One of my goals for this year is to do everything on this list at least once with my little girls.
- Color
- Blow Bubbles
- Play Hide-and-Seek
- Peek-a-Boo
- Play Chase
- Do Finger-plays
- Sing a song
- Collect rocks in a basket
- Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
- Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
- Go for a Walk
- Make a Car out of a Box
- Read a book
- Go to the park
- Finger-paint
- Play with Play-Dough
- Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
- Play the shell and pea game
- Dance to music
- Download games for toddlers from the Internet
- Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
- Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
- Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
- Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
- Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
- Put on a puppet show
- Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
- Make a Horseshoe game
- Make a Shape Puzzle
- Play paper basketball
- Run through a Sprinkler
- Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)
- Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
- Play with a kazoo
- Wash windows together
- Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
- Brush each other's teeth
- Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes
- Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
- Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
- Make a playhouse out of a large box
- Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn't eat them!)
- Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
- Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
- Go on a Smelling Hunt
- Frost Cookies
- Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
- Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
- Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
- Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
- Have a splash party together in the bathtub
- Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
- Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
- Make and try on paper hats
- Give a piggy-back ride
- Play "Horsey"
- Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
- Play tug-of-war with a blanket
- Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)
- Make a camera and go on a Safari
- Play games with frozen juice lids
- Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
- Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too
- String large beads onto or along a shoelace
- Squirt each other with squirt bottles
- Glue shapes onto paper
- Make sock puppets
- Make paper puppets
- Fill an old purse with toys
- Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
- Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"
- Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
- Act out a story from a book
- Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground
- Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
- Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
- Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
- Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
- Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
- Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
- Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
- Do the Hokey Pokey
- Make a super-hero costume out of household items
- Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
- Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"
- Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals
- Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
- Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
- Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
- Learn numbers from a deck of cards
- Play the matching game with a deck of cards
- Make a domino chain
- Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
- Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes
- Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
- Make a nature collage
- Mirror each other
- Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper
- Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
- Make and walk along a toilet paper trail
- TAKE A NAP!
I found this list on the forums of my local chapter of The Mommies Network. If you are a mom of young children and not already a member of The Mommies Network, I highly recommend joining! The Mommies Network has been a both tremendous resource and source of support and friendship for both me and my daughters.
Want to do all these things with your children too. Here's a free printable checklist:
