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Indoor Activities For Toddlers

January 25, 2021 by Lindsay 26 Comments

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These Indoor Activities For Toddlers are perfect for winter or a rainy spring or summer day and many will help develop fine motor skills. Plus tips to make them harder for pre-school aged kids.

These Indoor Activities For Toddlers are perfect for winter or a rainy spring or summer day and many will help develop fine motor skills. Plus tips to make them harder for pre-school aged kids.

{Originally published Jan 2017}

Hi Friends!

Today we’re talking indoor toddler activities. I originally wrote this post when my oldest was a toddler. Now my youngest is 2 and the perfect age for a lot of these activities!  

When I was in middle school, I did a lot of babysitting. I had some sort of babysitting certification from The Red Cross and during that course, they gave us the idea of making an activity kit to bring with you when babysitting. Sure, kids like their own toys, but there’s something about new games and activities that is especially exciting and tends to hold their interest longer.

When I was in high school, I had a steady after-school nannying job for a two-year-old (who I realized has now graduated high school and I now feel very old). Anyways, she wasn’t allowed to watch any TV and I spent several hours with her every day….so I had to get creative with things to keep her busy.

When I graduated from college, I worked at a pre-school for 6 months. Although my classroom was 4-5-year-olds, I spent a lot of time in the 2-3-year-old classroom as well.

Now, I follow a lot of kid-focused pages on Facebook and Instagram, I browse Pinterest, I read family magazines and am constantly seeing new ideas I want to try.

Indoor Toddler Activities

This post is a roundup of some of my favorite indoor activities for toddlers that I’ve seen and tried over the years. I’ve tried them all with my kids over the past few years. Note- I took all these pictures on the same day, but I wouldn’t advise trying them all out on the same day! Remember the new & exciting part? Save them up and try a couple at a time. We’ve got several more months of winter ahead of us!

I also included some ways to make them harder. As kids get older, some of the things they could do six months ago are getting too easy….but there are ways to add a bit of a challenge to most of them, to make them more developmentally appropriate for older toddlers and even preschoolers!

A few months ago I placed an Amazon order to stock up on supplies- you can find them all in my Amazon shop (aff link) but you could probably find a lot of these at the dollar store as well! 

If you need activities for slightly older kids, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten check out my Indoor Activities for Kids or At-Home Activities for Kids posts! And if you like baking, here are some Kid-Friendly Baking Recipes!

Indoor Activities for Toddlers

Balloon tennis

Balloon Hockey

I blow up a couple of balloons, we each grab a fly swatter and go to town hitting them around the room. I let him hit it around for a while and then we also work on hitting it to keep it up in the air.

Make it harder:

  • Set up a goal and let them try to score.
  • Have a contest to see how long they can keep it from touching the ground.
  • Let them try to keep two balloons in the air at once!

pom pom push

Pom Pom Push

Take a plastic container and cut holes in the top and let them push the pom poms through the holes.

Make it harder: 

  • Draw circles around the holes with a marker and let them push the blue pom poms through the blue hole, the green ones through the green holes, etc.
  • Set a timer and see how many they can get in the container in 30 seconds or a minute.

pom pom drop

Pom Pom Drop

Save your toilet paper or paper towel rolls. Tape them to a door or wall and let them drop the pom poms through.

Make it harder:

  • Give them tongs or a clothespin to make picking up the pom poms more challenging.
  • Let them tape the tubes up and see if they can get the angles right so the pom poms go through all the tubes on the way down.
  • You drop the pom poms from the top and see if they can catch them in the bottom in a small bowl.

pom pom sorting

Pom Pom Sorting

Have them sort the pom poms into different containers by size or color.

Make it harder: 

  • Divide the pom poms in half and have a race to see who can sort theirs the fastest!
  • Give them a clothespin to use to pickup and move the pom poms into the different containers.

threading

Straw Threading

Cut plastic straws into pieces. Let them thread the straw pieces onto the pipe cleaners.

Make it harder:

  • Have them thread the pieces on in a pattern of colors.

ring toss

Ring Toss

Twist some pipe cleaners together to make rings and toss them into bowls or buckets.

Make it harder:

  • Have them stand farther away.
  • Set up multiple buckets and tell them to throw them into a specific one.
  • See how many they can get in a row.

golf tee nails

Golf Tee Hammering

Poke golf tees into a cardboard box and let them hammer them in.

Make it harder:

  • Give them a smaller hammer.
  • Tell them which color nails to hammer.
  • Let them practice pulling them out and setting them back up again.

ziploc bag finger painting

Ziploc Bag Fingerpainting

Put a few blogs of paint into Ziploc bags. Seal them tightly and tape to a window or table. Let them fingerpaint just like they would on a piece of paper.

Make it harder:

  • Ask them to draw specific shapes or objects.
  • Talk about what colors mix together to make new colors.

card slot drop

Card Slot Drop

Cut a slot in the lid of a container and have them drop the cards in.

Make it harder:

  • Cut some holes as well and have them put q tips in.
  • See how fast they can get them all in.
  • Have them put them in by color or number.

cheerio threading

Cheerio Threading

Cut pipe cleaners in half and let them push them through the holes of a colander.

Make it harder:

  • Give them Cheerios to thread onto the pipe cleaners.

car ramp

Car Ramp

Draw lanes on a cardboard box to make a car ramp. Let them race their cars down it.

can stacking

Fun with Cans

See how high they can stack them up. Set them up like bowling pins and let them bowl with a wiffle ball or tennis ball.

Like the ideas in the post? Be sure to pin it and share with your friends!

clothespin painting

Clothespin Painting

Attached some cotton balls (or bunched up paper towels if you’re out of cotten balls like i was) to clothespins and let them paint! Work on colors, shapes, etc.

