Busy Toddler Activities

Keeping a toddler entertained for a longer period of time (i.e. over 5 minutes) can be quite a challenge. I am always searching Pinterest for tried and true ideas for my mini. One of the reasons I started Mommy School was to have planned activities daily for AG. Activities that were fun, allowing her to explore and provided learning opportunity as well.  As she’s gotten older she’s become better with playing independently and spending more time on activities I plan for her. Below, you’ll find some of our favorite things that keep us busy and sane around here daily.

BUSY BAGS 

In preparation for L’s birth, I made a bunch of Busy Bags with a friend of mine. She is expecting her second soon and we both wanted educational activities for the kids to keep them busy while we were tending to the new additions. We split all of the materials for the bags and spent an afternoon putting them together while our littles played. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used these busy bags. I’ve taken them out to dinner, to the Dr’s office, used them while nursing and also for longer car rides. I definitely recommend these for toddlers. Worth the time and little amount of money it takes to make them. You can see all the bags we made here along with all of the details.

DIY FELT BOARD 

This is a recent addition to our house. I made it while we were living with my parents. I didn’t have all of AG’s Mommy School things there and wanted something I could use to teach her and something she could also play independently with. This board was simple to make. I just bought foam board and covered it with a large piece of felt (hot glued to the back.) That is it. Right now, it’s sitting in AG’s playroom. Eventually it will hang on the wall. What I love the most about the board is how versatile it is. I’ve made about 5 sets of felt pieces for AG to play with (shapes, fish, numbers, cupcake making and pumpkin faces.) I keep all the pieces in separate bags and give her one to play with at a time. Right now, the pumpkin is currently her favorite.

Play-Doh Fun

Play-Doh is something AG has started to enjoy more recently. Before, she would play with it for a few minutes and then lose interest after a few minutes. Lately, she’ll ask for it and play for a good 20 minutes. It often ends up mixed together with pieces all over the floor. But, that is all part of exploring and learning at home. You can see the post I wrote about learning at home with play-doh here. 

 

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 What are you favorite toddler busy bags or activities?  Check out the other mama’s blogs for their ideas.  And be sure to link up with us below if you also have a post on this topic.

In the difficulty of motherhood, it’s so important to find other mamas to relate to.  Toddlers can be a handful and leave you wondering what to do next.  This series is here to help you navigate through toddlerhood while being able to relate to other mamas going through the same thing.  We may not always know what we are doing but we give it our best shot anyway.  Come back each week to check out our new topic and read along with the other hosts of our One Year and Beyond series!