These activities, which use at-home items you already have on hand, are perfect.
For more great summer activities for the little ones, also see this post on 9 Easy Outdoor Activities for the Littles.
Is your toddler clingy? Don’t think they’ll make it from nap time to dinner to bedtime? Inspired by @busytoddler – I decided to try and share some of her exciting and easy to do activities. They are so easy to set up and are perfect for when you need some time while you put up dinner…or just catch a little breather for yourself.
I love that all of these activities can all be done inside a bin. It contains the mess and is easy to clean up afterwards. It also allows for you to keep an eye on them right on your kitchen table if you’d like. But it works great for outdoors too!
Here are some ideas: and remember to check out our similar post on kinetic sand.
“Save the Toys.”
Put your child’s plastic toys into a bin of water. Have them transfer – “rescue” their toys with a slotted spoon or any other kitchen utensil you have handy.
“Car Wash!”
The kids loved this. Fill a bin with water and dish soap for the bubbly effect. Fill the larger bin with some mulch or sand from outdoors. Place toy cars into the mud and hand them some cleaning brushes and sponges. They love dunking the dirty toys into the soap and scrubbing them clean!
“Fizzy Painting.”
This one is a bit more involved but keeps the kids extra busy! Fill a bin with baking soda. Fill an ice tray with vinegar and add some food coloring drops. Then use a medicine dropper and see what happens when you drop the vinegar into the baking soda.
“Pouring Station!”
Fill a large bin with lots of different household or toy cups. Fill one large one (preferably with a spout if you have) with water and watch how your toddler enjoys pouring water from one cup into all the small cups! For added fun: put little drops of food coloring into the empty cups…so as they pour the water becomes colorful!
Enjoy the break while it lasts!
My kids enjoy playing with Kinetic Sand and sand toys that I keep in a Sterilite box.
We like to use raw chickpeas as “fishies” in a container with some water and plastic spoons to catch them!
I used to do a combo of these all the time with my kids when they were little. I’d fill up a sink bucket or 2, or a big, shallow container, with soapy water, put them in bathing suits, and give them a bunch of cups, pails, shovels, sieves, toy cars and menchies… they were busy for hours! We lived in an apartment then, and did this on the balcony. It was perfect since they were outside and busy but I could stay home (make supper, baby nap).
A favorite is also to make an ice block with surprises in it, then they can chisel out/or use tongs to try to extract the items. This requires a smaller container or bowl that will fit inside the freezer, or just a 9×13 pan! Fill with items (think: bouncy balls, mentchies, dollar store prizes straws, different small toys, beads,, and fill with water. Freeze overnight and bring it outside or into the kitchen sink when ready to explore and excavate! This is better for children who do not put things in their mouths- more like age 4-6.
Great activities but this seems to be copied straight from BusyToddler.com without giving credit.
They were inspired by @busytoddler – Credit has been added. Ty!
Yes! a fantastic blog!
I would buy bags of rice in the dollar store and fill up large rectangular containers with them. Little kids played for hours with it- with cars, animals, mentchies! Very sensory and soothing and easy to sweep up
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