Toddlers are natural explorers, constantly learning through play, movement, and hands-on discovery (aka your little one is into and, quite possibly, in everything!)
For this reason, supporting their development doesn’t require fancy equipment or complicated setups, just simple, engaging activities using everyday objects.
This guide features over 100 easy toddler learning activities that are simple enough to set-up and try at home. Virtually all have been tried and testing by one or all of my 4 kiddos, plus the odd playmate that’s joined on occasion.
They’re organized by key developmental areas, from cognitive growth, language and communication to fine and gross motor skills, sensory exploration and social-emotional learning.
Each one uses simple and common household items and/or minimal materials, meaning little set up time or cost.
These toddler learning activities are relatively stress-free, as much as that’s possible with a little person or two involved! They should allow you to create meaningful learning moments right at home.
Whether you have five minutes or an afternoon, these activities turn ordinary days into opportunities for connection, curiosity, and growth in your toddler, preschooler or elementary school aged child.
Cognitive Development
Toddlers are constantly solving little problems and trying to make sense of the world. The following cognitive activities support memory, attention, sorting, matching, and early logic – sounds complicated, but really they’re all very simple.
Sorting Cars By Size
Grouping objects by small, medium, or large introduces early math thinking. If your little person loves cars, sorting them into different sizes will be engaging and fun. The best part – this toddler learning activity requires no set up or cleaning up!
Easy alternatives: sort teddies, toy figurines, animals or normal household objects
Puzzle Mix Up
Putting together puzzles encourages problem-solving and visual discrimination, but here’s an easy and fun way to make those outgrown chunky puzzles a little more challenging.
Dump the pieces from all of them into one big pile for your toddler or preschooler sort and complete. It’s a simple twist that usually buys at least 15 minutes of peaceful play!
Count objects onto number mats
Counting toys and other objects will build number awareness but you can start to build in number recognition using number mats.
Simply count the correct number of objects onto the corresponding number mat.
If you don’t have number mats, simply draw large numbers onto A4 sheets.
Color scavenger hunt
Here’s another fun way to develop categorizing skills that gets your toddler moving, perfect to wear them out! Send them off around the house looking for things of a certain colors.
I’d recommend giving your toddler a few rules, e.g. only in the play room and kids bedroom, to prevent too many drawers being rummaged through and cupboards being rapidly emptied!
Play “Odd One Out”
Show your toddler a collection of familiar items, including one that’s very different to the others. E.g. three toy cars and 1 toy animal.
Or different kitchen untensils and a hat, as pictured. This encourages logical thinking.
Explore A Treasure Box
Do you ever find your toddler rummaging in a drawer that they shouldn’t?! This simple learning activity is for them (and you!). You’re basically going to create your toddler their very own drawer or box of treasures to explore.
Use any safe and interesting items you have to hand, such as ribbons, buttons, wooden blocks, shells, pinecones, small fabric scraps, silicon kitchen utensils and so on.
Your toddler will love exploring all the different items, textures, shapes and may want to arrange the objects, pack them into their bag or trolley or create their own stories with them.
For themed play, try a nature treasure box, a color-sorting box, or a dress-up accessory box.
Experiment With Sounds
Collect different objects from around the house that vary in size and material (e.g. metal teaspoons, clothes pegs, dry pasta) and place each type into a plastic container or dish of some sort.
Then your toddler can experiment with the different sounds made by shaking and rattling the different objects. You can get really creative – let your child lead the way in testing out more objects to jangle together.
Or find more objects out of sight of your toddler and get them to guess what it is, supporting auditory memory.
Sorting & Matching By Color
Sorting activities will help your toddler recognize differences and similarities between objects. We have brightly colored toddler chairs, pictured above, that almost match the color of our duplo blocks exactly, so we chose to include them in the block sorting, but you can also use brightly coloured construction paper.
Easy alternative: use fruit, teddies or any other colorful objects you have around the house and match to rugs, wrapping paper or t-shirts.
Stacking & knocking down objects
Stacking things supports understanding of balance, size, and cause-effect relationships. And there’s nothing better than building a tower and then knocking it down again!
Get creative with what you provide your toddler to stack with – you don’t need to use blocks – empty cardboard boxes, toilet rolls, plastic cups… the list goes on (just make sure they’re safe to stack – you don’t want any broken toes!
“What’s Missing?” game with familiar objects
This learning activity enhances memory and attention by identifying what’s been removed and makes a fun game for kids big and small. You just need to tailor it to the age of your child.
For toddlers start with 4 or 5 objects placed on a tray. Give them a 10 seconds or so to have a good look. Take the tray away and, out of sight, remove one object. Then place it in view again and see if your toddler can work out which object is missing.
Guess The Food
Blindfold your child and hand them a familiar fruit or vegetable and see if they can guess what it is. You can do this with any object but it’s fun to do with food as you can encourage your toddler to use their sense of smell to help them.
This enhances sensory discrimination through touch and smell, encourages focus and attention and also helps build descriptive language as toddlers explain what they can feel and smell.
Saucepan Lid matching
Get out your lidded saucepans, remove the lids and mix them up and then challenge your toddler to match each one to the correct saucepan.
