We all know that toddlers are curious, energetic, and always on the lookout for new ways to engage with the world around them. And if your social media algorithms are targeted like mine, you may feel that you constantly need to be providing elaborate set ups and developmental activities for your child in order to win some imaginary parenting gold star. While stores may have endless toys and activities to entertain your little one, you don’t always need to spend money to keep them entertained. Many everyday household items can be transformed into exciting, educational, and fun activities for toddlers.
Here are some creative toddler activities using items you already have at home:
1. DIY Sensory Bins
Sensory bins are an excellent way to engage your toddler’s sense of touch, sight, and even sound. Fill a shallow container with a base like dried rice, pasta, or oats, and then add small objects from around the house. Think action figures (or happy meal toys), pom-poms, toy cars, or even measuring spoons. Let your toddler explore the textures, shapes, and sounds as they sift, pour, and sort the objects.
Tip: Always supervise your toddler to ensure they don’t put small items in their mouth.
2. Paper Towel Roll Marble Run
Got an empty paper towel or toilet paper roll? Use it to create a simple marble run or car drop. Tape the roll to a wall or a sturdy surface and small balls or toy cars down it. Your toddler will love watching them speed down the tube, and they’ll have fun trying to catch them!
What you need: Paper towel rolls, tape, small balls or toy cars
3. Sock Puppets
Transform old socks into fun and silly sock puppets. With some markers, buttons, fabric scraps, or even googly eyes (or just draw them on!), you can create adorable characters to put on a puppet show. Let your toddler create their own puppet and encourage them to use it for imaginative play. Sometimes, just getting out a fun color sock is enough for my toddler, no decorating necessary!
What you need: Old socks, markers, buttons, glue, fabric scraps.
4. Kitchen Band
Your kitchen is a goldmine for making musical instruments! Grab some pots, pans, spoons, or plastic containers to create your own kitchen band. Your toddler can bang on the pots to create different rhythms and sounds. This is a great way to introduce them to the concept of music, rhythm, and sound.
What you need: Pots, pans, wooden spoons, plastic containers.
5. DIY Water Painting with Kitchen Items
Instead of store-bought brushes, why not use everyday kitchen items like sponges, cotton balls, or even old toothbrushes for painting? Toddlers will love experimenting with the different textures. And especially with younger toddlers and babies, skip the paint and just give them a cup of colored water – the clean up is so much easier and it gets them used to the idea of painting.
What you need: Paper, food coloring, sponges, cotton balls, toothbrushes.
7. Baking Soda & Vinegar Reaction
Toddlers are fascinated by cause and effect, and what better way to demonstrate this than with a baking soda and vinegar experiment? Place a few spoonfuls of baking soda in a dish, add some vinegar, and watch the fizzing reaction. For added fun, use food coloring to make the experiment more visually exciting. Not going to lie, this is the *most* elaborate idea on the list, but it’s also the absolute favorite in our family so I had to include it. Try our baking soda and vinegar science experiments!
What you need: Baking soda, vinegar, food coloring (optional).
9. Balloon Volleyball
Inflate a balloon and set up an easy “volleyball” game. Using your hands or feet, encourage your toddler to keep the balloon off the ground by tapping it back and forth. This activity will help develop their hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills, and it’s just a lot of fun! Have you seen Bluey? Tell your toddler you’re playing Keepy Uppy and they’ll be occupied for at least twice as long.
What you need: A balloon.
10. Scavenger Hunt
Create a simple scavenger hunt using objects around your house. Make a list of items for your toddler to find, such as a spoon, a red toy, or a pair of socks. This activity helps with color recognition, object identification, and problem-solving. As my kiddos have gotten older, we’ve started to play this with the ABC magnets from the fridge – it’s an added bonus that they’re gaining letter recognition!
What you need: A list of household items to find.
It’s amazing how many fun, engaging, and educational activities you can do with items you already have at home! I constantly have to remind myself that not every activity has to involve a shopping list or lots of steps/parts/items. Keep. It. Simple. Both your child and yourself will thank you for it 😊 Not only do these activities stimulate your toddler’s creativity and curiosity, but they also provide an opportunity for you to bond and spend quality time together. So next time you’re looking for something to do, try one of these creative ideas and see how simple it really can be!