Bored Afternoon with a Toddler

One of the hardest things that you can do is have a toddler bored. It might seem silly to worry about a bored toddler; however, they can get into a lot of trouble when they are bored. Here are some activities that you can do with your toddler on those stuck inside days.

Play Dough

Play dough is one of the favorites of most toddlers. There are so many recipes for play dough, some edible, and some not.

Here is a yummy recipe that many toddlers love. Peanut Butter play dough is one that is fun to play with and safe to eat. The Imagination Tree has many great recipes. This recipe only takes three ingredients. The three ingredients are powered milk, peanut butter, and honey.

Another recipe for play dough that is not as yummy but still safe if your toddler does lick their fingers. The play dough can be colored. You can use natural coloring or food coloring to change the tints. No cook play dough is a great recipe that toddlers will enjoy making and you can feel safe with them enjoying the fun.

Messy

Sometimes as parents, we hate the idea of getting messy. As parents, it can be important that on those stuck indoor we offer them some fun messy activities. Messy play can help to expand a child’s fine motor skills, concentration, and even their coordination. Offering different types of sensory activities can give your child wonderful experiences.

Rainbow Sensory Rice Bags is something that can offer bright colors, fun, and no messes. All that is needed is rice, food coloring, ziplock bags. Remember that not only the feel of the rice can be educational. Using different types of rice can offer different scents to peak your toddler’s interests.

Hands on as We Grow has a great sensory activity that involves leftovers. You can simply cook some new spaghetti noodles, or use ones from last night’s dinner. Add food coloring to the noodles. Add some oil to the outside of the noodles; this will help to keep them shining and slimy.

Sensory bags are something that can be very helpful. This is a wonderful activity for those individuals that have occupational therapy. You will need a plastic bag, some hair gel, and some small toys or little balls. Mama OT is a great place to get some ideas on other occupational activities.

There are days when you cannot find anything to do. When those days hit it can be very important to have things to do with your toddler.