Five Easy Activities for Toddlers

Today I am sharing five easy activities for toddlers that can quickly make a grumpy or destructive toddler a happy, creative toddler! A couple of the ideas may be activities you have avoided trying because they are “messy”. You don’t have to do every single activity in this post, but I’m including a couple of tips that will hopefully make the “messy” activities a little more accessible.

Toddler Activity #1: Go Outside

I have yet to meet a toddler who doesn’t like being outside. A quick walk around the block is my top tip for dealing with a hopelessly grumpy toddler – particularly a walk where you let your child lead the way (at least part of the way). When they stop to look at rock #103, use the moment to memorize their profile and admire their tiny hands instead of getting frustrated. Kids grow up crazy fast, and one day you will cherish this memory.

Toddler Activity #2: Stickers

Stickers are one of the easiest toddler activities out there – all you need is a sheet of paper and some stickers! If you are worried about stickers getting stuck all over the house, I have three solutions for you:

1. Sit next to your child while they play. Start out by making a sticker page of your own alongside them so that they see that you value the activity. Once they are focused on the project, you can pull out a book to read, a project to work on, or even your laptop while you play.
2. Allow stickers only while your child is seated in their high chair and you are nearby – cooking dinner, perhaps.
3. Only buy stickers that are easy to get off of furniture. Usborne stickers have a good reputation for coming off of furniture and walls easily.
4. Use vinyl stickers instead of sticky stickers. Colorforms and Melissa and Doug’s Reusable stickers are two great options.

Disclosure: Usborne books link is to my Usborne book shop. This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Toddler Activity #3: Sticky Surfaces (Can Be No-Mess!)

If you have a toddler in your home, I highly recommend owning a roll of contact paper. Tape it, sticky side out, to the table, wall, floor, or window, and set your child free to create! My kids have enjoyed making tissue paper collages, Mosaic art, and giant pattern block scenes with the help of this brilliant no-mess sticky surface! Blocks will come right off when play is done, and tissue paper masterpieces can be saved or subtly discarded after being displayed for a few days.

If you are willing to get slightly messier, toddlers LOVE glue! Pairing a glue stick with ripped pieces of paper is the least messy option, but I have also let my kids use school glue. The key is to stick to non-toxic glues (do be careful still that they are not eating it) and washable glues. As with the sticker activity, I recommend sitting down and working with them for a few minutes and then moving on to your own activity – staying in the general area, because toddlers require pretty constant supervision.

Toddler Activity #4: Play Dough

Play dough can be messy, but it is an easy way to make a toddler’s day while providing them with the type of play that gives them important sensory input and helps them strengthen their fingers so that they can earn to write letters in a few years. Play dough is also a wonderful pretend play tool! You can prevent play dough messes by sitting next to your toddler while they play (you may have noticed this is a bit of a theme in this post), or setting them in a high chair on a hard wood, laminate, or tile floor. If your home is covered in carpet, I recommend putting their high chair over a shower curtain liner (very inexpensive at IKEA) or a chair floor protector). We usually make our own play dough, but this is a great starter set, and we also like Melissa & Doug’s wooden play dough tools. This Play-Doh branded set has gotten a lot of use in our home over the years.

Toddler Activity #5: Paint

Painting is worth the mess – and I do have some tips for containing the mess:

1. Sit next to your child.
2. Buy washable paints. We love these Crayola paints (I do sometimes water them down to make them last longer) – and I have also used their watercolor paints with my kids.
3. Put newspaper or an oilcloth down to protect the table (or use an old or inexpensive table – that’s our approachmama).
4. Paint outside. Cardboard makes a great canvas!

Bonus Tip: Don’t Underestimate Sleep

It’s common knowledge that a grumpy toddler is often a tired toddler, but I don’t think people realize how often a destructive toddler is a tired toddler! A toddler who is consistently creating problems may well be sleep-deprived. If they are getting plenty of sleep, my second guess is that they are bored – in which case, I highly recommend the activities listed above!

Do you have a favorite toddler activity that you recommend?

MaryAnne Kochenderfer

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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.