Play and activities

Most days with a small child have a stretch that needs filling. It is raining and the park is out, or you need five quiet minutes, or dinner has to be cooked while someone clings to your leg. These guides take one of those moments each and give you a handful of activities that fit it, using things already in the house. Every activity on the list has its own page with the steps, what to look for and a switch-up for when it goes stale. None of them need a special purchase or an hour of setting up. Read the short version first, pick one idea, and keep the rest for the next time the same afternoon comes round.

Rainy day activities for toddlers at home illustration Rainy day activities for toddlers at home Pick one big-movement idea and one sit-down idea. That covers most of a wet afternoon. Screen-free activities for 2 year olds illustration Screen-free activities for 2 year olds At two, the best screen-free activities are real jobs: pouring, sorting, carrying, stirring. Things to do with an 18 month old at home illustration Things to do with an 18 month old at home At 18 months they want to carry, post, tip out and put back. Give them jobs that are exactly that. Things a toddler can do while you cook illustration Things a toddler can do while you cook Keep them in the kitchen, low down and busy, rather than sending them away. Activities for 1 year olds at home illustration Activities for 1 year olds at home At one, everything is about touching, banging, tipping and watching your face. Burning off toddler energy indoors illustration Burning off toddler energy indoors Aim for ten to fifteen minutes of proper movement, then a drink and something calm. Quiet activities for toddlers illustration Quiet activities for toddlers Quiet works best after movement, not instead of it. Autumn activities for toddlers illustration Autumn activities for toddlers Leaves, puddles and early dark are the three things autumn gives you. Use all three. What to do with a toddler on a poorly day illustration What to do with a toddler on a poorly day Aim low. A poorly day is about comfort and closeness, not activities. No-mess activities for toddlers illustration No-mess activities for toddlers No mess means nothing wet, nothing that crumbs, nothing that needs a bath after.

Activities that fit

Activities for 2 year olds · No-mess activities · Five-minute activities