It’s about that time of year I start to feel that winter may never end! It’s been days and days since the sun has shined and my toddler is literally bouncing off the walls. I daydream about the sun, and the warmth, and the green grass. I long for the days when I can just send my toddler outside to burn off all her toddler energy! But alas, I find myself pushing play on the third episode of Sesame Street and it’s not even noon yet! Cue mom guilt.
The mom guilt is consuming and I try to keep us busy. But finding the energy to get up off the couch is hard, when all I want to do is hide under a blanket until the flowers bloom. With a toddler though, I don’t have much choice so I put my big girl mom pants on and try to get it together.
Thankfully, seeing her excited and happy to do something new is about all of the motivation I need. When all these negative feelings start to creep in she brings me back. These cold, grey days are long and hard but I have the power to make them better. I realize these days are hard for her, too. I would move mountains for her and so finding some fun things for us to do inside to make our days a little better, a little easier, is something I can do.
Here are 20 fun indoor activities to do with toddlers:
- Have a dance party – turn on the music and get up and dance!
- Bake cookies.
- Build a blanket fort.
- Explore a sensory bin. Rice, beans, and pasta are all great things to fill the bin with. Add a few toys, scoops, and cups and let them at it!
- Blow up balloons and have fun throwing them around. Take it up a notch and make tennis rackets with paper plates and popsicle sticks!
- Make necklaces with beads, macaroni, or fruit loops.
- Explore a treasure box. Fill a box with interesting things from around the house and let them explore some unfamiliar things.
- Take silly selfies.
- Pop popcorn and watch a movie.
- Lay a blanket down and have a picnic on the living room floor.
- Have a fun bath with bath paints, bath crayons or bubbles.
- Color, draw, or paint. We love laying out a big piece of paper on the floor and getting crafty!
- Play hide and seek using toys. Have your toddler pick out a toy for you to hide and have them try to find it.
- Make smoothies or milkshakes.
- Make a sticker book and fill it with stickers.
- Make hand puppets and shadows using a flashlight.
- Fill a baby pool or box with balls to make a ball pit
- Paint snow with colored water. Fill a bin with snow from outside and color water with food coloring. Use a paint brush to paint the colored water onto the snow!
- Make homemade play dough.
- Fill empty water bottles with a scoop of rice or water, grab a ball, and go bottle bowling!
- Line up all the stuffed animals and have an animal parade.
What are your favorite go-to indoor activities? Share them below!
