Rainy day play for babies and toddlers

41 ideas

• Tummy time nose to nose3 min · you need a blanket on the floor · Your face is the best reason for a baby to work at lifting their head.
• Black-and-white pictures3 min · you need white paper, a black marker · Bold, high-contrast shapes give your baby something easy to look at and practice following with their eyes.
• Window walk5 min · nothing to get · New things to look at, with a name for each one, fill a rainy day with words.
• Roll to the toy4 min · you need a favorite toy, a blanket on the floor · A toy just out of reach gives your baby a reason to twist and practice rolling.
• Pat the pot3 min · you need a pot or a plastic bowl · Your baby finds out that their hands can make a sound happen.
• Who's that baby?3 min · you need a mirror · Babies love faces, and the mirror gives them two to look at.
• Dance in your arms4 min · nothing to get · Rhythm and closeness make music something you share.
• Bang the pots5 min · you need two or three pots, a wooden spoon · Your baby finds out that different pots make different sounds.
• Drop it in the bowl4 min · you need a big bowl, a few pairs of socks rolled into balls · Letting go on purpose is a new skill, and this gives it a target.
• Pillow ring sit-up5 min · you need a few pillows or cushions, some toys · Reaching while sitting builds balance, with a soft landing if they tip.
• The baby cupboard8 min · you need one low cupboard, pots, plastic bowls and lids · Emptying things out is exactly what babies this age love to do, and one safe cupboard makes it a yes.
• Big kid parade4 min · you need a pot and spoon for the big kid · Babies love watching older children, and the big kid gets to be the star.
• In and out of the box6 min · you need a cardboard box, socks, scarves or big blocks · In and out is one of the first ideas babies learn, and they love to practice it.
• Pull the scarves out6 min · you need an empty tissue box, a few scarves or washcloths · Pulling things out of a small opening takes a pinch, a grip and a pull.
• Box tunnel6 min · you need a big cardboard box open at both ends, or a blanket over two chairs · Crawling through to find you is a reason to keep going.
• Cushion mountain6 min · you need couch cushions or pillows · Climbing over something soft builds strength and balance.
• Push the box5 min · you need a sturdy cardboard box or laundry basket · Pushing a box helps new standers and walkers steady themselves.
• Laundry basket push6 min · you need a laundry basket, a stuffed animal · Pushing something heavy-ish gives a new walker steadiness and a job to do.
• Socks in the basket5 min · you need a basket, a pile of rolled-up socks · Throwing at a target gives a toddler practice aiming and letting go.
• Tape on the floor5 min · you need painter's or masking tape · Peeling tape is a good workout for little fingers.
• Walk like a duck5 min · nothing to get · Moving like animals mixes walking practice with animal names and sounds.
• Tower of boxes6 min · you need empty cereal boxes and food boxes · Stacking takes balance and care, and counting each box adds numbers.
• Find something red6 min · you need a basket · Hunting for one color helps toddlers notice how things are alike.
• Big paper scribbles8 min · you need a big sheet of paper or an opened paper bag, chunky crayons, tape · Holding a crayon and making marks is the start of drawing and, later, writing.
• Pillow path6 min · you need pillows and cushions · Stepping on soft, wobbly things builds balance.
• Dance and freeze5 min · nothing to get · Stopping on a signal is early practice at controlling their own body.
• Match the socks8 min · you need a pile of clean socks · Matching takes careful looking, and it gets the laundry done too.
• Sort by color8 min · you need a few bowls, colored things: blocks, toy cars, clothes · Sorting by color is an early way of grouping things that are alike.
• Jump the line5 min · you need tape · Jumping with both feet together is a new skill for many 2 year olds.
• Kitchen band parade8 min · you need pots, wooden spoons, a whisk, a plastic bowl · Loud and soft, fast and slow: a band teaches opposites and taking a lead.
• Circle hunt6 min · nothing to get · Spotting shapes in real things is a first step in noticing shapes everywhere.
• Living room obstacle course15 min · you need cushions, a table to crawl under, tape · Following a course in order means remembering steps as well as moving.
• Play restaurant15 min · you need paper and crayons, plates and cups, a notepad · Playing roles means using new words and taking turns.
• Shadow puppets10 min · you need a flashlight, a blank wall · Shadows are fascinating, and turning them into characters makes a story.
• Box car20 min · you need a big cardboard box, crayons or markers, paper plates · Making something to play with, then playing with it, is creativity from start to finish.
• Homemade memory game12 min · you need index cards or squares of paper, crayons · Remembering where a card was is a workout for memory and patience.
• Blanket fort20 min · you need blankets or sheets, chairs, clothespins or books to hold edges · Building a fort is planning, problem solving and teamwork, with a cozy reward.
• Make your own board game20 min · you need a big sheet of paper, crayons, a die, or a coin to flip, small toys for playing pieces · Counting squares, taking turns and handling losing are all part of the game.
• Paper airplane contest15 min · you need paper · Changing one thing and testing again is how experiments work.
• Play store20 min · you need food boxes and cans from the cupboard, paper, a marker · Buying and selling uses numbers, reading labels and lots of talk.
• Cardboard box city20 min · you need empty boxes of different sizes, markers, tape · Planning a city and naming its places mixes building with storytelling.