There’s no doubt about. Having a toddler in the home can be a lot of work whether the child is your own or you’re simply babysitting. These balls of energy are everywhere at this age, which may make keeping them entertained as tough as nails. Sure, there’s lots of crazy gadgets you can buy to do the job, but there are also some good old fashioned ways to keep the kids busy that won’t empty out your wallet. These tricks are friendly to those who aren’t a fan of crafting or to anyone looking for a way to keep one or more toddlers occupied long enough to get the dishes finished. So, get ready to hear the joy of your toddlers’ laughter because these ten tips are sure to bring lots of fun to your life.
1. Bring Out the Paint
The thought of bringing out paint for toddlers to use can be frightening. I’m sure images of your beautiful home repainted in tiny fingerprints comes to mind. However, you can still have fun with the kids without worrying about a huge mess. First of all, if you plan on doing finger painting then have the kids go outside and let them enjoy the sunshine as they create the next big masterpiece. You can also create a special paint area in the home, complete with barriers. Simply set up a baby gate or other place to block off the area and secure the carpet and walls with trash bags or newspapers. If you want your child to work on their motor functions, then grab a few kid friendly paintbrushes and let them go to town. Another way to enjoy painting without the mess is to simply place a variety of paints into a zip lock bag. The kids can enjoy moving the colors around and checking out their finger and hand prints in the colors. Finally, you may want to consider bath paints. These are perfect for an average bath time, but you can also use them as a cool down activity after the kids have played at the park.
2. Musical Instruments
You may need some ear plugs for this one, but children absolutely love to play with instruments. This is great, because there’s many different things you can make from home using items you probably already have. For instance, if you have a paper towel roll in your recycling then use it to create a variety of things. You can cover each end with paper or fabric and fill it with beans, rice, cereal, or even bells. The children will love expressing themselves and hearing how each item makes different noises. Another quick fix here is to pull out the pots and pans. Little kids love to pretend they’re drumming away, which can keep them busy for longer than most toys can. Of course, you can also buy cheap instruments at places like dollar stores, thrift stores and department stores if you’re not feeling creative.
3. Water/Sand Bins
If there’s a couple of things that always keep kids entertained, it’s sand and water. With sand, kids can dig, bury things build sand castles or simple enjoy the way it feels in their hands. Water, of course, is the same story as children enjoy splashing around, watching toys float and generally getting their hands wet. This is why a sand or water bin can be a whole lot of fun for a toddler. This is a great outdoor activity that you can do with kids if you can’t make it to the beach. The bins you need should cost very little at a department store and you can find cheap sand at most landscaping locations. You can also take this activity indoors if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Simply place trash bags down to help make clean up a little easier.
4. Playdough
Chances are, you probably played with playdough as a kid, so you already do it’s pretty awesome. Most kids love playdough because it allows them express themselves while playing with a sticky ball of dough. Playdough is great for all ages too, especially since it’s not toxic if kids happen to get some of it in their mouth. The good news is, it won’t cost a small fortune either, even if you go to the store and pick out the larger sets. However, if you don’t want to pay for playdough, then you can easily whip up a batch at home with things you probably have lying around the house. You may even want to add a variety of colors to the mix. If you want to keep the playdough free of dyes that may be harmful to your children if consumed, then use cool-aid packets to give the dough a vibrant color. You can also pull out cookie cutters and other baking accessories to help make playdough time even more fun. If a child really loves a design they made then you can always bake it or dry it out, so they can display it to all who visit.
5. Scavenger Hunt
If you don’t have a lot planned on a certain day, then consider setting up a scavenger hunt for your child to enjoy during the day. This can be arranged in several different ways. One way is to hide toys and have the child look for them throughout the day. You may also want to print out things like animals, colors, different cars, numbers or the alphabet. Tape these items in different places throughout the home and call out one specific thing for your child to look for. You will be surprised as to how much fun a toddler can have and how much energy they can burn off by simply running around finding things. This activity can also help with learning things like colors and so on as your child will learn through trial and error.
6. Chalk
When it comes to helping kids with motor functions, chalk is a great way to keep them busy while helping them develop their skills. Most kids love to draw and see the colors, which is why chalk is such a popular toy among little ones. The best thing is, it gives them a larger canvas to work with that can be washed off when you’re finished playing with it. Although you probably can’t expect your toddler to make masterpieces with their chalk art, you can begin working on things like shapes or their name. You can also help them with colors, which is sure to help out when they head to school. Apart from coloring with the chalk, you can easily come up with games to use with the chalk.
7. Create a Playlist
Kids react to TV shows and music as they play, so creating a playlist can help stimulate learning while your child enjoys their favorite toys. Most streaming services have a wide variety of children shows to choose from, which makes creating your playlist an absolute breeze. You can even place child locks on your streaming services to ensure the playlist doesn’t move on to other shows when it nears an end. This is a great way to give you control over what your child is watching, especially since some services will even let you customize based on each episode. Other streaming services for music also have a wide selection of children’s songs to choose from and you can even base your playlist based on nap time, play time and education time.
8. Rotate Toys
Kids love new things, but buying new toys all of the time can really hurt your budget. The good news is most kids have so many toys that they forget about the ones they rarely play with. In order to avoid this problem, you may want to consider only placing a few toys out at a time. After a couple of weeks to a month you can swap the toys around while your child sleeps. You don’t even have to put the other toys away in case the toddler has a connection to one of the older toys. Placing the toys in the bottom of the toy box will still give your child access to them while also allowing exposure to new toys that may spark their interest. Even if the child has had the toy for years, it will still feel fresh when rotated to the top of the toy bin.
9. Garden
Once your little one is big enough to walk, they’re also big enough to garden. Spending time in the garden at an early age will teach your child that it is a part of life and a necessity. At a young age, children can dig holes in the garden to help out with planting seeds. You can even let the child drop in the seeds and water them using a child-sized watering pot. If you’re lucky, you can easily find a set of children’s gardening supplies at a thrift store or in a dollar store. Of course, if you don’t have a garden to work in then you may consider the simple bean sprout in a zip lock bag experiment. This will at least help you show your child where food comes from and that healthy foods are good for them to eat.
10. Use Boxes
In a sense, children can be a lot like cats, especially when it comes to the glorious cardboard box. If you’ve ever bought your child a present and were bummed out that they enjoyed the wrapping more than the actual toy, then you probably know just how wonderful cardboard boxes can be. You can find a wide assortment of boxes in stores and in most cases you may be able to get them for free. These boxes can be turned into club houses, cars or anything else your toddler can come up with. With a little bit of markers and paints, you can do just about anything to make your child’s playtime even more fun. So, skip the pricey items for now, because a box can go a lot further than most toys can.
Toddlers are hard to keep up with, so keeping them entertained may be harder than you expect. However, there are some budget friendly ways to ensure your little one has a fun childhood while learning plenty of new things. With any luck, you’ll be able to transform these ten ideas into fun projects and play time events that will have your toddler giggling and learning every day. They’re only little for a short amount of time, so making sure their happiness should be less about the money and more about the bonding time.
