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Toddler Activities

7 Easy Indoor Activities to Do with Toddlers

January 8, 2021 by KT Leave a Comment

7 Indoor Toddler Activities

Looking for some super easy indoor activities to keep your toddlers busy and entertained!

Here are some ideas of simple yet fun things to do with your toddlers when you are stuck indoors!

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy if you have any questions.

Make a Crib Fort

Easy Blanket Crib Fort for Babies and Toddlers

Forts are a go-to favorite of mine and we make so many forts, mainly in the living room with pillows, blankets and cushions.

However, my two year old is fazing out the nap (wahh) and I needed the break during the afternoon stretch so a Crib Fort was invented.

I took a large comforter and threw it over the crib and my 2 and 4 year old LOVED it.

The Crib Fort was a hit.

They played in the crib under the blankets for over an hour.

I sat my butt in the rocker and rested. It was seriously the best and my kids had so much fun!

Make sure the blanket you pick is a big one because throw blankets may be a tad small and consistently fall off.

I did a full comforter and it was great. Depending on the blanket, it may get dark so you can add some flashlights or glow sticks to add to the activity as well!

Forts are great, but the crib fort was a new twist and a big hit with my boys!

Make and Play with Snow

Easy Fake Snow Recipe for Kids

The winter (or anytime really) can be long with little ones, especially when you can’t get outside.

When my youngest was really little is was so hard to get outside when it snowed when it was just me, and my older toddler was so anxious to play in it.

Sometimes it’s too cold to go out, it takes too long to get ready, or just too hard in general, that I’ve brought the snow inside.

I’ve scooped up snow from my deck, put it in a big container, and threw down some towels underneath. Viola— instant easy activity!

If you don’t have snow currently, or never get snow, you can totally make it.

I’ve made this recipe with my boys. Warning– it’s totally messy, but a big hit! Who needs real snow right?

Water Play in the Bath Tub

Getting an impromtu bath and water play can be a fun and easy way to break up the day.

I feel like my kids love getting in the bath when they don’t have to get clean, ha.

Sometimes I’ll even throw real toys (like legos) in the tub for them to play with. That’s so silly mom.

PLUS, throwing toys in the bath tub with the kids gets the toys clean so it’s a win win during flu season. And Ex

Big Box Play

Boxes are always a hit in my house. It’s like an extra perk of getting all those online orders 😉

There’s SO much to do with a box! I usually just put it down and see where the imagination goes!

When my son was really little, I would just put him in there with crayons and he was contained and having fun!

Sometimes I’ll participate or grab supplies, but usually I’ll have my kids lead the way when it comes to box play!

Playdough

Playdough is one of those activities that I always pull out when I need an extra few minutes to cook dinner, wash dinner, or just need a minute of quietness.

I usually opt for the easy option of store-bought play-doh with some tools to go with it, however, you can also make play dough too.

I’ve had a few Pinterest fails when it came to homemade playdough, but I know many people make it with no problems! Even better, you get an activity making it and then an activity with playing with it!

I just hope you have a little more luck with finding a great homemade play dough recipe– mine always comes out too sticky and messy! (I’ll link when I find a good one though!)

Play dough is such a fun and easy activity for indoor play. Make sure to tuck it away and use it on days you really need it to make play dough more fun.

Fun with Magnets

magnet tiles kid favorite toy

There’s so many different things you can do with magnets!

We have so much fun experimenting with them! We will use our fridge or baking pan as a base and see what will stick to it!

We use magnetic tiles a lot and it’s such a fun toy because it’s a magnet and a block!

My kids can play with Magnetic tiles for hours. It is probably the best investment toy in my house. They are a little pricey, but we’ve gotten soo may hours of play out of our magnetic tiles!

The best part is that the kids will usually play with these with little help from mom. Sometimes I’ll play and make things with them, but other times, they can play for quite awhile with them by themselves!

I’ll even put them on the fridge and have them play with magna-tiles while cooking dinner!

Magna-tiles can get a little pricey, we actually don’t have any of the original brand, but we do have a few knocks that work just as well!

picasso magnetic tiles for fun building activity for toddlers

We have Picasso tiles and PlayMags and another random brand. I like the PlayMags a tad better if they are the same price, but Picasso tiles and other brands are fine too!

The different brands also work fine together, I think as long as they look like they will work together, they will.

Magnetic tiles are also great to experiment with other magnetic to see what sticks to what!

Have a Picnic Indoors!

Can’t get outside? Have a picnic indoors!

My boys love to throw the blanket down in the kitchen and eat our snacks and/or lunch on it!

It such a great way to combine mealtime and playtime!

My boys love playing picnic and will usually initiate it too! They’ll grab a blanket and start thinking of ideas for food and things for our picnic!

It’s a super cute activity– and practical too!

Who needs to go outside when you have a picnic anywhere!

Dance Party!

There’s no better way to get all that energy out with a Dance Party!

My kids love when I turn on the music and just dance! It’s such a simple activity too and a great way to burn some energy!

Just turn on some music of your choice and have fun! You can also add some balloons, glow sticks, dance mats, etc. to make it extra fun!

Silly Obstacle Course

On days that you can’t simply get outside and there’s A LOT of energy to get out and a dance party won’t cut it, try making an indoor obstacle course.

Lay some pillows on the ground for them to jump over, a tunnel to go through, silly rope to go under, etc.

Some times I’ll tape construction paper shapes to the ground that they need to jump to and from, and it’s a hit with my 2.5 year old.

It’s great to get energy out when we can’t get outside!

I hope you find a few ideas to keep your kids busy while stuck inside! Enjoy!

You May Also Like: How to Keep Your Toddler Busy When You’re Exhausted

Filed Under: Kid Activities, Parenting Tagged With: kid activities, Toddler Activities

The Best Board Games for Preschoolers and Small Kids

March 21, 2020 by KT Leave a Comment

Best Board Games for Families, Kids, Preschoolers and Toddlers

Are you looking for the best board games to play with preschoolers and young children?

I love playing board games and game with my toddler and preschooler, and I love family game time as a family of four!

My youngest is 2.5 and there are some games that he loves to play too, although some games are better than others! My preschooler is the perfect age for board games and loves to play with us!

It’s such a fun and easy family activity with quality family time, and a lot of the games are a little educational too!

Here are my favorite board games for preschoolers and young kids:

*This post does contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy if you have any questions.

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game is an award winning family favorite game!

It’s a great game that teaches fine motor skills and color matching and it’s just so fun too!

You basically need to collect the most acorns first to win! It’s a simple game, but it’s a lot of fun and great educational game without even knowing it!

My 2.5 year old is just getting the hang of it but it’s perfect for my 4.5 year old! We love playing this one as a family too!

For more information or to purchase The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game, please click here.

Banana Blast

Banana Blast was gifted to us and this game was an instant MEGA hit!

My 2.5 and 4.5 year old LOVED playing with this and my little one did pretty good at playing this!

You roll the dice and you try to sneak a banana from the monkey! Whoever gets the most bananas before he jumps, wins! You also try to catch that monkey to steal two bananas away to help you win the most!

Usually whoever catches that jump monkey, will usually win!

We sometimes get some sore losers, even my husband, but my kids can play with this for awhile all together!

Some great family fun for all!

For more information or to purchase Banana Blast, please click here.

Pop the Pig

Pop the Pig is a fun game, and perfect for little ones who are just getting into games! It was one of our first games!

Truthfully, we use Pop the Pig more as a toy than a game.

We feed him him burgers and when he gets full, he pops out! It’s super silly! My younger one loves this more than my almost 5 year old, so it’s a great beginner game!

It’s a great game to play casually and more like a toy if you’re little one is quite into board games yet too!

For more information or to purchase Pop the Pig, please click here.

Guess Who?

Guess Who? is a classic board game that I remember playing when I was little!

You need to make guesses to narrow down the person the other person picked, and to find the correct person first!

This is a two person game that my almost 5 year old is just getting into! I would say 5+ is good for actually playing the game and is too young for my little one, but my 5 year old and I have a little quality time together with this one!

For more information or to purchase Guess Who?, please click here.

Richard Scarry’s Busytown, Eye Found It Toddler Game

Oone of our favorite authors is Richard Scarry, and we love Busytown and it’s great to see the world in a board game!

Richard Scarry’s Busytown, Eye Found It! game has you racing around Busytown to find hidden objects!

We actually are gifting this game for our son’s fifth birthday after hearing so many positive reviews so I’ll post an update with my thoughts later when we play this as a family!

For more information or to purchase Richard Scarry’s Busytown, Eye Found It! game, please click here.

Zingo!

Zingo! is an award winning preschool game that is great for pre-readers and early readers.

Zingo! is basically Bingo with a Zing and a great way to learn sight words for preschoolers and young kids!

For more information or to purchase Zingo!, please click here.

I’ll add more as we find more family favorites too! What are your favorite board games for small children?

Filed Under: Kid Activities, Parenting Tagged With: board games, Toddler Activities

Ways to Keep Your Toddler Busy When You Are Exhausted

September 12, 2019 by KT Leave a Comment

How to keep a toddler or kid busy when mom is sick, exhausted or need to get work done with easy kid activities

Are you looking for toddler activities to keep your kids busy when you are exhausted, sick, or just need to get stuff done?

I’ve been super sick lately and I have two little ones at home so it’s super hard to rest and watch toddlers as a stay at home mom.

If you are sick, exhausted or just need a break, here’s a few easy things to do while mom is sick:

*This post contains affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy if you have any questions.

Toy Rotation

Easy Toy Rotation for kid toys to stay organized and more toy play

I love not keeping every single toy out for instant play and instant messes and will rotate toys in my house.

Toy Rotation is just that… keep some toys and bins tucked away, and rotate toys for new ones. I keep big bins in the closet and will just take a bin for a day, and other times I’ll completely rotate the toys in our living room.

The nice thing about toy rotation is that “new” toys will appear. I feel like my kids will play with their toys longer when they haven’t seen them in awhile.

If they always see the same toys, and can access every single toy, they will play less. They get overwhelmed and bored. At least, I feel like that’s the case with my kids.

I like to keep totes in a closet and will take them out and rotate toys or even just pull out a toy or two when I feel like they need something else to keep them busy.

When I’m really tired, I’ll have “an ace” toy tucked away nearby and will bring it out when I need it. It’ll keep them busy, and the toy is “new”. It’s usually building related with my boys because they love to make and build things.

Fun building toys for toddlers and kids for easy kid activity

I also get overwhelmed less with toy rotation because I am looking at less toys myself and will do less pick up every night.

Also, there’s less dumping of every single toy in bins and then walking away to play with the coach cushions or something…

Highly recommend toy rotation or just keeping aside a few toys to keep playing with toys a little more exciting.

Easy Crafts

My Giant Busy Box for an easy craft activity for kids

We love to do crafts and creative things, but it can be exhausting to find the craft, set it up, assist and clean up.

I love craft kits when I need a break and want something easy to keep the kids entertained.

I’ll get some cheap stuff at Michaels, especially when the seasons are changing. They tend to have huge clearance sales for holiday items before the holiday is even over.

For example, I always go into Michaels around December 20th and grab a few last minute crafts for 75% off! I did the same for the fall, when it was still technically fall season– and there’s usually some craft kits to choose from!

I’ve also done the Alex Toys Busy Box. It’s nice when you want to do a craft, but don’t want to think about it or set it up. You can pull out a bag, and the craft is in the bag with all the supplies. It’s so nice and skips a few steps, especially when you are sick.

There’s also some super easy and mess-free crafts in the kit, like stick stickers on pizza, and then there’s more elaborate crafts that need some help and creativity. However, you can pick the craft in the kit based on your mood.

I love doing craft kits when the kids are exhausted because they usually keep them busy and there’s not too much to do on my end besides the occasional assisting or “ooh ahh”.

Big ‘ol Box

Yep. What toddler can resist a gigantic box?

Just grab markers, crayons, scissors, construction paper, glue, or nothing at all and see what amazing things can come out of a box.

That’s it, easy right?

My kids loves boxes of all shapes and sizes for creative play and self play! I don’t have to get involved at all with box play!

Just save those diaper boxes and random boxes for days you really need a break!

Magnetic Tiles

fun and easy toddler play with picasso magnetic tiles when mom is sick

My kids can play with Magnetic tiles for hours. It is probably the best investment toy in my house. They are a little pricey, but we’ve gotten soo may hours of play out of our magnetic tiles!

The best part is that the kids will usually play with these with little help from mom. Sometimes I’ll play and make things with them, but other times, they can play for quite awhile with them by themselves!

I’ll even put them on the fridge and have them play with magna-tiles while cooking dinner!

Magna-tiles can get a little pricey, we actually don’t have any of the original brand, but we do have a few knocks that work just as well!

picasso magnetic tiles for fun building activity for toddlers

We have Picasso tiles and PlayMags and another random brand. I like the PlayMags a tad better if they are the same price, but Picasso tiles and other brands are fine too! The different brands also work fine together, I think as long as they look like they will work together, they will.

Magnetic tiles are definitely my favorite toy and perfect for days that I’m exhausted and need to get things done because they get hours of play with them!

Sand Box

Sand Box for toddlers for easy outdoor play

If it’s nice weather, head outside. Digging in a sandbox can keep kids occupied for awhile!

If you don’t have a sandbox or the sandbox novelty has worn out, you can also add sand to a Tupperware bin and place some shovels, cups, or kitchen tools for some sand play!

You could also put kinetic sand or make cloud dough and create an indoor sand box if the weather isn’t cooperating.

Keep in mind, that it could get messy for indoor play. The first time I did cloud dough, I got two hours of self play and easy clean up. It was amazing. Next time, not so much. It can get messy real fast, depending on experience.

But a sand box outside or on the deck is perfect for days that you are exhausted!

big pile of dirt at construction birthday party for kid activity to keep toddlers busy

We also went to an construction birthday party with a big pile of dirt and my kid was digging in that for two hours straight.

My son totally ignored the huge brand-new sand box and went straight for the dirt pile, so if the sandbox novelty has worn out, go for the good stuff.

Anyone need a big pile of dirt delivered?

Spark Kitchen Sink

Guys, water comes out when you turn on the play sink, just like a real sink. And you don’t have to stand at a sink with your kid for 10 minutes or waste water!

You put water on the bottom and the pump will bring up the water and it keeps recycling through the water.

My kids love it. It’s the Spark Kitchen Sink with a WORKING FAUCET.

Just be forewarned though, it doesn’t last terribly long. The pump actually lasted longer for us than others, but it won’t last forever. I think it lasted around a year for us, with on and off play. But I do know someone who’s pump broke within a few days of play.

The sink will also randomly start working again for a few minutes after not working for months, and then die again.

But for $15, you should get your money back pretty quickly in babysitting money.

My son played with this FOR HOURS.

Especially if you have a water/sink lover on your hands.

Just make sure to put a big towel underneath it, as it gets a little wet and messy, but not terribly so. Or just bring it outside if it’s nice out.

The Spark Kitchen Sink is a Walmart exclusive and available for $14.88, but you can find it on sites like Amazon too, but you will be paying more than retail for it.

You can find a knock-off version at Burlington Coat Factory, T.J. Maxx, etc. call Just Like Home Kitchen Sink and it’s a similar price, if you can’t find the spark one or would rather shop in stores.

There’s also the Little Tikes Splish Splash Sink and Stove for $20, and the pump works a tad differently, but I heard that it’s also a hit!

All three sinks were really hard to find two Christmases ago, but I think they are a little easier to find now.

The sink is definitely a hit and a great investment for $15-$20 since your little one should engrossed for awhile with this one!

Toys in the Tub

Toys in the tub… with no water. That’s so silly mom.

The Tub is a great go-to when you are exhausted and just want them to stay in one place for more than 5 minutes.

Throw them in the tub, put some toys that shouldn’t be there, and viola!

If your up for it, you can also add water for some longer fun.

You could even throw those toys in their for a silly bath time or put their bathing suits on and “go to the beach” if it’s been a long day or long winter.

I also like to throw toys in during the day for a bath because:

  1. It’s fun and silly
  2. It keeps the kids extra busy
  3. The toys get clean (!!!)

Using the bath during the day with or without water is a great activity that can keep the busy for a long time with minimal effort. You just have to stay in the bathroom with them for this one.

Time Consuming Snacks

annies fruit roll ups for an easy time consuming snack for kids

Those Apple Pouches are great. They are quick, healthy, and great in a pinch. They are great for on-the-go and in a rush as they don’t take too much at all!

I love the apple pouch but sometimes we need the exact opposite. The all-time consuming snack.

The snack that takes forever. The snack that your entertain your kids for awhile. The kind of snack that keeps them busy so you have a break.

My kids are eating that snack right now as I type this. I am sitting at my kitchen table and the kids are around and eating a time consuming snack. We are on about 20 minutes. It’s lovely.

There are many different options, but today I did food + activity + motor skills.

Crackers + Peanut Butter + Do It Yourself.

I give my kids a (safe) butter knife, crackers, and peanut butter and they love making peanut butter sandwiches. They are also learning motor skills as they are buttering the crackers themselves.

It’s not terribly messy either– a little messy, but manageable.

They keep themselves busy + I’m getting work done.

If we are on the go and need to keep them busy on an airplane, waiting area, etc. I’ll pick a less messy time consuming snack like fruit roll-ups or something.

What are your favorite time consuming snacks! I need some more ideas!

Don’t Wake The….

Don’t wake the {insert favorite animal or mystical creature}

We usually play Don’t Wake The Lion and I am (Mom) the Lion. I lay on the floor in blankets and pillows (cozy) and I’m a lion. Anytime the kids come near and try to uncover my blanket, I let out a big ROAR.

You can do this fun little lazy game with whatever you want. I’m usually a lion because my kids love ROARING, but you could be a big bear, pirate, dragon, or whatever your kids would like best.

You can even hid a little treat, treasure, or toy to make it more enticing and have them try to get the treat from the lion.

We get a few giggles out of it and I get to lay down in blankets and pillows without doing too much, but I still feel like I’m still bonding and having fun with my kids even if I feel terrible.

It’s silly, fun and lazy fun all at the same time!

Reading, Puzzles and Games

puzzles for toddlers for easy play and learning on the couch

This is one that you need to be present for, but great if you are sick and exhausted because it’s very low energy.

We sit on the couch and we read books. We do will do puzzles together and play board games and silly games.

I like to do things that I can sit on the couch and rest but I can still engage and do fun things with them.

Big picture books, magazines, maps, calendars, and baby pictures of themselves also do well as they like to look at different things! We can open up a big map and point to things on a map or talk about the numbers or pictures on the calendar.

It keeps them busy and intrigued, and I get to sit on the couch.

Behold The Novelty

whisk a toy that keeps a baby busy

All Hail The Novelty. You know that item that super random item that will keep your kid busy forever for that moment in time and then they will never see or play with it again.

The novelty item is just a great way to keep a kid busy when you are exhausted or really sick.

Some you would never even give your kids on a regular basis but you are exhausted for some peace in quiet. A novelty item is great for this.

Not all novelty items are not the same and may work again, and some will just never work for your children, because all kids are different.

Here are a few “novelty items” that worked for my kids:

  • Flashlights
  • Keys
  • Balloons
  • Slinky
  • Spin Tops (Grampy usually brings one to restaurants & keeps them busy)
  • Light or Glow Sticks (be careful if you have a biter)
  • Contact Case (just be careful with this one since it’s so small)
  • Tupperware with lots of covers and lids
  • Ice Cream Scoop, Pans, Rolling Pin, etc.
  • Whisk (you can put pom poms in it for more curiosity)
  • Spray Bottle
  • The Big Toy Book (I grabbed a few a Target at Christmas time to bring out

Let me know what your favorite novelty items are and have worked well for you– I need more!

And The Screen

screen time for kids with an iPad when mom or dad is sick

Since this is a post about parenting while exhausted, a screen like TV or an iPad will keep those little ones entertained while you rest.

I personally try to limit screen time, but when I’m sick, those limits go out the window.

TV and movies keep my boys still and entertained while I rest.

We usually stick to PBS programming like Curious George or Daniel Tiger because they learn some stuff and they’re household favorites.

We also watch some music programming like The Wiggles because sometimes they’ll dance and let some energy out!

I try not to feel too guilty about letting them watch a lot of TV and movies when I need it, because it keeps them safe and entertained. They are also little and won’t watch TV all day since they can never stay still for that long!

Some days are packed with stuff and a screen never turns on, and other days, screens are on more than usual. I think it all balances out in the end.

When you are completely exhausted, a little screen time is an easy activity that will keep them busy and entertained.

What are some things you do when you need to watch the kids when you are sick or completely exhausted?

Filed Under: Daily Parenting, Kid Activities, Parenting Tagged With: Toddler Activities

13 Things I Do Every Day With My Kids

June 17, 2019 by KT 8 Comments

Things I Do Every Day as as Stay At Home Mom with two toddlers with fun activities to daily chores with kids!

“What Do You Do Every Day?!?!” is something I occasionally hear when someone is discovering I’m a stay-at-home mom with two little ones.

So, what are some things stay-at-home moms do?

What do Stay At Home Moms Do Every Day at Home with their babies, toddlers and young kids?

Well, sometimes I do SO much and sometimes it feels like I do SO much and accomplish nothing, and sometimes I actually do nothing when my kids play in perfect harmony. That last one has happened once or twice, and it’s usually a lovely 10 minutes.

For us, every day looks different but looks pretty much the same too. I try to keep some routine and balance, and other days are just… messy. However, there’s some things we try to do every single day regardless of order.

My youngest is currently a terrible sleeper so our days can change drastically depending on how he slept the night before, what time he woke, and how long if he naps.

Despite the variables, even in a regular day, there are some things I try do do every single day as a stay-at-home mom with my kids.

I found reading what other stay-at-home parents do in their daily routine helpful when creating my own schedule and activities.

Here is what I do with my young kids on a regular basis to give you an idea what I do all day as a stay-at-home mom if you are looking for ideas for creating your own daily thing:

Read Books

I love reading books with my kids and it is something I do everyday. I will read a book (or two) before naps and bedtime, but I do try to incorporate books during the day too when we have more time and I’m not anxious for bedtime.

I find that early in the day works best for reading stories but sometimes, they’ll pull books randomly throughout the day and we will read.

I’ll gladly read anytime I have an audience! Kids sitting peacefully next to me, and I get to sit too! It’s a dream activity!

Sometimes I just start reading with no audience and see if I get any interest, especially if they have much more energy than I do at the moment.

Some of our favorite books are:
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy if you have questions.

  • Little Blue Truck
  • Big Red Barn
  • Dear Zoo
  • Tubby
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar
  • Jamberry (my oldest loves the illustrations!)
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
  • Anything Elephant & Piggie
  • Anything Llama Llama
  • Anything Berenstain Bears
  • Anything Curious George

We Play Together

I have a modest house which (sadly) does not include a play room, but I make it a point to sit down on the floor and play with my kids in the living room.

We will build blocks, play ball, run cars down cardboard boxes, etc. when we aren’t playing and building with Magnetic Tiles. My oldest can play with those things for HOURS (with and without anyone) and loves when we build a huge castle together!

We have a bunch of magnetic tiles… Picasso, PlayMags, and a mystery brand purchased from Amazon by the grandparents. They all work together fine, and none are the true Magna-Tiles, but they all work great! I think as long as the magnetic tiles look like they will work together (similiar kinds/shapes), they probably will work well together.

Magna-Tiles are great for playing together and quiet time too! We probably have around 200 pieces and they all get played with daily!

We also do some self play too, especially because it’s important skill to have, but I always make a point to carve out some play too!

As my kids are getting older (4!), we are doing more self play, but I strive to do some 1-on-1 play time with each of my boys at some point in the day.

We Learn (through Play)

We do a lot of playing at our house and I find that a lot of learning happens just through play!

I don’t do too much of scheduled learning for my young kids, but will incorporate learning through play. I’ll recite the colors, shapes, animal type, etc. when they are playing with different toys and repeat things often.

My oldest will also ask tons of questions, and we will talk all day long so I think learning by conversation is a great way to learn without putting too much pressure on it.

The learning may change to more organized learning as they grow older but for now we do most of our learning through play and through fun activities.

We Make Things

I try to incorporate some kind of fun activity in the day and it is usually a craft or cooking something.

The activity will change depending on the season and what is going on in a given day. If my younger son is sleeping, my older son and I might do a fun activity in the window.

If he gets to pick, he usually picks baking something, but I recently got diagnosed with Celiac Disease so we tend to do more arts and crafts as of late.

I tend to stick to easy craft projects such as:

  • Paper and Markers
  • A Box with markers and/or sensible scissors (when is a box not a hit?!)
  • Large Canvas Paper (Sometimes I take the Amazon brown packaging paper so he can draw on that too)
  • Painting (I’ll use the brown packaging underneath for paint projects too!)
  • Playdough

However, sometimes I will do a special craft or activity, especially during different holidays, so check out my Toddler Craft board on Pinterest!

We Rest

After lunch typically, we rest. My little one will go down for a nap, and my oldest will rest. When my oldest outgrew his nap, I would still put him in his crib (sometimes with books or toys if he resisted) and he would stay up there for an hour so to have some quiet time.

I don’t do rest time as well as I use too, as I let my oldest stay with my downstairs now while my youngest is upstairs sleeping, but I still try with some quiet activities like books, quiet play, or sometimes watching a little TV on the couch.

