If your family is anything like the millions of families across the world affected in some way by the Coronavirus right now, you are probably spending a lot of time at home. While that may feel like a ‘Staycation’ to some people, for those of us who have toddlers…it can be quite the opposite.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a SAHM all day every day; but I normally have the option of going to the grocery store, taking the kids to the park, or hitting up the library. Heck! Even just taking a trip to the dentist is something! But with this craziness going around, we are basically stuck. Kids who are cooped up for days on end tend to get a little stir crazy (mommies too!). Siblings squabble, tensions run high, and that small argument turns into a big deal rather quickly when there is no where to go. And trust me, the whole ‘put the TV on and let them watch shows all day’ method does NOT work!
WHAT DO YOU DO?!
When things start to get a little heated in my home, I turn to structured activities. My kiddos have grown to crave them. And even if the activity only lasts for 5 minutes, it somehow resets the mood in our home. It calms everyone down, and gets us focusing on something other than our brother taking a lego that we were about to use! (Sigh) Now, when I say structured activities all I mean is an activity that I deliberately set up for my children. There are no rules, I don’t have to sit and make sure they do it ‘correctly’; it is just an invitation to play (and not get on your brother’s nerves!).
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On a day where I need a lot of indoor activities to keep myself sane, I choose to use a variety of materials to keep things fresh. There are tons of things that we can do with markers and paper, but using the same materials gets old after a while. Here is how I may lay the day out to keep the peace and add some enrichment to our day:
Sample Activity Schedule for a Day
- Breakfast
- Activity
- Free Play
- Sensory Bin – we only do those when the baby is sleeping since we tend to include small parts.
- Lunch
- Free Play
- Naptime/sensory bin
- Activity
- Free Play
- Activity
- Dinner
- Free Play
Find what works for you!
I know that every child and every family is different, so this example may not fit you. And to be honest, it doesn’t fit us everyday either! In general, my kiddos play really well at the beginning of the day. They wake up ready to imagine, create, and play! Often, they will free play from breakfast right to snack time (a 2 hour span) with no issues. They just get in the zone and play, play, play! I will add, that this time is typically used to play with animals…they can’t get enough of them! If you’re looking for some great animals, check these out!
Looking at the schedule above, I have no set times for how long an activity will last. The only times that are firm are breakfast, lunch, dinner, and naps. Everything else is flexible. I don’t have this schedule posted anywhere and we definitely don’t follow it everyday. It is merely an example of what a day may look like for us. I always have materials ready to go, but I take my cues from my littles.
If they are really engaged in Lego building and want to spend the whole morning doing it, I am ok with that! And, since I have 2 toddlers, if one gets tired of his play and is looking for something to do, I’ll set out an activity for him and my other sweetie can join in whenever he is ready. Bottom line, I don’t let a schedule dictate how long my kiddos get to explore an activity, a set of materials, or an imaginative scene!
Activities to Keep Little Hands Busy
Without further ado… here are the activities that keep little hands engaged and enriched in my house!
Sensory Bins:
Dinosaur Sensory Bin
This is probably the all-time favorite activity in my house. If you do nothing else, set this up today!
Related: Want to know how to dye rice to enhance your sensory bins?! Check it out here!
Animal Match Fine Motor Sensory Bin
My kiddos came back to this bin over and over! Not only is it a fun bin, but my sweeties get to work those fine motor muscles while they play and match the animals!
Washing the Alphabet Sensory Bin
This is a favorite of my 2 year old. He loves water! I think he would literally sit in the bath until he turned into a raisin, haha. Combine water with cookie letters and something magical happens!
Alphabet Soup Sensory Bin
Want something else to do with those cookie letters? This amazing sensory bin is perfect for your kiddo who loves to play in the kitchen (or likes water). Adding pots, pans and utensils to the letters and water turns this sensory experience into a chef’s kitchen where anything is possible!
ABC Play Dough Sensory Bin
When my littles get a little out of control (not that it ever happens…wink) I whip out the play dough. It is a sure way to calm them down and reset our day. Well, putting it in the sensory bin with these amazing letter stamps we received is a blissful experience time and time again.
Roll and Count Fine Motor Sensory Bin
This bin was absolutely mesmerizing for my 2 year old. He loves our foam dice and sensory bins, so to put them together was the perfect activity for him! Rolling, counting, and using tongs to move the pom poms…a perfect combination of educational, fine motor and fun!
Star Color Sort Sensory Bin
The Star Color Sort Bin was actually one of the first sensory bins I did with my children. It was a perfect starting point for them. We used familiar materials and kept it simple with stars, rice, and bowls. Even better? We had a book to go along with the star theme!
Other Activities:
Balancing Dinosaurs Fine Motor Activity
If you are looking for an activity that takes less than 5 minutes to set up, but that your littles can do over and over…THIS IS YOUR ACTIVITY! It was my quickest set up to date AND it engaged my 4 year old, 2 1/2 year old AND the 1 year old! You need this in your life!
Paw Patrol Alphabet Rescue
Are your kids obsessed with Paw Patrol like mine? This activity was the only way that I could get my 2 year old to actually engage in an alphabet activity with me. It is a game changer!
Animal Houses – Cardboard Box Craft
Around Christmas time, when we had a ton of boxes being delivered to the house (Amazon anyone?!) I decided that I wanted to repurpose them for my kids. They worked on their animal houses FOR HOURS! I kid you not…HOURS!!! I will use this activity again and again.
Easy Less-Mess Slime
Slime has always made me nervous. I don’t mind my kiddos getting messy, but the thought of trying to clean slime out of clothes and cushions was not something I was excited about. After I found this slime recipe, we never looked back!
Building Shapes – Block Activity
This is such a simple, but impactful activity. My kiddos love to build with blocks, so why not throw a little learning in there? And it is so versatile too!
There are so many options with these different activities. You can start your day off with a family session of making slime, move to a sensory bin when the kiddos get restless, use painter’s tape to build shapes after lunch, and sit them down for a nice looooong session of animal house decorating while you attempt to make dinner! The possibilities are endless! Choose one a day or set up a few in a row for additional invitations to play.
Whatever you choose to do, stay safe, stay healthy, and keep those toddlers busy! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest and Instagram for all of our latest activities and inspirations!
How are you keeping your kiddos busy (and saving your sanity) during this pandemic?
Looking to make one material stretch for 7 DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES?! Check out how we use wooden blocks in our 7 Easy At Home Learning Activities with Blocks!
