Activities for Toddlers During Quarantine

Are you under a coronavirus quarantine? Does your child just have a normal childhood illness? Is life with a toddler frustrating? Any way you slice it, being at home with people in the 2-4 year old range can be challenging. Here are some ideas to keep everyone busy and sane during this time.

Unlimited Coloring

Really, it’s true. Pick up crayons, markers, and colored pencils and keep your little ones busy during the coronavirus quarantine. You can share full coloring books, printed sheets, or just blank paper. The point is to give your toddlers a fun activity while everyone is stuck at home. For kids who love this type of open-ended play, give them supplies in the morning, but for others, just make drawing or coloring a quiet afternoon activity.

Rice Play

While rice can be tough to come by during the quarantine, finding some also can be a wonderful way to keep little ones busy. With 10 pounds of rice, you can create a fun play bin for your little ones. Add cups, funnels, and spoons to let your toddlers enjoy themselves in a controlled, enjoyable environment. Rice play is safe, even if little ones eat the play things, and inexpensive, making it a great option when parents are trying to work from home safely. If you don’t feel comfortable letting your kids play with food during this time, a bag of sand can be used in the same way with a bit more supervision.

Trace Shadow Art

Getting some fresh air while cooped up in the house is important to keep everyone feeling great during a trying time. This art project is one even tiny hands can handle alone. Take a sheet of paper and have your child pick a hard object like a plastic dinosaur. Sit the sheet of paper in the sun and put down the object so that it casts a shadow on the paper. Then trace the object while it creates a shadow. Color or decorate as desired and voila - a fun art project.

Bottle Cap Boats

Flip a bottle cap from soft drink or food items, and it floats. Fill a small bowl with water - or play bottle cap boats in the tub - and then put several bottle caps in the water. Try making a trail of boats or putting little gems or other objects in them to see if they still float. With a little creativity, your toddler can enjoy creating a flotilla and experimenting with what floats and what sinks.

Set up Animal Rescues

Most small kids have a plethora of small animal toys. Set up some “rescue” scenarios to keep little ones busy while they work on their motor and reasoning skills. Put some animals on a piece of cardboard and then tape with something easy to get off like masking or painter’s tape. Put other animals in play-dough or sand and let your kids rescue them. Put a few in a bowl of water and require a rescue aid - i.e. a slotted spoon - to get them. Hide a couple and give clues. A good animal rescue won’t take long to set up but will occupy a little one for a while to let parents work or get some down time.

Around the House Matching Game

You don’t need a pre-made game to set up a basic matching game. A deck of cards or Uno can work to match colors or numbers. Found objects around your home also can help with sorting. As an alternative, ask your child to find 3 items that are purple or that are soft. Exercising the bodies and brains of little ones will help everyone survive being inside for weeks.