Rest time is a great way to break up the day, and I highly recommend scheduling some rest time in your schedule, because your kids (and you) need it!

We Sing & Dance

I find that dancing with my kids is a great mood changer and a great way to get energy out. I find that late afternoon window a little hard with a lot of snack requests, a lot of fighting, and a lot of messes. I find that putting on music will usually change the vibe… for the better! Sometimes after dinner we will have dance parties to get the kids tired for bed too!

We sing silly songs, and I’ll turn on the music and we will sing along, or sometimes we will have a Dance Party.

Outdoor Play (when possible)

We live in a four season state so it’s not always possible to play outside, but when we can, we go outside and play in our modest backyard.

My parents got my son this sandbox for his third birthday and it is a hit. He can be in a sandbox for hours, which is great because we also bought a playset with swings and a slide, and it is not used nearly as much.

We love to get outside and play in our backyard, to the playground, or go for a walk in our neighborhood or a park!

Playing outside is a great way of getting energy out and exploring nature!

We Get that Energy Out

I mentioned getting energy out already through other activities, but whenever we can, we get that energy out!

We dance, we sing, we run around outside in the yard, we kick the soccer ball around, ride bikes, go for a walk, jump on a trampoline, or go to a local indoor play space if we need to get out of the house and the weather isn’t cooperating.

Getting energy out is a great way for a great nap or early bedtime too!

We Clean Together

How do you do the dishes, sweep the floor, and pick up toys when you have young children? You involve them! My kids LOVE to help!

Now, it takes about 1000% times longer with little helpers and you’ll probably need to re-do a lot of their work, but my little ones love to “help”. I’ll grab the broom to sweep, and my kids will grab theirs and go along with me or help pick up the dirt with their dust pan.

Our Melissa and Doug Cleaning Set gets a lot of pretend play and a lot of practical use too! It’s one of our most use toys, and they do all the initiating. I don’t ever force them help me sweep or do the dishes at age 2, but they do want to help Mom at that age.

(I’m probably going to miss the “help” when they are older!)

I do (try to) make them pick up their toys each day, and we do make a game out of it to make it fun or sing the clean up song.

Sometimes they love to help a little too much! And sometimes I with they would love to clean a little more!

13 Things I Do Every Day as a Stay-At-Home Mom to toddlers and kids

We Get Social

Since my kids are not enrolled in daycare, I need to make sure they get some interactions and exposure to other kids. Unfortunately, the only cousins we have live far and all my friends with kids similar ages live at least an hour away, so social activity doesn’t always happen organically.

Unfortunately, the social aspect doesn’t always happen every day in the winter, but I try to get them out of the house when we can and get a little social interaction and exposure to kids their age.

My oldest is now in preschool, so it’s a little easier to accomplish my social goals, but I do need to do a better job at scheduling play dates and impromptu playground visits.

I truthfully don’t do “social things” every day with my kids but I want to get so much better in this aspect that I put it on the list. If I write it down, it will come true, right?

We Eat Together

We eat all our meals together at the dining room table. I find that if I stand and eat, my kids will too. (I do need to get better at this!) I try to make it a point that we all eat together at the table, and have fun conversations about our day, what we are going to do, and favorite things.

I love eating together with my kids for our meals and feel blessed that it is something we can do together.

We do the Same Things Every Night

We have the same bedtime routine every night. The time changes slightly depending on when the youngest awoke from his nap and if my oldest fell asleep in the car, but it usually begins between 6:30-7PM and lasts around 30 minutes.

Bath, pajamas, brush our teeth, book, and bed. Me Time.

Some things are certainly easier said than done, but I try to incorporate the above in our daily routine with my toddlers.

We Are Kind

I think kindness is so important (especially these days!) and I try to lead by example with my kids.

But most important, I try to be kind to myself. I try not to beat myself up to much if we don’t make it outside to play, if we eat our lunch on the go, or don’t read as many books as I’d like that day.

Parenting is so hard and I try to be kind to myself and to other parents as well because you never know the struggles others are going through.

What are some things you do every day with your kids? I’d love to get some more ideas!

What Stay At Home Moms Do Every Day with their Babies and Toddlers

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Filed Under: Daily Parenting, Kid Activities Tagged With: SAHM, Things to Do with Toddlers, Toddler Activities

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