It’s a surprisingly engaging activity that builds problem-solving and visual discrimination.
Easy variations – matching lids to the correct tupperwear (that’s if you have some that match….) or pairing socks…yes your toddler can help with this tedious task!
Ball Ramp
Setting up a homemade ball ramp is quick and exciting for young toddlers. it introduces toddlers to early STEM concepts like gravity, speed, and cause and effect. As they watch how the ball moves, they begin to understand how slope and force influence motion.
Just grab a piece of cardboard or a wooden board to create a gentle slope and roll some balls down.
You can place a bin or basket at the bottom to catch them, provide different-sized balls to experiment with and so on depending on your toddlers age.
My 1 year old twins were totally fascinated by the simple action of the balls rolling down – there was no need to do anything more!
Elastic Ball Box
This DIY elastic sorting box is made using a small cardboard box—something shoebox-sized works great. Cut open the sides and stretch rubber bands across the opening.
If you have shorter elastics, like I did, just tie a few together. Then fill the box with balls or other small toys, and let your toddler reach in, pull them out, and pop them back in again.
This simple toddler learning activity is fantastic for building patience, persistence, and early problem-solving skills. My twins couldn’t get enough of it!
Posting toy cars into a large bottle
What happens when something disappears through a hole? Toddlers are fascinated by this idea, and posting games are a wonderful way to support early thinking and coordination.
In the photo above, my oldest—just over a year old at the time—was pushing toy cars into an empty 5-litre water bottle.
Easy adaptation: we’ve also cut holes in the lid of an old formula tin to drop bottle caps through. There are endless variations, and toddlers love them all!
Toys that support cognitive development
Toys with buttons and levers teach that actions can create predictable results.
Shape sorters teach toddlers to recognize shapes, sizes, and spatial relationships through trial and error.
Puzzles promote problem-solving, visual discrimination and memory
Stacking cups or rings encourage sequencing, cause and effect and size comparison.
Matching cards/pairs games boost visual memory, attention, and early categorization skills.
Building blocks (e.g. Duplo, wooden blocks) help toddlers plan, experiment, and learn about balance and structure.
Busy boards & activity cubes offer a variety of cause-and-effect learning opportunities and fine motor challenges.
Books with flaps or textures build memory, attention, and prediction as children interact with the story.
Counting or sorting toys develop early math skills like number recognition and categorizing
Explore more hands-on learning activities here:
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Activities That Help Develop Fine Motor Skills
The follow toddler learning activities focus on strengthening the small muscles in the hands and fingers, important for all tasks they will eventually need to do themselves, starting with feeding themselves, drawing/scribbling and eventually writing.
Tiny toy rescue & recapture
This activity is a fantastic way to build finger strength and fine motor skills and it can turn into a surprisingly entertaining game too. Tape a few small toys (think mini figures, dinosaurs, or cars) to the fridge door using painter’s tape or masking tape.
Younger toddlers will focus on peeling the tape to free the toys, but don’t be surprised if older kids turn it into a full-blown game. Mine did! They added a twist by re-taping their toys in funny positions—like upside down—then gently peeling them off over and over in a self-made rescue mission.
For an easy variation or if the fridge isn’t an option, stick toys to a plastic-covered table or tile floor.
Twist-Top board
This fun activity is a great follow-up to the tupperware sorting and lid matching but with an added challenge of twisting! Oh, and you need to make your own DIY twist-top board first, by glueing lids to a wooden plank or chopping board. Click the link for full instructions.
Simple alternative: supply your toddler with bottles of various shapes and sizes and encourage them to practice removing and replacing the caps.
It takes more coordination to screw the lids back on, which is why it’s so effective for developing fine motor control. If you have a stash of empty bottles it’s sure to keep your toddler happily occupied for ages.
Toddler tinker tray
Tinker trays are wonderful for fine motor development, though they do require close supervision. Handling small objects helps toddlers strengthen the muscles in their hands and wrists while encouraging sensory exploration.
To make your own like the one pictured from U Ready Teddy, fill a divided tray with a variety of safe, interesting items—think clothespins, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, ribbon scraps, rocks, sticks, or textured paper. You can keep it random or theme the tray by color, material, or season.
Shape Tracing
Draw a large shape, like a circle, square, or triangle, on a piece of paper, and invite your toddler to line up small items along the outline. You could use pompoms, dry pasta, cereal, or small toys.
This simple toddler learning activity is a great way to build fine motor skills and introduce shapes.
Baking with playdough
Playing with play dough never gets old! It’s been around since the beginning of time and I can’t see it going anywhere fast….
Toddlers can roll, squish, and shape playdough to strengthen their hand muscles while exploring creative concepts they see in their day to day life.
Baking with play dough has always been a favorite in our house.
Scooping & pouring to make rice “cupcakes”
Scooping and pouring dry rice or water strengthens control and precision. For a fun dry learning activity, grab some dry rice and a few silicone cupcake liners (these get way more use in toddler play than they ever do in baking in our house!)
