Six Indoor Activities to Do with Toddlers and Young Children
While July may be known as the hottest month in Georgia, August must be a close second!
The high temperatures and humidity can make playing outside, even though children need outdoor time every day, not very pleasant. We encourage you to plan your outside time early in the morning and late in the afternoon, take advantage of shady play areas, and create fun playtimes inside to balance the outdoor time.
To make your indoor time more fun, and to escape the heat, here are six activities your toddler and young children will ask to do again and again. Each of these simple activities offers lots of enjoyment and supports important skill development. Win-win!
Indoor Picnic: Set up a blanket or an outdoor tablecloth, some of your child’s favorite finger foods, and soft toys. Your toddler will enjoy the change of scenery and the novelty of eating in a different setting.
Talking about the food supports language development. Describe the food you are eating -- its textures, smells, and tastes. Teach your child its name and the ingredients in the food.
Picking up small finger foods and self-feeding promotes the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Save the utensils for the table!
Arts and Crafts: Engage in simple arts and crafts activities such as finger painting, making paper plate masks, or creating collages with old magazines.
Learning to hold and use crayons, paintbrushes, and glue helps refine fine motor skills and hand dexterity.
Give your child ideas but let them plan and create their own craft activity as this encourages problem-solving, decision-making, and cognitive growth.
Story Time and Puppet Show: Create a cozy space and gather your toddler's favorite books for a story time session or create a puppet show with stuffed animals or homemade puppets to make the stories more interactive.
Listening to stories and participating in a puppet show exposes your toddler to new vocabulary, sentence structures, and storytelling concepts.
Sitting through a story and following the puppet show storyline enhances attention span and listening skills.
Sensory Play: Create a sensory play station using items like rice, pasta, water beads, or playdough. Allow your toddler to explore different textures, shapes, and colors.
Investigating different materials promotes cognitive development as toddlers learn about cause and effect, object permanence, and basic scientific concepts.
Describing sensory experiences through words helps expand your toddler's vocabulary and communication skills.
Obstacle Course: Set up a simple obstacle course using cushions, pillows, sheets, and soft toys. If you are feeling adventurous, you can do the course as well, race your toddler, or take turns using a stop watch to see how fast each of you can complete the course. Your toddler will have a blast while improving gross motor skills and coordination, and their confidence!
Crawling under tables, jumping over "obstacles,” and balancing on pillows contributes to the development of gross motor skills and coordination.
Moving around obstacles helps your toddler understand spatial relationships and improve their sense of balance and body awareness.
Music and Dance Party: Put on some upbeat music and have a dance party with your toddler. Who doesn’t like and feel better after getting all the wiggles out and giggling while doing it? You can even include your own simple musical instruments like shakers, drums, or horns, or use a spoon and a pot to make your own instrument. Dancing helps with physical activity and rhythmic awareness.
Dancing encourages movement, exercise, and physical activity, promoting healthy development and motor skills.
Moving to the beat of the music helps your toddler develop a sense of rhythm and coordination.
Find more information to help you plan indoor activities below:
38 Easy-To-Set-Up Sensory Stations for Kids (Empowered Parents)
21 Sensory Room Ideas to Try at Home (Wonderbaby)
52 Homemade Musical Instruments You Can Make (Music Industry How To)
Indoor Activities For Toddlers (The Lean Green Bean)
Picture Books to Use with Puppets (Pinterest)