Activities for Toddlers at Home

I am asked all the time on social media if I homeschool the girls because of all the activities for toddlers at home I do. I do not homeschool the girls, we just love doing fun things!

And it’s especially important for me to have an arsenal of “things to do when they are bored” for the kids since I often work at home.  I’m sure that you have those times in the day that you just gotta get stuff done too.

Working from home is not easy. I am so thankful I can and I can pay my bills doing it but it also means I have to get very creative with the activities we play at home. They tend to get bored when I work for long stretches of clean and do laundry etc.

I have been wanting to do a blog post all about activities for toddlers at home for a while now and finally sat down to do it. I want to explore inside and outside activities and will also share some Pinterest inspiration because I love Pinterest and all of the amazing ideas I get from there.

This post does contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase.

Educational Activities for Toddlers

When I think educational I always think books. Reading and learning. I have been trying since the girls were born to build up their book library and I have to admit now we have a pretty good one and it grows bigger and bigger as they grow.

I am going to share all of our favorite books and some photos of them to show you how cool they are on the inside. Most of these are from Amazon and I am so glad we got them.

Some are a tad pricey but I asked for those ones for Christmas and birthdays. They are some of my favorite books for toddlers at home.

Nature’s Day: Out and About: Spotting, making and collecting activities

Following on from the success of Nature’s Day, this beautiful activity book by the same author and illustrator shows children how to interact with their surroundings. Activities include spotting different leaves, birds, flowers, and insects, how to make plaster-cast animal tracks, how to mimic birdsong, and how to write a poem inspired by a walk in the woods. This activity book will inspire children to discover the world of wonder that awaits on their doorstep.

This book is cool because you take it outside and fill it out. We have used it a few times and still haven’t finished all of the pages. It’s a great buy and countless hours of educational fun for toddlers. Find the nature activity book here.

Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature

The buzz of bees in summertime. The tracks of a bird in the winter snow. This beautiful book captures all the sights and sounds of a child’s interactions with nature, from planting acorns or biting into crisp apples to studying tide pools or lying back and watching the birds overhead. No matter what’s outside their windows — city streets or country meadows — kids will be inspired to explore the world around them. Written by award-winning author Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Hearld, a breathtaking new talent in children’s books, Outside Your Window is a stunning reminder that the natural world is on our doorstep waiting to be discovered.

This book is beyond colorful, educational, insightful, and just plain pretty! The kids love flipping through this one and the seasons are brought to life.

You read about each season and animals and plants that thrive during those seasons. One of the cool things about the book is following along while Annabelle learns about the stuff in preschool. Right now she is learning about butterflies and frogs and they are both in there. So when she gets home she likes to head to the book and tell me and show me what she learned at school and read more about them.

Find the book, more info, and read the awesome reviews on Amazon for Outside Your Window.

The Julia Rothman Collection: Farm Anatomy, Nature Anatomy, and Food Anatomy

By far the most used and best value book are these set of three books from Julia Rothman. Head to this blog post to read more about them. I won’t go into a lot of details but head over there to read more.

I received it as a mothers day gift and still say “how cool is this” every time I open the books in amazement. They are a set of 3 books for $29.89 and worth every penny!

Botanicum &
Animalium: Welcome to the Museum

Talk about breathtaking books and illustrations! By far the best books for just reading and looking at the amazing illustrations. These are for adults mostly but my girls love them and they are a great addition to our learning pack.

Animalium Book and Botanicum are from Amazon and they are large books. Bigger than normal and come to life!

Welcome to the Museum is a series of books set on the “walls” of the printed page, showcasing the world’s finest collections of objects — from natural history to art. Open 365 days a year and unrestricted by the constraints of physical space, each title in this series is organized into galleries that display more than 200 full-color specimens accompanied by lively, informative text. Offering hours of learning, this first title within the series — Animalium — presents the animal kingdom in glorious detail with illustrations from Katie Scott, an unparalleled new talent.

These books are fun to read and have great pictures they also just launched two activity books to do with kids to go along with them. Get the Botanicum Activity Book and the Animalium Activity Book.

You know I love to share Youtube videos with you to really showcase what I am trying to tell you. I am not the best writer and don’t really get my point across the best way sometimes and pretty pictures and videos help me do so better. Here is a prime example: this video shows how cool the books are and their companion activity books as well.

Book Organizers

Those are my favorite books and know you won’t be disappointed with them and while we are on books I thought I would share the book organizers I use.

Click the images to head to Amazon to read reviews and see more color options.

Educational Board Games

Kids love games and I love seeing their faces when we play. These are all games I have played and approve of and they are kid-approved as well!

These would make great gift ideas because they are all under $25. They each promote different things but each game teaches turns, patience, and colors and numbers. Check each one out by clicking on the images. The reviews are good and show more pictures too.

