If you are a parent, you would agree that toddlers are a bundle of energy. They are almost like wind-up toys, except you sometimes wish they had a ‘Stop’ button that could give you a much-needed break. Hah! Let’s face it. We get worn down and simply don’t have the stamina to cope up with their zest. And so, it rightly becomes a task for the parents to keep their little ones occupied and happy especially if they have a short attention span and demand constant entertainment. Keeping your toddler busy becomes especially important if you are a work-from-home mom and need to balance your work as well as take care of your baby.
So worry not! We bring to you, top 10 fun ideas that you can use to keep your toddler occupied so you don’t have to be on your toes all the time. Let’s go.
Messy dough:
Playdough can go all over your carpet or windows and you may be afraid to bring it out of the closet. Not fair, mommy. We encourage you to make it more messy by cooking up a play dough at home. Put some food color to make it enjoyable. You can put the dough on a tray so that it can contain the mess. Let him sit in the backyard with it. Though off-the-shelf play dough is not toxic, it does not exactly qualify as an edible. So make sure your toddler is only playing with it and not eating it. Check out the different kind of play dough available on Mumzworld.
Tower Up:
Building blocks don’t always have to be blocks. Pick some utensils and build towers. You can stack anything and everything. Collect plenty of flat surface objects and show your toddler the art of balancing. You can stack up playing cards or poker chips too. Choose a different stack up object everyday to keep up his interest. Browse the different kind of building blocks for kids available on Mumzworld.
Scribble it
Every kid loves to draw and color even if that means just scribbling on a blank paper and calling it art. Let the creativity within your child unleash by getting them a blank canvas to draw and color on. A permanent creative corner or a painting wall in his room can be wonderful. Give him plenty of paint brushes, sponges, stamps and markers to ensure he is not bored. Show him spray painting one day and finger painting the other. But ensure your toddler does not chew his color pencils or crayons. You can think of leaving him unattended only if you think he is old enough.
Messy paint
This is a win-win game idea for both the toddler as well as the parent. To make the bathtub paint, all you need is two parts baby wash and one part cornstarch. Add two drops of food coloring to it and mix well. The toddler can be as messy as he wants to be, and the parent does not have to worry about any stains on the surfaces of the bathroom as they can be easily wiped clean. You could either let him paint with a paintbrush or he can even use his hands to paint a masterpiece as the paint rinses right off. Head to Mumzworld for a variety of paints made for children
Cut the nonsense
Bring a child-friendly scissor and let him cut a square to call it round. You do not need any special skills or tools to enjoy crafting. You can make puppets, paper planes or boats, or beads necklaces and enjoy a playful session with your toddler.
A Good Read
Though toddlers look too young to read books, they are not usually too bothered by this fact. Hand them a book, newspaper or magazines with colorful pictures of birds and animals and their eyes light up. There are also many wordless books available with appealing visuals that can never go wrong. This way, you can also develop a love for reading in your kids from a very young age. You will find a huge selection of children books on our website that you and your child will love.
Balloon Tennis:
Blow up a few balloons and show your toddler how to play balloon tennis or just have fun throwing the balloon around and catching it. Balloons are safer than balls and you don’t have to worry about getting any of your household stuff broken. Although, you need to be careful in a case where the balloon bursts. Throw the shreds away immediately, so your toddler does not swallow it and choke himself.
Pair it:
This is a brilliant way to teach your toddler some colors with a bag of buttons, dice, crayon or anything at all. Start off by getting some egg cartons and painting them in different colors. Once they have dried, get your bag of colorful knick-knacks. Teach your child about the colors as you place them in the right color egg cartons. This game develops sorting skills and fine motor skills of your toddler while being completely enjoyable.
Cookie Cutter Sorting:
Shape sorters are a fun challenge for the toddlers. Give it a little twist but creating the shapes from scratch first. Use cookie cutters. You can bake it together or sun dry it. By figuring out which piece goes into which hole, kids learn to categorize and know what the different shapes are called. Initially, your kid might just try to push the pieces through the wrong hole, but he will eventually learn. Work with your child till he becomes a pro at sorting the pieces himself and watch him have fun with it.
Build Puzzles:
Buy off-the-shelf or make one at home. Use thick card boards or toy boxes to cut birds, animals or objects and paint them. Slide them into 2, 3 or 4 pieces. Now ask your child then jigsaw it together. Ensure that the pieces are chunky. It makes them safe as far as choking goes and they are very easy to hold. At Mumzworld we have a bid variety of puzzles for all ages.
We hope you liked these ideas to keep your toddler busy and happy. To be on the safer side, it is always good to be around your baby to supervise whenever they are playing on their own. And now that they are busy and happily distracted, maybe you can allow yourself the luxury to pick up that book you wanted to read since so long.
