Activity ideas for toddlers
You don’t need lots of toys or equipment to set up fun activities for your toddler at home. These activities are a great way to spend time together while they pick up new skills and explore their imagination.
Always supervise babies and young children during craft activities. Watch out for small parts that could be choking hazards, sharp items, and anything they shouldn’t put in their mouths.
Arts and crafts
Arts and craft activities can spark your child’s creativity and help develop their motor skills.
Sock puppets
Make puppets from your child’s old socks. Glue on buttons for the eyes or draw on some whiskers. Then make a theatre out of a cardboard box and host your own puppet show.
Get painting
You can use brushes, stencils or your fingers to make pictures. Or try face painting.
Playdough
Playing with playdough is one way to develop motor skills. You can make your own with our recipe.
Leaf prints
Make a print with some paint and leaves from the garden. Count the leaves together for a quick maths lesson.
Weekly themes
Pick a theme each week and base your activities around that. Try ideas like ‘dinosaurs’, ‘under the sea’ or ‘people who help us’.
Card making
Make cards for friends and family to celebrate events like summer or birthdays. Add drawings, stickers or anything you have at home.
Magazine collages
Create a collage from old newspapers and magazines. Using scissors under supervision helps develop motor skills.
Touchy‑feely box
Make a box filled with different textured items from around the house. Ask your child to reach in and describe what they can feel.
Paper cutting shapes
Practise cutting skills by making snowflakes and other shapes from folded paper. Unfold them to reveal fun patterns.
T‑shirt designing
Become a fashion designer for the day and decorate an old plain t‑shirt. Let them get creative with fabric pens or safe paints.
Fun and games
Playing games together as a family helps build connections and communication skills.
Board games
Board games can help teach your child how to take turns, follow rules and share with others.
Indoor snowball fight
Have a ‘snowball’ fight using rolled‑up newspaper. Split into two teams, add a cushion dividing line, set a timer and the team with the fewest balls on their side wins.
Musical chairs (or cushions)
Play a round of musical chairs. For younger children, ‘musical cushions’ is a simple and safe alternative.
Treasure hunt
Create a treasure hunt with clues hidden around a room. The treasure could be anything fun. Try fruit, costume jewellery or a favourite teddy.
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
Play ‘Pin the Tail on the Donkey’ with slightly older children. If they’re unsure about a blindfold, they can simply close their eyes instead.
Get moving
Get some exercise together with these physical activity ideas.
Dancing
Put on your favourite tunes and have a mini disco. It’s a fun way to get everyone moving.
Soft‑play obstacle course
Create your own soft‑play experience using pillows and cushions. It helps burn off energy and supports physical development.
Balloon catch
Play balloon catch with one rule: the balloon can’t touch the floor. It’s great for coordination.
Football fun
Kick a football around together. Count the goals to turn it into a quick maths activity.
Bubble popping
Take turns blowing bubbles. When it’s your child’s turn, ask them to run around and pop as many as they can.
Fun with food
Help your child to have a positive relationship with food by making food fun.
Indoor picnic
If the weather isn’t great, create an indoor picnic. Take turns being the chef or the server for some role‑play fun.
Baking together
Bake something simple together and enjoy the tasty results as a family.
Biscuit decorating
Decorate plain biscuits with icing sugar, sprinkles or small sweets for a quick creative treat.
Let’s pretend
Playing pretend is a great way to encourage your child’s imagination and creativity.
Dressing‑up fun
Dig out the dressing‑up box. You don’t need shop‑bought costumes. Old clothes work perfectly for imaginative play.
Indoor camping
Pretend you’re heading off on a camping trip and build a cosy den using duvets, pillows and cushions.
Mini car wash
Collect toy vehicles and set up a mini car wash in the sink. It’s splashy, simple fun.
Teddy tea party
Have a tea party for teddies and dolls. Ask your child to share out food like breadsticks, counting as they go.
Homemade instruments
Make your own musical instruments. A box and string can become a guitar or fill a plastic bottle with rice for maracas. Then put on a musical performance together.
Calming activities
Try some calm activities to unwind after a busy or active day.
Cloud watching
Go cloud watching together. Look up at the sky and spot shapes, animals or objects in the clouds.
Planting seeds
Plant some seeds or small plants in the garden or in a pot. Keep checking on them and watch them grow over time.
Story time
Share favourite stories and books. It’s a great way to support reading skills and speech and language development.
Emotion faces
Draw different faces on paper plates to help teach your child about emotions. Copy the faces in the mirror together and talk about what each one might be feeling.
Puzzles
Do simple puzzles together. This helps build problem‑solving skills and concentration.
Page last reviewed: March 2026
Next review due: March 2029
This advice was written by our experienced Parent Talk coaches. Parent Talk is a free online service for parents and carers, provided by the charity Action for Children. For more advice, message our parenting coaches with our online chat.
