Looking for some toddler activities to keep your little ones entertained? From playing shop to feeding monsters, here are 21 Fun Toddler Games Every Preschooler Parent Should Know!
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#1. Colour Sort
Set up a big sheet of paper with coloured squares drawn on it. Get some Duplo blocks and your toddler has to match the blocks to the correct coloured square.
#2. Watery Splash
My daughter, when she was 3, loved nothing more than a jug of water, various plastic bowls, spoons and the freedom to pour and splash and mix. I would set her up on the kitchen floor so I could just mop it all up afterwards.
#3. The Button Game
Get out your button stash and set up a tray with different coloured pairs of buttons. Mix them all up and your toddler has to match the coloured pairs together again.
(Obviously more suitable for older toddlers who won’t be tempted to eat them!)
You might also enjoy 50 Fun Things to Do With Your Toddler and Top Picks for free online games for toddlers
#4. I Spy
Your toddler won’t know letters to go with words yet but you can play I Spy with colours. So e.g. I spy with my little eye something green, and they have to guess.
#5. Play Imaginary Games
Play bank, post office, pilots, bus driver, hairdressers (a good one to distract, particularly if you have a curly haired child and you need to remove tangles!). The kitchen chairs are lined up to make whatever scene we are playing.
#6. Paper Towel Tube Game
Take a paper towel tube and tape it to the wall and let your toddler drop things through, e.g. soft small toys or pom poms.
More great ideas on the Teachingmama.org website.
#7. Guess the Animal
Imitate an animal and your toddler has to guess what animal it is. We usually take it in turns and my daughter gets really into stomping around as an elephant!
You might also enjoy 20 of the Best Outdoor Activities for Toddlers
#8. Stop Light Bean Bag Toss
Tape 3 coloured sheets (red, yellow and green) onto the floor and give your toddler red, yellow and green bean bags to toss onto the sheets.
Instructions on the Icanteachmychild.com website.
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#9. Dressing Up
We have a box with costumes and clothes, scarves, hats, face paints, jewellery, wigs. You can pick great stuff in the charity shops. Always great fun, why should dressing up be limited to Halloween?
You might also enjoy Why I Love Toddlers
#10. Ring a Ring of Rosies
This classic game is fun for toddlers. Stand and hold hands with them. Start walking around in a circle singing “Ring a Ring of Rosies, a Pocketful of Posies, A-tishoo, A-tishoo, We all fall down!” (Cue bumping onto the floor with lots of giggles!)