40 Indoor Activities for Kids

Simple toddler activities to keep busy little hands playing and learning at home. Quick and easy activities for toddlers that require little to no setup time and use supplies you already have around the house! 

I could try and create a long list of activities myself but instead will share a list from Chicken Scratch Diaries. See the entire list and her amazing other posts by clicking the link.

These indoor activities for kids are perfect for winter, rainy days or any time you just need to keep kids busy! Screen-free activities for all ages.

1. Make snow ice cream or ice cream in a bag if you don’t have snow 
2. Make a fort with chairs and sheets.  Light it up with Christmas tree lights!
3. Make homemade playdough and create a playdough village.
4. Have the kids write their own play and perform it.
5. Make sock puppets and act out a skit.
6. Bake cookies or a cake.
7. Write a story about your life or about yourself in the future.
8. See how high you can stack plastic cups, or make a castle or “igloo” with them.  
9. Hunt for pennies around the house and make these penny spinners.
10. Make homemade hot chocolate and watch a movie together.
11. Paint a picture (with craft paint or whatever paint you have on hand).  For younger kids, place a piece of paper inside a gallon size ziplock bag, add some paint and let them “paint” through the plastic for less mess!
12. Make potato stamps and find a variety of things to stamp:  copy paper, newspaper, an old t-shirt, etc.
13. Make instruments with rubberbands, wax paper and toilet paper rolls or other objects (baking pans, tin cans, wooden spoons etc).
14. Create a sensory bin in a plastic shoebox with hidden objects for younger kids to find.
15. Grow an indoor herb garden and let kids help plan the dinner menus with their results.
16. Make some kid-friendly DIY bath bombs for bathtime.
17. Build a marble run out of toilet paper rolls or paper cups.
18. Cut out paper snowflakes to decorate the house.  Check out these free printable templates.
19. Purchase a Kinetic Sand kit and let younger kids play on top of a sheet on the kitchen floor.
    
20. Act out a scene from your favorite movie.
21. Pop some microwave popcorn (we like making our own in one of these) and make popcorn garland (or just eat it!).
22. Make your own snowglobe.
23. Play charades.
24. Color macaroni noodles with markers and string onto necklaces.
25. Make “my favorites” collages by cutting out pictures from magazines of your favorite animals, items with all your favorite colors, favorite foods, etc and pasting on posterboard or a large piece of cardboard.
26. Play a board game.
27. Find all the Legos and/or blocks in the house and create the tallest structure possible.
28. Play card games together — check out these 15 easy card game ideas for kids.
29. Write a letter to an out-of-state relative or friend.
30. Start a journal.  (Check out our Free Printable Family Journal!)
31. Make a zoo with all the stuffed animals in the house.  Use laundry baskets, cardboard, string, etc for cages and fences.
32. Make an indoor obstacle course.
33. Play dress-up in Halloween costumes.
34. Make plastic bottle bowling pins and bowl down the hallway with a basketball.
35. Make costumes out of newspaper and tape – or cardboard boxes.  Color with markers or crayons.  (Ideas:  dress up as pirates, princesses/knights or animals.)
36. For older kids:  organize schoolwork, pictures and artwork you’ve saved from previous years into a scrapbook or binder.
37. Have a tea party with fancy outfits, real tea and cookies.
38. Make some non-toxic slime.  (Even better- use natural food coloring. We love this kind.)
39. Go fishing indoors with a fishing pole, paperclips and gummy worms.  (Instructions here.)
40. Make bird seed ornaments for the birds to enjoy.

Free Money Saving Printable for Kids

Research shows that parents who discuss financial topics with their kids are more likely to have kids who say they are smart about money.
Here’s a printable your kids can do to learn about spending and saving. Print out the activity sheet and, with your little one, fill out the goal your child would like to save for. Whether they want to buy a new video game or visit a theme park, setting a goal helps kids visualize the saving process. While you’re saving money with a no spend challenge, your kids will learn valuable skills that will become more important as they get older. 

Coupon Cheif

Head over to the Coupon Cheif for the free download you won’t be disappointed!

Her post is chock-full of great money-saving tips for adults and comes with these awesome printables to include the kids.

Be sure to talk with your kids before starting the activity to explain basic financial principles like income, expenses, and savings. 

Easy Activities for Toddlers at Home

I hope this list of games, books, and activities for toddlers at home and kids help you keep the kids from being bored or help you get some more work done around the house. Teaching and entertaining kids at the same time is a win-win for everyone!

Check out my blog post on printable activities and games for kids and see the major list of 100 Christmas games here.

Check out my latest blog posts as well! Thanks for stopping by please save to Pinterest by hovering over the images or using the share buttons below.

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Thanks friend, I appreciate it!