Ideas for Indoor Fun at Home

Give your toddler an old house painting brush you're ready to retire and set them up in the driveway with a container of water. They can dip the brush and "paint" designs all over the driveway, the sidewalk, or the outside of the house.

For an easy, no-prep toddler activity, I don't think it gets any better than blowing bubbles. Chasing and popping these magical floating spheres is the height of fun for little ones! It's an active, easy toddler activity you can do anytime, anywhere.

Use cushions and other household objects to create an obstacle course with things that kids can go over, under, through and around. Time them and see if they can beat their own times!

Make homemade play dough! In a large pot, combine 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup salt, and 2 tablespoons cream of tartar. Mix together and add 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon oil, and food coloring until you reach your desired color. Cook over medium heat and stir for about 5 minutes until the mixture forms into a ball. Remove from the pot and knead on a floured surface until the play dough is nice and smooth. Store in a container with a lid.

Placing letters on a letter board. I discovered this one by accident, but I love how it keeps my 4-year-old sitting quietly for long stretches of time while he tries to get the plastic letters to stay in my felt letter board.

Doll houses are great for both boys and girls. It teaches them to be gentle as they try to set things up and play without knocking things over.

Pick up things with kitchen tongs. Our kids have so much fun using tongs to pick up socks on the floor, toys, or anything else that needs tidying up!

An OT told me this one: use small writing utensils such as golf pencils and broken crayons. This helps prevent children from grabbing the utensil with a fist and encourages the correct pencil grasp.

I discovered that a heavyweight hairband looped around both door handles was just as effective (if not more!) at keeping my cabinet doors shut than those cabinet latches made specifically for baby proofing. Plus, they were way easier (and less annoying) for me to take on and off, making it more likely that I'd always keep it on. This only works on certain handles, though, like pull bars and knobs.

Sturdy stair guards at the top and bottom of the staircase are a must once baby starts moving around!

Corner guards have been pretty essential with all of my kids, especially once they begin moving around on their own. Unfortunately, I haven't found any that will stick super well (though some are better than others!), and have always had to reinforce with duct tape. Not pretty, but effective!

I am not a fan of the plastic plug in outlet protectors. Thankfully, most of our outlets were not accessible to our young kids (who also never showed any interest in them), but the plugs were pretty easy to remove and then posed a choking hazard once they were loose. I much preferred the outlet covers that go over the entire outlet, as it was still easy for adults to use the outlet while keeping the opening covered from curious little hands.