10 Quick Toddler Activities with Practically no Setup

Let’s face it El Nino has arrived in Southern California and our little ones are due for a long boring winter indoors.  Or are they?

Last week we had a record 5 days of rain here in San Diego and I would have been resorting to non stop Netflix if it wasn’t for one of my favorite Instagrammers – @momtessori.   This awesome Montessori teacher now mommy documents all the fun activities she does with her twin toddlers.  Whether it’s tracing candy canes or scooping golf balls Momtessori is never short of good ideas and fast fun with the little ones.

I’ll be the first to admit that having a 3 year old and a 2 year old opens you up to lots of ways your day can go wrong. Slowly, I’m learning (or admitting) that the trick to parenting is to stay as engaged as possible.  The days that I am trying to watch them and work or simply be on Instagram and click through all those random stories on Facebook are the day I get the most annoyed with the kids.  My being disengaged leaves them bored, restless and open to get into trouble and aggravate me further. I’m constantly trying to check myself and remember that the more opportunities I create for them to have fun the better our whole day will go. As a reminder to stay engaged with the kids I started following my new favorite Instamom – @momtessori. If you aren’t already following her do so now because her account will be your saving grace this winter.

What are some of my favorite activities that Momtessori created for her littles?  Check them out below along with her quick fool proof how to.

10 Quick Toddler Activities with Practically no Setup

1. Water Balloon Bath

   Materials: water balloons and bathtub.
   Fill up the water balloons and place them into the bathtub. Place your
   kiddo into the bathtub and enjoy!
   Benefits of this activity include: imagination and play.

2. Pom Pom Blowing

   Materials: pom poms, straw and tape.
   Make a square with the tape on a table. Demonstrate the activity for
   your child. Blow through the straw while trying to move the pom poms
   into the taped square. Repeat!
   Benefits of the activity include: concentration and play.

3. Car Wash

   Materials: dirty car, pitcher, toothbrush, soap, sponge and large bowl.
   Put some dirt or mud on the car. Demonstrate the activity for your
   child. Pour the water into the bowl. Place the dirty car in the bowl.
   Dip the toothbrush into the water and rub it over the soap. Scrub the
   car until it’s clean. Take the car out of the water and dry it with
   the sponge. Tada! Dirty up the car and repeat!
   Benefits of this activity include: order, coordination, concentration,
   and independence.

4. Toilet Paper Bowling

   Materials: 10 rolls of toilet paper, ball and tape.
   Stack the rolls of toilet paper in a pyramid. Place a piece of tape on
   the floor so your child knows where to stand. Demonstrate the activity
   for your child. Roll the ball and knock the t.p. down! Repeat!
   Benefits of this activity include: gross motor skills and play.

5. Button Stacking

   Materials: play-dough, spaghetti and buttons.
   Make a mound out of play-dough. Stick the spaghetti in the mound.
   Choose a button and thread the spaghetti through the hole. Repeat!
   Benefits of this activity include: fine motor skills, coordination and
   concentration.

6. Car Ramp

   Materials: a long piece of paper (paper on a roll), table, tape, and cars.
   Tape one end of the paper to the table and tape the other end of the
   paper to the floor. Put a car at the beginning of the ramp and push it
   down. Repeat!
   Benefits of this activity include: gross motor skills and play.

7. Sweeping

   Materials: broom, dustpan and small brush, pom poms, and tape.
   Make a good size square on the floor with tape. Scatter the pom poms
   near the square. Demonstrate the activity for your child. Have your
   child use the broom to sweep the pom poms into the square. Once they
   are in the square, with the small brush, sweep the pom poms onto the
   dustpan. Repeat!
   Benefits of this activity include: order, coordination, concentration,
   and learning to sweep.

8. Fruit Patterns

   Materials: ice cube tray, raspberries and blueberries.
   Place one raspberry in the first slot, and one blueberry to the right
   of the raspberry in the next slot. Demonstrate the activity for your
   child. Point to the raspberry and say “raspberry.” Point to the
   blueberry and say “blueberry.” Say “what comes next?” And answer
   “raspberry.” Pick up a raspberry and place it in the slot next to the
   blueberry. Continue in this way until all the fruit has been placed.
   Repeat or eat!
   Benefits of this activity include: repeating patterns with objects,
   and preparation for reading by introducing them to the left/right
   sequence.

9. Colored Ice Cubes

   Materials: ice cube tray, water, food coloring, freezer, mat, and tongs.

   Fill the ice cube tray with water, adding a drop of food coloring in
   each cube. Put the ice cube tray in the freezer. Once frozen, pop out
   the ice cubes. Demonstrate the activity for your child. One by one
   place the cubes on the mat and start building with them. Repeat!
   Benefits of this activity include: coordination, concentration and imagination.

10. Sponge Squeezing

    Materials: 2 bowls, one filled about 3/4 full with water, food
    coloring, and sponge.
    Demonstrate the activity for your child. Pick up the sponge and put it
    in the water. Let the sponge absorb the water. Pick up the sponge and
    hold it over the bowl and watch the water drip from the sponge. When
    the dripping stops, move the sponge over the empty bowl and squeeze
    with both hands. Continue until all the water has been moved from one
    bowl to the other bowl. Use the sponge to wipe up any water drops on
    the table. Repeat!
    Benefits of this activity include: order, coordination, concentration,
    learning how to pick up liquid with a sponge, and how to squeeze a
    sponge.

Meet My Friend Momtessori:

Hi all, I’m Melissa! I’m wife to my high school honey & mama to my 3 year old twins. I’m a Montessori teacher but currently staying home
with my crew. I love iced tea, Target & all things Kate Spade. Follow me on Instagram @Momtessori