30 Things To Do Inside With Toddlers

PIN IT!

In case you haven’t noticed, Michigan is literally under a blanket of snow. The don’t-go-outside-unless-it’s-an-emergency kind of snow.

Which, in many cases, is fine and dandy. But when you have little kids, being stuck inside can make you feel crazy. Trust me.

Alas, temps with negative wind chills aren’t my cup of tea either, so inside we’ll stay.

Here are 30 things to do inside with toddlers to beat the winter blues:

• Bake cookies.
• Make a blanket fort.
• Try these 10 ways to use a bed sheet for imaginative play.
• Make a sensory bath. TONS of ideas here.
• Play with snow in the bathtub. You can even add food coloring to “paint” it or give it a tye-dye kind of look!
• Blow bubbles {in the bathroom}.
• Make an “aquarium” with a paper plate, construction paper and a plastic bag with this tutorial.

• Build creations with Play-Doh. We love adding pipe cleaners and googly eyes to ours to make little monsters.
• Make creations with salt dough. Bake and then paint. {ornaments for Christmas, hearts for Valentine’s Day, etc.} Here’s a super simple recipe.
• Plan a treasure hunt and hide small toys around the house. Tell the kids clues on where to find them, or just let them know when they are getting warmer.
• Travel with your mind. Help your kiddos pick a geographic location {e.g. Italy} and search the Internet for fun surrounding the area {e.g. YouTube videos for kids in Italian}. Bonus points: Try making a food item that is native to the area, too.
• Color!
• “Shop” for specific things around the house. Use a play shopping cart, or even an old Easter basket and arm your child with it, telling them to go find something specific — like anything blue.
• Make a rainbow rice sensory bin with this tutorial. Just put a tarp or sheet under it for easy clean-up!
• Play hide and seek. If you’re child isn’t old enough, just try hiding a toy and helping him/her find it instead.
• Play dress-up and have your kids “model” while you take photos.
• Crank some tunes and have a dance party. We are partial to toddler tunes and 90’s music.
• Use a box to make a house. Or a robot costume. Or car. Or castle. The possibilities are endless!
• Make finger paint with shaving cream, Elmer’s glue and food coloring. Learn how here.

• Push your kids around in a laundry basket. This never seems to fail entertaining my kids. Plus, a great workout for mom or dad, too!
• Play rock band. Pots and pans paired with a wooden spoon make for a lovely drum, while a tupperware container filled with uncooked pasta noodles makes for a fab shaker!
• Finger paint. If you need a piece of “canvas” — simply use the back of wrapping paper! If your child can’t be trusted with paint yet, let him/her “paint” with yogurt or some other edible treat right on her high chair tray.
• Clean. Kids love it — I swear! Give them baby wipes to wipe up the table, or have them help sort laundry.
• Read, read, read! To make it feel more novel, create a fun little reading nook in a blanket fort with pillows.
• Play “don’t touch the ground.” Place pillows and other random things on the ground and have your child(ren) hop from object to object, avoiding the ground – AKA hot lava 😉
• Have “booty races” down the stairs. What kid {or adult} doesn’t think it’s the funniest thing ever to go down the stairs on your tushie? Have fun with it by racing or timing your child.
• Indoor ice skating. Just rubber band some wax paper on your kid’s feet and watch them skate! Be careful — it can be really slippery, so you may need to hold little hands. Recover with some hot cocoa.
• Have a picnic in your living room.

• Make art with expired items from your pantry. Kids can get creative gluing old rice or cereal to the paper. Heck, they can even color it if they’d like.
• Play balance beam. Put tape on the floor {in a straight line, or get funky with a zig zag} and have them walk on it. You could also create a hopscotch board if you’re little one is skilled enough to handle it!

What are your favorite ways to entertain kiddos when you’re stuck inside?