint. Your imagination as well as your child’s can go crazy here!

5. Dancing

Our wee boy loves to dance. So every couple of days I crank the music and we have a dance around the living room and  a  sing. And no it’s not children’s music we listen to it’s adult music, I have some really great memories of my parents playing music and it’s music I now love and want to share the passion with Jack. (call me an old fuddy but the music of today just isn’t the same!)

6. Chores

When your cleaning up, get your little ones to help as well. Jack un-stacks the dishwasher and puts them away at the moment, it’s great!

7. Drawing/colouring in

Buy some cheap colouring in books and crayons, get on the floor with your wee one and colour away!

Cranium Super Fort

8. Indoor fort/tent

Dad helped with this one. We built a tent with some blankets over a chair and Jack loves it… Giggles away when the dog’s stick there heads in.

9. A movie

On occasion when it’s been particularly bad weather we’ve rented a kids movie to watch. To be honest most of the time he only watch’s half of it but still it’s entertainment for a wee while.

10. Raincoat

And if all else fails buy a raincoat, gumboots and let them go for it outside!

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