Top 10 hands-on activities at home for my toddler

My daughter is 19 months old, and she always loves to learn and play new activities. She often gets bored with her current toys, legos, stuffed animals, and books, etc. Sometimes I need to cook or clean up the house, and don’t have enough spare time to bring her outside. She gets very fussy when I don’t give her enough attention. Therefore, I came up with a few simple hands-on activities for her to do at home. This keeps my little one busy to get through the day before meal/nap time, and give me a little time to do house chores. The activities I’m going to share with you are very easy to set up and clean up. I typically use supplies I already have at home or buy cheap materials from Dollar Tree / Walmart / Target. Here are my top 10 hands-on activities at home for my toddler who is under 24 months old.

Finger paint
Arts and crafts are great to start with toddlers. All you need is finger paint, some brushes, and paper. Toddlers can use their hands to paint or stamp on paper. My daughter doesn’t like to get paint on her hands, she uses the brushes instead and still has lots of fun. This activity can get messy but don’t worry, the paint is washable!

Car wash
Car wash is another easy activity to set up. All you need is some bowls, soap, water, paper towels to wash and dry the cars. Then the fun begins!

Baby bath, cups and water
My daughter loves to wash and pour water! I created a bathing/pouring station with a big bowl of water with a few cups. She likes to bathe her baby doll, dry and dress her up. Then she also pours one cup of water to another, and learns to stack them up.

Flour and water
Toddlers like to explore sensation on their hands. I set up flour on a baking tray, add water, and let her mix them. She again doesn’t like to get sticky things on her hands, but she uses a spoon to mix and that is ok as long as she has fun. You can also add food coloring to the mixture and create more fun with it.

Tape on the floor
I put tape on the floor and let her walk along it. I also use some cars to teach her how to drive and park the cars along the tape. Another way to use tape is that you can stick them on the window or door, and make your toddlers throw tissue paper to the tape.

Balls through a box
Toddlers can throw in a ball or pom pom in one hole of the box, and it will slide out the other hole. They can collect them at the end. You can also use paper towel tubes to connect with the box and make it longer for the balls to slide.

Play doh
Play doh is a classic toy for many toddlers. My husband and daughter can spend more than half an hour creating different shapes with play doh.

Stamp circles with toilet paper tube
Grab a toilet paper tube and let your toddler stamp circles with paint on paper. I also use an orange mesh bag for dabber painting as well. So much fun!

Pipe cleaners and a colander
I use pipe cleaners from Dollar Tree, and let my daughter play with them. She puts the pipe cleaners through the small holes of a colander, in and out, in and out. Fun time!!!

Water the little tree and flowers
Again, she loves pouring water! Watering the little tree and flowers is also a great activity to help toddlers with their motor skills and coordination.

Magnetic board
The refrigerator makes a great magnetic board. I bought some animal magnets that can be stuck on the fridge, and my daughter removed, and stuck them on again … and again … and again!

For extra activities, I also bring my daughter to swim class (since 4 months old) and dance class (since 18 months old) once every week.

There are more and more activities available as toddlers grow. If your toddler isn’t interested, no worries! Save it until he or she is a little older. These easy toddler activities are perfect to do at home, independently or with a friend. And, many of them will still be enjoyable as your toddler transitions into a preschooler!