I used mixed dyed rice that I had to hand but normal plain dry rice is, of course, absolutely fine. Then add a set of plastic measuring spoons and let your child scoop and pour and fill the cupcake liners to their heart’s content.
You could also use dry pasta, oats or beans and there’s plenty of opportunity to mix up the containers to transfer to and from as well.
DIY bracelets or necklaces
Invite your toddler to thread colorful beads onto pipe cleaners and turn them into unique bracelets. This will improve hand-eye coordination and focus. Best of all, the result is a cute bracelet that your toddler made themself.
A simple alternative is large beads and shoelaces to make necklaces – the pointy end of the shoelace is ideal for threading practice.
Pompom transfer & sorting
Grasping small items with tongs builds dexterity and coordination and pompoms are ideal! Place some pompoms in a bowl and have another container for your toddler to transfer them in to. Then provide utensils such as a kitchen spoons, plastic tweezers or whatever you have to hand.
Younger toddlers will probably need nothing more than that while those a little older may want to sort colors… Just go with the flow and allow them to have fun.
Squeezing water sponges
Sponge play is a simple yet powerful way to strengthen little hands. Offer your toddler a few sponges and a shallow bin of water (outside, in the bath, or in a sensory tub) and let them squish, splash, and experiment.
They’ll love the feel of squeezing water out, watching the drips, dropping the sponges and even tossing them around (maybe reserve that for outside play though!)
It’s hands-on, open-ended fun with great sensory and fine motor benefits.
Playing with clothespins
The act of pinching and pressing helps strengthen finger and wrist muscles while boosting focus and coordination. As your child gets older, you can turn it into a fun color-matching game or themed challenge.
Check out the dinosaur-matching clothespin activity pictured above.
To simplify and still enjoy the benefits of clothespin play: provide a few clothespins and a piece of sturdy cardstock or fabric for younger toddlers to clip onto.
Spray Art
Using a spray bottle is a great way for little ones to work on finger strength. Fill the spray bottle with liquid watercolor and provide paper or canvas so your toddler or preschooler can get creative, while working on their fine motor skills.
It’s a great creative activity for two and three-year-olds, but younger toddlers can give it a go too with supervision.
Want to omit the paint (and potential mess!): just use water and cardboard instead. Your toddler will have just as much fun.
Spray bottle too tricky for little hands: use a turkey baster instead for the same colorful effect!
Tear And Glue
This activity is wonderfully simple and satisfying. Offer your toddler some construction paper to tear into pieces – great for hand strength and bilateral coordination (using both hands together).
Then for more fine motor practice they can then stick the scraps onto cardboard to create a collage using a glue stick or glue dabber. Scrunching the paper first offers even more chance to strengthen hands and fingers.
There are loads of crafting options here – why not try making the cute fall apple craft pictured above.
To simplify: simply omit the glueing and concentrate on the tearing – young toddlers will love this!
Lacing crafts
Threading yarn through punched paper or cardboard helps with coordination and patience. Try this cute apple lacing craft – it’s simple, takes a few minutes to set up and is mess-free.
To simplify: punch bigger holes (simply by punching lots of holes in the same place) and /or use a shoelace or pipe cleaner to thread.
Cutting straws
Toddlers and preschoolers are obsessed with cutting once they get their hands on their very first pair of scissors. But it doesn’t always have to be paper! Try giving your toddler some plastic straws instead.
They’re easier for little hands to grip, and since straws start out long and lightweight, there’s less risk of clumsy snips to fingers. Plus, the way the pieces bounce when cut adds a whole new layer of fun (and yes, a little cleanup).
Eco note: We save plastic straws just for crafts like this—no longer using them for drinks—and reuse them over and over.
Try this instead: Cut up strips of thin cardboard from cereal or cracker boxes. They won’t fly through the air like straws, but they’re still great for little hands to practice cutting. Paint chip cards also make a perfect alternative.
Push pins into cardboard or a cork pinboard
Pushing pins into cardboard or a cork board practices finger control while building hand strength.
If using a pinboard, pin a sheet of paper onto it first, then draw a pattern for your child to follow or outline a shape or picture for them to decorate with different color pins.
If using cardboard, you need to provide some kind of backing first. You can either layer up several sheets of cardboard, or staple a large empty egg tray to the back first.
(That’s what I did for the simple Christmas tree activity pictured above.)
Dot marker activities
Using bingo-style dot markers combines fine motor control with visual fun. Download the cute pear dot marker printable pictured above for free right here:
Click here to download PDF Pear Dot Marker Activity
Toys that support cognitive development
Peg boards – placing pegs into holes builds precision, grip strength, and dexterity.
Stacking cups or rings – encourages grasping, releasing, and wrist control while exploring size and order.
Shape sorters – helps toddlers practice grasping, turning, and fitting shapes into corresponding holes.
Pincer grasp toys (like pom-pom tweezers or scoopers) – encourage toddlers to use the thumb and forefinger together—essential for writing later on.
Busy boards with zippers, buttons, latches, and switches offer different opportunities to strengthen small hand muscles.
Velcro fruit or food cutting sets – practicing with a safe plastic knife builds coordination and promotes independence.
