Looking for ways to entertain kids and siblings while older siblings practice, play sports or have lessons? Here are 20 ideas to keep kids busy!
Hi friends-
This summer I had two kids doing swim team, plus a third doing swim lessons. Several days a week we were spending almost 4 hours a day at the pool, plus another 4 hours every Monday for a swim meet. That’s a lot of hours I had to spend coming up with ways to entertain my 3 & 5 year olds.
I had a very large bag full of all sorts of entertainment and when I shared some photos on Instagram, some people asked me to compile them into a post so they could have a list of ideas all in one place.
Ask and you shall receive. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, here are 16 ideas for ways to entertain toddlers and kids while their siblings are practicing sports, playing games, having lessons and more!
If you want more toddler and kid activities, check out these posts:
- Indoor Activities for Toddlers
- 10 Cheap Toddler Activities
- Indoor Activities for Kids
- At-Home Activities for Kids
How To Entertain Kids at Sibling Sporting Events
- Matching/memory games and/or playing cards – Spread the cards out and have toddlers find the matches or flip them over and have them play memory to find the matches. Older kids can use playing cards to play games like go fish, crazy 8’s, speed, war and more. Playing cards can also be used for matches/memory games.
- Puzzles – look for small 24-48 piece puzzles. Store them in small plastic containers with the puzzle picture taped to the cover or in zippered pouches.
- Plus plus blocks – Store them in a zippered pouch and let them build and create. There are Plus Plus Big blocks for younger kids and also small ones that are more similar in size to legos.
- Legos – Get a small base plate (check the dollar store!) and fill a pencil box with legos.
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How To Keep Siblings Busy At Sporting Events
- Painting – Paint with water books and Water Wow (aff links) are two great options that only require water. Or you could branch out to washable watercolors.
- Coloring – Sometimes nothing beats a simple notebook and markers (or crayons or colored pencils)
- Boogie Board – These digital boards can be drawn on with a stylus and instantly erase with the touch of a button for endless fun! My older kids have these boogie boards or they have a toddler version that my youngest loves.
- Stickers – Toddlers love the circular dot stickers that they can place randomly on page. Give older kids a challenge by asking them to draw a habitat or picture and then place their stickers into the picture. Or try reusable stickers or puffy sticker reusable activity books.
*links are affiliate links which means I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Ways To Entertain Toddlers and Siblings at Games
- Books – Pack a few favorites to read with toddlers or an easy chapter book to read to siblings.
- Frog Tape/painter’s tape – Perfect for entertaining because it sticks but is easily removed and doesn’t leave a sticky residue. Create roads to drive hot wheels cars on!
- Hidden picture or search and find books – Easy to pack and can keep them busy for a long time!
- Magnetic doll dress-up – This is the one we have but there are lots of versions available.
Ways To Entertain Siblings
- Tablet – I offer a lot of alternatives in this post but let’s be real, sometimes you just need to put on a movie to get them to sit still 🙂
- Pop-its/Fidget toys – There are lots of options – fidget spinners and cubes, theraputty, etc – anything to keep their hands busy while they sit and watch.
- Paint with water – If you’ve got a concrete area or sidewalk, give them a cup of water and a paintbrush and let them paint!
- Hair salon – Great time to practice some fun hairstyles!
Other Ways To Entertain Kids
- Walks! Bring the stroller. Here are some scavenger hunt ideas for kids!
- Sports – Bring a ball, baseball glove, frisbee etc
- Snacks – Trust me when I say you can never have too many snacks!
- Camera or radio – Buy a cheap digital camera or a small handheld radio (or just give them your phone). Let them go to town jamming to music or taking photos!
Have any other favorites? Leave them in the comments!
–Lindsay–
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Thanks for this post. It is just what i needed 🙂