12 Indoor Activities to Entertain Toddlers During Coronavirus

Now that Coronavirus is fully upon on us, we need to rethink a lot of things. I realize that there are a lot of lists out there and recommendations on what to buy, eat, and do to stay safe during this unprecedented time. This is not one of them. 

This list is specifically for parents of small children who are now forced to cancel all outings, social activities and bunker down indoors. Granted, a lot of our friends from snowy places do this more frequently than my network in California, but given the pandemic status, this is a bit more severe. This is a great time to setup a play area for your kids and invest in High-Quality Soft Play Products. This will help promote physical health and having fun to your kids.

You can’t replace school, playdates and playgrounds but you sure can create some exciting new activities that will keep your kids entertained and engaged (or at least distracted). And note, none of these activities involve TV or digital tech (but hey, if we need to resort to that, no judgement, we do too in dire times). 

HOME ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS

(roughly aged 1ish-4ish)

1. Obstacle Course

Depending your child’s age, you can make this as simple or complex as needed. For my girl under 2, we are going to go more simple and make a tunnel using chairs and sheets, followed by squeezing through her tunnel and, climbing up a pillow mountain and ending with dropping a ball in a bucket. 

Bigger kids:  You can add in physical things like crab walking and jumping jacks or drawing a certain picture or writing their name. 

What you need: 

Pillows

Blankets

Boxes 

Tubes

Wooden Spoons 

Paper/Crayons as needed 

 

2. Mini Ball Pit

Ball pit, occupancy for 1. Take a small inflatable pool and fill it with those cheap colorful balls. If you don’t have a pool or don’t want to order one, use your tub! No water, just balls!

What you need:

Small Inflatable Pool like this one

These lightweight colorful balls

 

3. Watercolor Painting

Any type of paints technically work, but do yourself a favor and get watercolors to limit the mess. Yes, water will get on the floor but it’s a much quicker cleanup. I used small mouthwash cups for the water and taught Aurora how to dip into the water first then into the color then paper. This alone can be a lot for the little ones but it’s a fun learning process. I also purchased a variety of brushes to play with the different size of strokes. 

What you Need

Water Color Paints

Mini Cups 

Brushes 

 

4. Bath Tub Painting

*This idea was from Busy Toddler–an amazing resource if you don’t know it!

Take your painting to the next level (and save your cleanup) and let your kids go wild in the bathtub. For us that means diaper only and paint away. They can paint EVERYWHERE, even themselves, and after just wash it down and keep your child in for a bath. Toss the paper and tape. And Done!

Note: We have not done this yet but I’ll update with photos when we do. I know this will be a hit because we did a messy art class like this and it was Aurora’s favorite thing ever.

 

What you need:

These paints

This paper

Painters Tape

Brushes

 

5. Living Room Forts

Aurora is obsessed with couch forts. We’ve acquiesced and have taken almost all the cushions off our couch to make intricate forts with sheets and blankets. If you don’t want to go all out, drape a sheet between two chairs or use any big boxes that you might have leftover. 

What you need: 

Blankets/Sheets

Pillows/Couch cushions

Chairs

Imagination 

 

6. Baking Time

Though maybe messy, this hands on activity is a fun bonding experience and teaches your toddler about food, from measuring to mixing to baking and then eating! I like to do simple things like sugar cookies or banana bread.

For even simpler, do premade crescent rolls and let your toddler make their own shapes and add in fillings like cheese or jam. 

What you need: 

Baking Recipe + ingredients OR premade crescent rolls (like Immaculate Baking Company)

Healthy Sugar Cookie Recipe

Step stool or learning tower (i like this one)

 

7. Twister

Timeless. Ageless. This game is a must because you’ll have fun with it forever. For the little ones, the spinner alone can be fun but you can work on your colors and body coordination by spinning then having your toddler take the lead on which body part to put on which color. You can leave out left and right unless you feel like that is a challenge your child can take on. 

If you join in the fun, I guarantee your child will start laughing! 

What you need: 

Twister! 

 

8. Friends and Neighbors Game

This game teaches empathy and it is easy and fun. Aurora loves emotions right now so she is fascinated when people are sad or hurt and wants them to “feel better” or “go to doctor.” I think that this will have a longer life for us too as she grows but it is great for little littles!

What you Need:

Friends and Neighbors Game

 

9. Hungry Hungry Hippos

I loved this game growing up and it’s loud, exciting and super simple. *Be mindful of the little balls as they are definitely choking hazards for little kids so if you child is under 4, only play with them and make sure that it is not accessible to them when you aren’t right next to them (aka. Store it in a child safe closet)

What you Need: 

Hungry Hungry Hippos Game!

 

10. Haba My First Orchard Game

I researched a lot and this game kept coming up as a top game for little kids that they like to continue to play as they grow. Parents liked it as well for it’s high quality wood pieces made in Germany. They make a few other versions with farmers and honeybees but the orchard seemed to have the most accolades and I liked the way it was played the best. This is a pricier game but the reviews and quality sold me.

What you need: 

My First Orchard 

 

11. Play Dough 

Since it dries out fast and lots of playdoughs have artificial ingredients, I like to make my own. If not, I suggest Eco Toys!
What you need: 

Premade Playdough (love this set)

Or DIY! Check out this play dough recipe

 

12: Dance Party

Pump your favorite jams, grab pretend microphones and have a dance party! Take it to the next level with sunglasses, costumes or turning down the lights and using flashlights!

What you need: 

Music!

 

Hope some of these give you a little relief and levity during this difficult time!

xoxo

Kelley