Using child-safe hole punchers is a fun way to build finger strength while exploring shapes.
Keep those hands busy and messy with these handprint ideas:
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Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor play involves the large muscles in the arms, legs, and torso. These activities help toddlers develop balance, strength, and coordination as they jump, climb, and move their bodies with growing control.
Animal Movement Game
Encourage your child to move like different animals—hop like a frog, crawl like a bear, slither like a snake, or stomp like an elephant! It’s perfect for toddlers learning to control their bodies.
You can use animal picture cards, flip through a favorite animal book, or simply act them out together.
Add sound effects for extra giggles and engagement!
Cardboard Box Adventures
A simple cardboard box offers hours of creative and physical play for toddlers—and older kids love them too.
Cut out doors and windows and watch your little one crawl through, hide inside, play peekaboo, and bring their toys along for the ride. It’s fantastic for gross motor development and imaginative play.
You can also hand them some crayons or stickers to decorate the box, sneaking in a bit of fine motor practice while you’re at it.
Ball Wall Challenge
Encourage reaching, stretching, and movement with a DIY ball wall. Use painter’s tape to stick plastic balls to a low section of the wall, just above your toddler’s natural reach.
They’ll love the challenge of grabbing the balls down, and may surprise you by adding their own twist—like tossing them across the room or putting them in a bucket.
Either way, it’s a great way to build gross motor skills, balance, and coordination.
Action Songs
Songs with built-in movement are an ideal way to combine music, language, and physical development. Encourage your toddler to clap, stomp, reach, spin, or tap parts of their body as they follow along.
Not only do action songs boost coordination and body awareness, but they also reinforce early language, memory, and rhythm through repetition and fun.
Texture Path Walk or Crawl
Find some interesting new textures for your toddler to explore with bare feet or hands. Start with things like bubble wrap and cardboard, then add sensory fun with bins of rice, oats, or even shaving cream.
This activity supports sensory processing and body awareness while giving your toddler a chance to move, balance, and explore in a new and exciting way.
Shape Tag Challenge
Turn shape learning into an active game by asking your toddler to find and “tag” objects around the house that match a certain shape. For example, say “Find something that’s a square!” and let them dash off to touch a matching item.
It’s a fun way to combine early geometry skills with movement and exploration.
Simplify or up the challenge to your toddler’s learning stage – you could do this will colors or beginning sounds for those starting phonetics.
Balloon Waddle Game
Place a balloon between your toddler’s knees and have them waddle across the room without letting it fall—silly, fun, and great for balance and coordination!
To keep it easy for younger toddlers use a slightly under-inflated balloon which will be easier to grip between those little knees!
Up the challenge for older kids: place a balloon between the hips of two children and challenge them to walk across the room together without dropping it. This is just as much about communication and cooperation as it is about gross motor skills.
Obstacle Course
A classic gross motor activity that improves strength and coordination in a fun, enclosed space that never gets old, and can be endlessly adapted for toddlers and preschoolers of all ages.
Obstacle courses are a go-to and much loved activity in your house, with all 4 kids. We try different courses each time to keep it fresh and fun and the kids love helping to plan the course and all the different elements as much as running it.
You don’t need a large space—just use what you have and include a variety of movements:crawling through DIY tunnels, jumping, hopping, balancing, and weaving around objects…
Here are some easy ideas to include:
- A balance beam made from painter’s tape
- Pillows or sofa cushions to hop between
- A tunnel using chairs and a blanket, or a big cardboard box
- Plastic bottles or toys to run around
- Hula hoops to jump into or through
- Low hurdles made with boxes or tape
- Stuffed animals or bean bags to balance on a spoon or your toddlers head!
Indoor Snowball Fight
Let your child’s imagination run wild with an indoor snowball fight! Use balled-up socks or scrunched-up newspaper as soft “snowballs,” and rearrange furniture or build a fort to create places to hide and duck behind.
This is a great energy-busting gross motor activity that toddlers and preschoolers will love. There’s running, dodging, throwing—and plenty of giggles!
Skittles Game
Set up your own skittles using whatever you have around—paper cups, yogurt pots, plastic bottles, or toilet roll tubes. Line them up like a tower or triangle, and mark a throwing line to roll a ball from.
The aim is simple: knock as many skittles over as possible! It’s a great coordination challenge and perfect for playing with siblings or as a whole family.
Visual Scavenger Hunt
Take photos of familiar places in your home and hide a small object (like a pom-pom or toy) at each one. Show your child a photo, and challenge them to find the matching spot and collect the hidden item.
Make it simpler for toddlers by keeping everything on one floor. For preschoolers, use more cryptic photo angles or zoomed-in images for an added challenge. This one takes a little setup, but it’s so engaging that you might even sneak in a warm cup of tea while they play!
Dance Routine with Just Dance
If your toddler loves music and movement, try a dance session with a game like Just Dance. While the choreography might be a bit advanced for younger toddlers, older toddlers and preschoolers will love trying to follow along—and you might find yourself joining in too!
Our current favorite? Waka Waka—it’s lively, silly, and a great way to burn off energy while practicing rhythm, balance, and coordination. Even if they can’t follow the steps exactly, they’ll have a blast trying.
