Tue 13 Feb 2018
Best Rainy Day Activities For Toddlers
Whether you’re a stay at home mum, a working mum, a work from home mum or a part-time working mum, there is one thing that we all have in common; the motherhood part is never part-time. And this actuality, this absolute life changer can sometimes or often turn us a little stir crazy - whether we like to admit it or not.
Whether it’s the repetitiveness of the school run, the healthy dinners you slave over that get thrown on the floor or simply the inner pre-motherhood you crying out to do something for yourself for a change.
It’s true what they say; ‘You’re only as happy as your happiest child’. Often if we give our children the right tools to help them throughout their day to day happiness, we will find ourselves with more time to remain calm, and maybe even the freedom to sit and have a cup of tea.
We all know toddlers can be a handful, but usually, they are seeking stimulation and we don’t always have the imagination to think up new ideas to enhance their playtime. So, how can a parent achieve contentment in their child without visiting the toy shop every day!?
Pots, pans, colanders and dry pasta. Let them ‘cook’ with real food and real utensils. It makes all the difference.
Save your cardboard boxes and create! In a child’s mind a box can be anything; a train, a ramp for toy cars, an aeroplane, or a playhouse.
Use a piece of string (a shoelace would work well because of the hard end) and big beads to make toddler jewellery. You could also use cut up straws or pasta for your jewels. This is a great opportunity to practice some fine motor skills.
What to do with old birthday and Christmas cards? Save them for your toddler and let her cut out the pictures she likes and make a collage.
If your child is bored with the same old play-dough cutters, try something different. How about redressing your child’s Barbie army in play-dough attire?
Decorate biscuits or cakes. This is nowhere near as fussy as you think. You can buy pre-made gingerbread men which come with decorating kits - let them go wild. If you do have time to make your own, let them feel part of it. Whether they’re passing you ingredients, mixing or rolling, this will make him feel like a valuable teammate which is great for building self-esteem and confidence.
Embrace the seasons and all the opportunities for crafting. As Valentines is fast approaching, why not send out cards to Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles from their littlest love? With Easter time just around the corner, think to create your own easter trees and hanging hand-painted eggs. Why not make nests and let your toddler decorate with birds and chicks? Another idea is to make a personalised basket for the big Easter hunt.
Put a blanket down and enjoy a teddy bears picnic instead of your mundane lunchtime routine.
Keep fit with your kiddies. ‘On your marks, get set, go!’ is a phrase repeated over and over in our household - kids love to be chased. It’s tiring, but a little exercise can often be what we need. Why not try toddler yoga with your little one?
Dressing up with junk. I keep a junk box which includes old jewellery, makeup, headbands and handbags - a variety of little gems that children swoon over. Honestly, out of 1,000 toy boxes, this old box has probably had the most usage!
Have you tried any of these before? It would be great to hear what you think!
Thank you for Rebecca for this amazing blog post, we hope you have found it very useful. To check out other posts from Rebecca, check out her blog here.