 

Cooking

I wrote a post all about Kitchen Tasks For Toddlers!

These Cheap Toddler Activities are perfect for keeping young kids entertained without spending a ton of money! Most can be done using things you probably already have around the house! Do them indoors in the winter or outside in the summer.

Whew! I think that’s enough indoor activities for toddlers for one post. If you’re looking for more ideas, check out this post filled with Cheap Toddler Activities!


Like the ideas in this post? Please pin it and share with your friends!

Rainy Day Activities For Toddlers

These Indoor Activities For Toddlers are perfect for winter or a rainy spring or summer day and many will help develop fine motor skills. Plus tips to make them harder for pre-school aged kids.

Let’s chat:

What’s your favorite indoor activity for the kiddos? I’m always looking for new ideas!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Filed Under: Kids, Round-Ups

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

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Comments

  1. Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says

    January 30, 2017 at 7:08 AM

    You are seriously SO creative, Lindsay! Love all these ideas 🙂

    Reply
  2. Annmarie says

    January 30, 2017 at 8:59 AM

    We play balloon volleyball all the time, never thought about balloon hockey, need to pick up some fly swatters! What a great idea!

    Reply
  3. Brynn at The Domestic Dietitian says

    January 30, 2017 at 12:54 PM

    Love this post and great ideas! I really like that they are inexpensive and super kid friendly. I agree with you on the “new toys” thing, my daughter could have the same toy at home but when she plays with it at a friends house it’s like the best thing ever!

    Reply
  4. Melody says

    January 30, 2017 at 5:21 PM

    Love all of these!!Thanks for sharing, I have been looking up ideas for my toddler and these are perfect!!

    Reply
  5. Daisy @ Kidsdimension says

    February 2, 2017 at 1:38 PM

    I love these ideas, especially the Pom poms activities. And they’re budget proof!

    Reply
  6. Richa Choudhary says

    May 3, 2017 at 9:18 PM

    wow just loved these amazing ideas!!!! Thanks for sharing

    AllThatsMom

    Reply
  7. Emily says

    June 4, 2017 at 1:24 PM

    Such great ideas with stuff we have around the house! And thank you for testing them out and sharing without a million other links to follow! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 4, 2017 at 8:50 PM

      hurray!!

      Reply
  8. Kellie rogers says

    June 17, 2017 at 10:23 AM

    I am so happy and excited I came across this it’s going to be triple digits this weekend and I’ve got my granddaughter. Can’t wait to do these. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 18, 2017 at 9:55 PM

      you’re welcome!

      Reply
  9. Chris says

    July 24, 2017 at 8:46 AM

    These are great ideas! And wonderful for building fine motor skills! It is always nice to have something for our little ones to do on those rainy days and even better when the materials are everyday household items!!

    A word of caution – be careful when allowing little ones to play with aluminum cans. Empty cans pose a risk with their sharp edges around the opening. Curious toddlers just love poking their fingers inside holes. They can cut their fingers on the edges, get them stuck inside between the tab and the opening and hurt themselves trying to get their fingers back out. If they manage to get the tab off, they can also swallow it/choke. My own little one one got an aluminum can out of our recycling bin once and got her finger stuck in the opening. Luckily, I was right beside her and was able to get it out slowly and carefully with no injury. Probably best to use something like empty boxes for stacking.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      January 25, 2021 at 3:45 PM

      We tape the tops of the cans so no one can poke their fingers inside

      Reply
  10. Adree |The Keele Deal says

    October 27, 2017 at 11:26 PM

    Great ideas. I’m always looking for new things to do with my 2 year old. We are going to have to try some of these now that the weather is getting colder.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 30, 2017 at 2:25 PM

      hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  11. Mike M says

    November 18, 2017 at 5:35 AM

    Defiantly going to use some of these…especially the ziplock bag finger painting!! Thanks

    Reply
    • Faye says

      January 22, 2019 at 12:42 PM

      Yes, I like that one too!

      Reply
  12. Ashley Sylvester says

    January 22, 2019 at 12:09 AM

    amazing!!! Thanks for taking the time to share!

    Reply
  13. Faye says

    January 22, 2019 at 12:40 PM

    These are AWESOME ideas to keep the little ones busy during this frigid weather.

    Reply
  14. Noemi says

    January 22, 2019 at 2:40 PM

    Amazing ideas! Thank you!!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Fun Activities for Your Toddler While You Work at Home - Busy Moms says:
    May 7, 2017 at 6:07 AM

    […] not up to cleaning up messes after a hard day’s work and looking after the little one, try mess-free painting for the little one. Your child will “create art” using his fingers but he will not get your […]

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  2. 10 Cheap Toddler Activities says:
    September 1, 2017 at 12:00 AM

    […] in January, I wrote a post about Indoor Activities for Toddlers and it was a big hit! I intended it to be helpful during the cold winter months but it actually got […]

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  3. 15 Low Prep Activities for Toddlers - Real Mom Help says:
    September 27, 2017 at 5:53 PM

    […] love Lean Green Bean’s Balloon Hockey idea so much! All you need is balloons and a fly swatter to bat the balloons around the house. […]

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  7. Scavenger Hunt Ideas For Kids says:
    July 22, 2019 at 12:00 AM

    […] any ideas to add to our list? Leave them in the comments! Too hot to go outside? Check out these Indoor Activities For Toddlers and these 10 Cheap Toddler […]

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lindsay livingston, Registered Dietitian from Columbus, OH, owner of the lean green bean

Hi, I’m Lindsay! I’m a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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