Flashlight hide & seek
Turn off the lights and hide a few favorite toys in one or two rooms. Hand your toddler a flashlight and send them on a mission to find their toys in the dark!
It’s a great activity for colder months when it gets dark early and everyone’s waiting for dinner. For a fun twist, swap the flashlight for glow sticks—either as the hidden items or as the light source.
Hiding toys at different heights also encourages bending, stretching, and climbing, keeping your toddler’s whole body engaged.
Marching with “musical instruments”
Marching will jangling a DIY music instrument (tupperwear of rice, plastic sub with spoons etc) combines rhythm, coordination, and movement. Plus it’s lots of fun, if not a little noisy!
Toys that help build gross motor skills
Play Silks – whether they’re dancing around, playing peekaboo, or pretending they’re capes or rivers, they support physical movement, sensory exploration, and imaginative play.
Ride-on toys like balance bikes or toddler scooters encourage coordination, balance, and full-body movement.
Push and pull toys help toddlers build strength in their legs and core while supporting early walking skills.
Mini trampolines with handles provide a safe way for toddlers to practice jumping and improve balance.
Play tunnels promote crawling, which strengthens the core and enhances spatial awareness.
Climbing frames and soft play blocks offer opportunities for climbing, sliding, and navigating obstacles to build gross motor confidence.
Large soft balls are perfect for kicking, throwing, and rolling—great for developing coordination and hand-eye skills.
Inflatable ride-on toys like bouncers or Rody horses help improve balance and strengthen leg and core muscles through bouncing play.
Bubble blowers – catching bubbles encourages movement, timing, and visual tracking.
Hula hoops – jumping into and out of hoops supports leg strength and spatial awareness. These are also great fun to crawl or tuck and roll through, and to roll across the floor.
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Language & Communication
In the toddler years, language development takes off. These activities encourage talking, listening, and understanding, helping toddlers build vocabulary and express themselves with confidence.
Nursery rhymes and songs
Some of the simplest ways to support language development are often the most obvious—singing songs and reciting rhymes. Choose ones with motions or fingerplays like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or “Wheels on the Bus” to keep toddlers engaged while hearing new words, rhythms, and sounds.
These musical moments also boost memory and help toddlers make connections between words and actions.
Pretend phone chat
Toddlers love copying what they see—and pretending to talk on the phone is no exception! Hand them a toy phone or an old unused one, and they’ll enjoy babbling away just like they see adults do.
This simple form of dramatic play is fantastic for both language and cognitive development, helping toddlers practice sounds, build vocabulary, and connect real-life actions with meaning.
Wash the toys
This easy language-rich activity can be done in a sensory bin, outside, or during bath time. Give your toddler some washable toys, soap, and a brush or sponge, and let them “clean” to their heart’s content.
As they play, narrate what they’re doing to build vocabulary naturally: “You’re scrubbing the duck! Now you’re rinsing the car!” It’s also great for encouraging cooperative play if they’re with a sibling or friend.
Jello alphabet sensory bin
This colorful sensory activity is a great opportunity to pair tactile exploration with early letter recognition and language building. Just make a batch of Jello and bury plastic alphabet letters inside for your toddler to dig through and find.
Talk about the letters as they pull them out—naming them, sounding them out, or describing the texture. For a full tutorial, check out the version shared by In The Kids Kitchen.
Flower soup
Flower soup is a lovely sensory and pretend play activity where toddlers mix flowers, petals, and water using real kitchen tools like spoons, cups, and funnels. You can use real or fake flowers, and even add glitter or food coloring for extra flair.
As they scoop, pour, and stir, talk with them about what they’re doing and name the objects and colors. This encourages vocabulary growth while letting them explore and experiment in a playful way.
Object labeling games
Boost your toddler’s vocabulary by pointing to and naming familiar objects around the house or outside. You can use real items, picture books, or flashcards. Try asking, “Where’s the ball?” or “Can you show me the banana?” and give praise when they point or respond.
Doctors and nurses
Playing doctors and nurses is a fantastic dramatic play activity that naturally invites dialogue and new vocabulary. Your toddler can pretend to take temperatures, check heartbeats, and give toy patients their medicine and practice using words like “sick,” “better,” “check-up”.
You can also help them with new words, like “stethoscope” and “thermometer”.
“What’s This?” Questions
Asking simple questions like “What’s this?” helps toddlers to expand their vocab and the answers can be revealing and often amusing!
You make is easy or hard as you like and focus in on your toddler’s interests – there will be plenty in and around your house to keep you both entertained.
To simplify: for younger toddlers ask simple yes/no questions, like “Do you want the red ball?”
Scavenger hunt with verbal Clues
Hide a few toys or objects around a room and give simple clues like “It’s under the table” or “it’s behind the door.” You can use all sorts of descriptive words to build listening and language comprehension while keeping toddlers engaged and moving.
Daily routine narration
Talk your toddler through daily activities to help them hear words in context. Say things like “Now we’re putting on your socks” or “Let’s pour the milk.” This repetitive, real-time language exposure helps them understand and eventually use new vocabulary.
Listening walks
Go on a walk with your toddler and take turns pointing out what you can hear—birds chirping, cars passing, or leaves rustling. This builds auditory awareness and helps them learn to connect sounds to words and meaning.
Pack up a picnic
Let your toddler help you pack a real or pretend picnic. Talk about the different foods you’re including, describe each item, and encourage your child to make choices: “Should we bring the apples or the bananas?”
It’s a simple way to grow vocabulary, decision-making and planning skills.
Naming emotions during play
When your toddler is feeling excited, frustrated, or silly during play, take the opportunity to name those emotions. Say things like “You look so happy!” or “Are you feeling frustrated?” This helps toddlers learn emotional vocabulary and begin to recognize and express their own feelings.
Teddy bears’ picnic
Gather up some favorite soft toys and host a teddy bears’ picnic! Whether it’s in the garden, at the park, or right in your living room, it’s a great way to encourage storytelling and pretend play.
Use the opportunity to introduce and repeat food words, greetings, and imaginative dialogue.
Build a fort
Building a blanket fort is a fun, cozy activity that also invites plenty of conversation. Use words like “under,” “over,” “through,” and “behind” to describe what you’re doing together. Once built, your toddler a set it up as their home – ask them to narrate what they’re doing. Or how about pretend camping?
A fort is also a great place to sit together to read look at books and a chance to expose your child to more language.
Toys that help build language and communication skills
Interactive books with flaps, textures, or sound buttons encourage toddlers to explore language through hands-on storytelling.
Puppets invite imaginative dialogue and storytelling. They’re great for encouraging toddlers to practice expressive language and conversational turn-taking.
Animal figurines and character playsets support storytelling and language as toddlers play and act out scenes.
Musical toys that play songs and nursery rhymes help toddlers learn rhythm, rhyme, and new words.
Dolls and pretend play kits like doctor sets or kitchens spark role-play and storytelling.
Picture flashcards with simple images help toddlers learn to name and categorize common items.
Story sequencing cards teach toddlers how to put events in order and describe what’s happening. This builds early narrative and communication skills.
More seasonal crafts & fun ideas? Try these too:
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Sensory Play Activities
Sensory experiences are key for early brain development. These activities invite toddlers to explore textures, sounds, smells, sights, and movement, helping them make sense of the world through their senses. And they’re plain good fun and will keep your little one busy for a good while!
Car Wash Sensory Bin
Pouring, scooping, and splashing with water provides endless opportunities for sensory discovery. So why not try the car wash sensory bin, pictured. To a bin of water, add toy vehicles and bubble bath as well as scoops, cloths, and sponges. Perfect for car-loving toddlers!
To simplify: you’ve probably found your toddler loves bath time so, to extend the play chuck in some cups, spoons, and small toys . They’ll be developing hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and cause-and-effect understanding all while having fun!
Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin
Rainbow rice is colorful, reusable, and easy to make and your toddler will love playing with it!
Simply mix uncooked rice with a bit of vinegar and food coloring in a zip-lock bag, shake to coat, then spread out to dry. Repeat with as many colors as you’d like.
When done, store the rice in sealed bags or leave it in the sensory bin with a lid for next time.
To simplify: your toddler will love digging around in dry pasta, rice or beans. Simply pick one, add to a large tray or bin with some spoons and other tools or hide small toys for them to find.
No prep and minutes (or more!) of engaged playtime!
Finger paint on wax paper or aluminum foil
Finger painting is great for tactile exploration and expressive play so why not let your toddler enjoy a new sensory experience by painting with their hands and fingers on wax paper or kitchen foil.
The smooth, slippery surface adds a fun twist to regular painting and encourages them to explore texture and movement with their hands.
For more inspiration, check out the foil painting idea above shared by Taming Little Monsters
We have plenty more finger painting ideas here.
Aquafaba foam
Who knew the liquid from a can of chickpeas could make such fun messy play? Just whip the drained liquid with an electric whisk until it becomes thick and foamy.
Add a few drops of food coloring and let your toddler get stuck in. (More details here from inthesestilettos)
Aquafaba foam is soft, safe, and lots of colorful fun; your toddler will be content playing for a long time!
Just don’t go too far away, just in case those grubby hands go wandering…
Shaving cream play – for a simpler version, spread shaving cream on a flat surface and let your toddler swirl it, squish it and enjoy the lovely creamy, foamy texture.
Squeeze-Your-Own-Lemonade Sensory Bin
What a fun, warm-weather sensory bin table idea, another one from The Salty Mamas. This squeeze-your-own-lemonade bin is a great way to explore water, perfect for a water sensory table for toddlers.
This playful warm-weather activity from The Salty Mamas is a cute way to play with water and ice with a summery citrus twist!
To a large tray of yellow dyed water, add ice cubes, splash balls, a citrus juicer, and real lemons for kids to squeeze.
Provide straws, tongs, and slotted spoons to extend the play. Toddlers will love juicing, pouring, and exploring textures while cooling off.
Ice Cube Exploration: for a simpler version, add ice cubes to a tray or bowl and let your toddler touch, push, and slide them around.
