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Are you stuck at home with a toddler, and running out of ideas of things to do?
I gotchu. Hopefully.
Nope, I didn’t come up with ALL of these on my own, I’ve got lots of toddler mama friends, that are very smart, and have to get a little creative. Some you might have to order, but online shopping is how we are all coping with quarantine, right? Or is that just me? Lol
You can also make your own versions if you don’t want to spend the money, we had a lot of this stuff stashed away, for a rainy day.
Cooper doing tummy time mess free painting. 
Cooper as a toddler, doing the same project.
Mess Free Painting
Okay, so this one usually ends up a little messy, I suggest this for babies, and younger toddlers. For babies, tape the plastic bag with paint and paper in it to the ground, and let them smash on it during tummy time. For younger toddlers, tape it to a table, high chair, floor (can be stepped on to paint), or where ever you can think, and let them mess free finger paint!
Muffin Tin Sorting
This is another super easy, find whatever you can in your house, kind of project. Use m&m’s, pom pom balls, jelly beans, colored bears, whatever you have, and have your toddler sort them by color, or size, or whatever you can come up with.
Kinetic sand
YOU GUYS. This kept my toddler busy for HOURS. Yeah, HOURS. THANK GOODNESS. I hope it does the same for you. I know there is a recipe for kinetic sand, to make it yourself. I’m no Pinterest mom, I’m a Target pick up mom, so I ordered some, and it was the best decision.
Ice painting
This is super simple, all that is needed is ice, paint brush, bun for the ice and some sort of paint. Let them go to town, this kept Cooper occupied for like 15 minutes. So, if you need a quick breather, this is for you.
Sticker Books
I found these at a local small shop. They are Melissa and Doug, so I will provide a link. These have also been a life saver. We have a couple different versions, Hunt and Find, then a reusable sticker book as well. You don’t need to purchase these ones, you can draw a picture yourself, and tell your toddler to put a sticker, or dot, or draw a circle on a certain object.
Homemade play doh
Okay, I used to be a preschool teacher, and this was always a go to when we had some down time. You can also buy play doh, obvi. Cooper likes to help make things though, so we made ours! Ill provide the recipe we used, but you can also search on Pinterest or whatever you prefer, to find one with ingredients you may already have.
Obstacle course
WE DO THIS DAILY. We thankfully have a Nugget Comfort (we have another one on order, lol whoops) but that’s how much we love them. It’s just comes with a pretty hefty price tag. You can just use things in your house, couch cushions, blankets, pillows, etc, get creative, let them help build it, or surprise them when they wake up in the morning. Put some masking tape on the ground, that they can follow through all the obstacle’s.
Baking
Another easy one to bust out at any time during the day. We made cookies this time. Let them help crack the eggs, pour the ingredients, stir it up, any step they can help with, let them. I know it’s hard to see an egg shell fall in the recipe, but I bet you can fish it out without them knowing. Lol After we cook something together, Cooper usually goes and plays with his kitchen and cooks us all sorts of tasty treats, so it keeps him occupied well after the baking is done.
Scavenger hunt
Keep this one inside or take it outside on a nice day! Write a list, draw pictures next to each item, so they have a visual, and go look for all these items, maybe have a special surprise for the last one! Get specific if your toddler is old enough, for example, a GREEN leaf, or a BROWN leaf, or a YELLOW flower, or something in the shape of a CIRCLE
Fort building movie night
Last but not least, build a fort! Pick out some movies, Target pick up some movie snacks, and hunker down in the living room, or where ever and have a slumber party movie night! This is one thing we also love our Nugget Comfort for. It can be a fort then at bed time we can use it for sleeping, if we don’t sneak him up to his room. Lol
I hope this list finds you well. There are a lot more ideas out there! I would love to hear your recommendations as well! Remember, it is okay to let your kiddo play by themselves for a while, turn on that TV, do what you need to do to keep yourself sane during this weird time in life, but also try and make the absolute best of it if you can. I am here for YOU.
Stay Confident <3
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