Pour warm water over the top and they can watch the ice melt and feel the changing temperature. This builds sensory awareness and supports scientific observation.
Loom Band Sensory Bottle
For quiet tactile mess-free play and visual stimulation try making a simple sensory bottle. Try making a loom band sensory bottle, simply by adding a handful of loom bands to a bottle of water, with a few drops of glycerin added. The glycerin increases the viscosity and slows the movement of the bands a little.
Easy alternative – swap the loom bands for glittery for a sparkly sensory bottle or make a sensory bag: fill a ziplock bag with squishy materials like hair gel and beads or buttons.
Moon Sand Sensory Play
Moon sand is soft, fluffy, and moldable—making it completely irresistible to toddlers. It’s similar to kinetic sand but offers a unique texture that’s perfect for dry messy play.
Just mix 8 parts flour with 1 part oil (any kind works), and you’ve got a sensory material kids will love to squeeze, scoop, and shape. Add small toys for even more open-ended fun.
Mud Kitchen
Create an outdoor “kitchen” space with soil, water, old pots and pans plus ordinary kitchen utensils. Mixing, pouring, and “cooking” supports imaginative play and sensory engagement with natural materials.
Creepy Jello Dig
Jello isn’t just for snacking—it makes a great sensory material too! Before it sets, drop in baby-safe toys for your toddler to find and dig out.
Once firm, hand over spoons or let them explore with their hands. This cool, wobbly texture is perfect for squishing, scooping, and, of course, tasting!
How cute and is the Jello dig activity from authenticallyari_, pictured above?
Nature Texture Walk
Set up a barefoot path using different items from nature for your toddler to walk or crawl on, e.g. grass, sand, smooth stones, or bark . Feeling these different surfaces supports body awareness, balance, and tactile processing.
Spaghetti Play
Cook and color spaghetti for a fun, squishy sensory experience. Toddlers can squeeze, stretch, and sort the noodles, developing fine motor control and engaging their sense of touch.
Scent Jars
Fill small containers with cotton balls scented with extracts of vanilla, lemon, or peppermint. Let your toddler smell each one and describe or guess the scent. This builds language, memory, and smell awareness.
Easy alternatives: try making different herbal teas (make sure they cool down sufficiently), a nature walk in spring or summer with lots of different flowers to explore or place different foods (coffee beans, slice of lemon, garlic, fresh rosemary etc) with a strong aroma into different dishes.
Sensory Balloon Eggs
Sensory balloons, or balloon eggs, are soft, squishy, and easy to make. Just fill a balloon with flour or another sensory material like rice, oats, or dry beans, and tie it tight. They’re fantastic for squeezing, pressing, and exploring different textures.
Make several with different fillings to compare how each one feels – you won’t want to put the flour filled one down! It’s like a DIY stress ball and they can really help support emotional regulation and calm (for both toddler and parent!)
Bubble Wrap Walk
Everyone loves playing with and popping bubble wrap – this is just an easy way to extend the fun and sensory experience.
Simply lay out sheets of bubble wrap and invite your toddler to walk, stomp, or crawl across it. The popping sounds and bumpy texture offer quite a fun and new sensory experience.
Oobleck (Cornstarch + Water)
Oobleck is a fascinating sensory material that shifts between liquid and solid. To make it, mix 2 cups of cornstarch with 1 cup of water, adding food coloring if you’d like.
Pour it into a tub or bowl and let your toddler explore with their hands or tools. It’s squishy, sticky, and oddly soothing and a lovely material for sensory play (if a litte messy!) and will also help strengthen finger muscles.
Toys that help sensory exploration
Water tables and sensory bin tables offer endless opportunities for sensory exploration.
Kinetic sand sets provide a moldable material that’s soothing to touch and easy to shape. These are ideal for creative play and tactile discovery.
Musical toys like tambourines, shakers, and rainsticks stimulate auditory senses while supporting rhythm and cause-and-effect learning.
Scented dough or playdough kits introduce smells and textures, encouraging creative molding and sensory-rich exploration with hands and fingers.
Bubble machines and wands combine visual and tactile delight as toddlers chase, pop, and watch bubbles float and burst.
Explore sensory play ideas for different times of the year:
- 50 Christmas Sensory Activities & Bins
- 25 easy FAKE SNOW sensory bins & sensory play activities
- 21 Fun & Easy Dinosaur Sensory Activities
- 15 Best Sensory Bin Tables for Toddlers {+Sensory Table Ideas}
Activities to Facilitate Creative Expression
Creative play lets toddlers explore their imagination while building fine motor skills and confidence. Your little one will be doing it all the time, without our input. But here are some ideas that will help facilitate their own creativity and ideas.
These activities are all about process over outcome. You want to allow your toddler the freedom to create and express themselves through art, music, and pretend play.
Sticker Collage
Provide a sheet of stickers and some paper and let your toddler peel and place them however they like. Similarly, you can turn their random sticker creations into handmade birthday cards or wrapping paper with blank cards and plain craft paper. Creative fun and something cute and useful! Double win.
Magazine Self-Portraits
Old magazines are fab for creative toddler art projects. You and your toddler can spend time choosing eyes, a nose, mouth, hair, clothes and then accessories like handbags, to make their own self-portrait. They can cut out and then glue the different pieces onto a paper face outline, a good test of fine motor skills too.
These magazine portraits are normally pretty hilarious and make great keepsakes!
To simplify, make a tear and stick paper collage – for younger toddlers, or if you don’t have any magazines to hand, simply supply coloured paper and a glue stick so they can simply tear and stick and create however they desire.
Draw to Music
Play music and let your toddler scribble or draw while they listen. This encourages creative expression through sound and movement.
Try switching up the tempo and see how their scribbles evolve. Expect more energetic and erratic lines when you play fast-paced music versus more controlled scribbles with more gentle songs.
Painting with Different “Paint Brushes”
Offer a variety of tools for painting, think traditional paint brushes, small sponges, cotton swabs, toothbrushes, or even kitchen utensils like whisks or spatulas. Each one creates different marks and sensations, adding excitement and discovery to the painting process.
This kind of open-ended art helps toddlers experiment with texture, grip, and movement. It’s not about making a picture, but exploring how different “brushes” behave with paint on paper.
DIY Washable Sidewalk Chalk Paint
Painting and exploring with homemade sidewalk chalk paint is a fun outdoors creative activity for toddlers. It’s easy to make using cornstarch, food coloring, water and a whisk.
Don’t worry—it washes off the driveway easily!
This is a great way for little ones to explore art outdoors. It’s great for gross motor movement, and encourages big, bold creativity.
Simple Costume Play
Fill a box with hats, scarves, and safe dress-up pieces – your toddler won’t need much more encouragement than that! Dressing up never grows old and promotes storytelling, role-play, and imagination.
Nature Art
Use collected leaves, sticks, and flowers to create a natural art collage. Contact paper works will for this as it’s easy to stick on tiny petals and pieces of grass.
You could also use a large rolled piece of play dough as a canvas and have your toddler stick their collection of natural objects on there instead.
Salt or Sand Dough Shell Ornaments
Make ornaments by pressing sea shells into homemade sand dough to foster creativity and sensory exploration. Toddlers will love designing their own patterns while exploring the various textures. They’ll build artistic confidence and fine motor skills, while creating a cute keepsake or gift.
Contact Paper Window Mosaics
Tape contact paper to the window and invite your little one to decorate it with fun decorative materials you have to hand. Try tissue paper shapes, feathers, faux leaves, pipe cleaners and so on.
Making window mosaics allows toddlers to explore color, light, and composition in a hands-on way. They develop creative thinking as they arrange pieces into patterns or pictures, while also improving fine motor skills such as dexterity, coordination and control.
Toys that help allow creative expression
Art easel provides a designated space for painting, coloring, or drawing, helping little ones explore and create
Play dough and tools encourage imaginative sculpting and sensory creativity
Dress-up clothes inspire pretend play and storytelling
Musical instruments like tambourines, drums, or maracas promote rhythmic exploration and creative sound-making
Puppet sets help toddlers express emotions and ideas through characters, encouraging storytelling and dialogue
Stamp kits with different shapes and patterns introduce new textures and visual elements for kids to use in their art
Light tables paired with translucent shapes or loose parts allow experimenting with color, layering, and composition.
Looking for more creative fun? Check these out:
- 55 Fun Easy Water Activities
- 41+ Fun Camping Activities For Toddlers
- 65 Fun Car Activities for Kids & Games to Play
- 50+ Fun Things To Do At Night With Kids Indoors & Out
Social-Emotional Development Activities
Learning to identify emotions, take turns, and build relationships starts early. These activities support toddlers as they develop empathy, self-regulation, and social confidence through play and connection.
Pretend Play
There are so many opportunities for easy pretend play at home – many have already been mentioned. You don’t need dedicated “toddlers toys” – make a mini DIY kitchen using a small table and your smallest pots, pans and utensils.
Identify Emotions
Labeling feelings can help toddlers learn to identify their emotions.
Taking Turns
Early turn-taking games lay the foundation for social skills and patience – doubtless you’ll have been practising this regularly already. And don’t worry, it takes a while for little ones to get the gist!
Helping with Simple Chores
Involving toddlers in simple tasks builds independence and confidence. Here are some ideas if you’re not sure where to start – chores my toddlers have enjoyed helping with:
- Washing (unbreakable!) dishes
- Sweeping the floor or using a dustpan and brush
- Tidying toys
- Folding pjs
- Making bed
- Hanging washing on line
Mirror Play
Watching themselves in a mirror helps toddlers explore, understand and recognize different facial expressions and the emotions behind each.
Toys that help social-emotional development
Puppet sets allow toddlers to explore emotions while storytelling
Play kitchens, tool sets and more encourage pretend play
Emotion flashcards or storybooks build emotional literacy by helping toddlers recognize and label different feelings.
Board games for toddlers promote turn-taking, patience, and following rules
Dress-up clothes support role-playing and can help social confidence.
We’ve got more activities for crafty little hands:
