How to Keep an Active Toddler Occupied Inside
Design an obstacle course., Read your toddler some books., Encourage your toddler to sing and dance., Give your toddler a busy bag., Give your child some chores to do., Play dress up., Give your toddler time to play in the bathtub.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Design an obstacle course.
Create obstacles with any available resources.
You can let your child crawl under a table, jump over his potty, balance on a chair, hop over piles of pillows, or roll over your mattress.
This can help your active child to build his cardiovascular strength through jumping and running.
It also helps to improve his balance.
Just make sure that you or another responsible adult is supervising your child at all times while they are doing the obstacle course. -
Step 2: Read your toddler some books.
Even if you have a very active toddler, most kids will be willing to calm down enough to be read a story.The trick is to reach for books that will encourage movement and play with your toddler.
Read books that include some active movements, such as Dr.
Seuss’ "The Cat in the Hat"
"The Elephant and the Bad Baby" by Elfrida Vipont and Raymond Briggs, "We’re Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury and "Would You Rather by John Burningham." For example, while reading Dr.
Seuss’ "The Cat in the Hat"
your active toddler can pretend that she’s balancing the things on her body just like the Cat does in the story or if you have twins or sibling toddlers; they can pretend that they are Thing 1 and Thing 2, playing and running about the house.
While reading "The Elephant and the Bad Baby"
your toddler can pretend that she’s the baby riding the elephant and traveling all over the place. , Allow your child to watch some shows that encourage singing and dancing.
As much as possible, use video CD or DVD’s instead of leaving your toddler to watch television programs with advertisements that play every 5 minutes.
Some shows recommended are HI-5, Blue’s Clues and Elmo’s Great Adventure and the much beloved, Sesame Street.
You can skip television viewing altogether and just throw on a CD and have a song and dance party with your toddler.
Apart from helping her develop movement and coordination, you also get to move and burn a couple of calories along the way. , A busy bag is a simple bag containing activities that your toddler can engage in.
Each bag has its own activity that your toddler can get busy working on.
You can get really creative with these busy bags (your imagination is the limit) but rest assured, they’re super simple to make.
Some examples are:
Place a small coloring book with crayons or colored pens inside the bag.
When your toddler grabs a busy bag she can start coloring the books with her crayons.
For slightly older toddlers (3-4 years old) you can place their favorite puzzles in the bag, which they can solve on their own or with a little guidance from you.
You could also place little treats like a small pack of jelly sweets or a box of raisins into the busy bag. , You can let your toddler pour herself a glass of water or make a bowl of cereal.
You could also set her up at a sink and allow her to wash some plastic cups and dishes in some warm soapy water, or sweep the floor using a child sized broom. , Dressing up can be so much fun for toddlers, especially girls.
Even if you don't have proper costumes, you could allow her to wear some of your make up and let her wear mommy’s shoes.
Pretend she’s an office girl, a teacher, a model, a doctor or a painter. , If your toddler is a water baby and loves playing in the bathtub, then by all means allow at least 30 minutes for her to play (and get clean!).
Fill the tub with rubber toys and make colorful foams by adding food coloring to the bubble bath before mixing it in the water. -
Step 3: Encourage your toddler to sing and dance.
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Step 4: Give your toddler a busy bag.
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Step 5: Give your child some chores to do.
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Step 6: Play dress up.
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Step 7: Give your toddler time to play in the bathtub.
Detailed Guide
Create obstacles with any available resources.
You can let your child crawl under a table, jump over his potty, balance on a chair, hop over piles of pillows, or roll over your mattress.
This can help your active child to build his cardiovascular strength through jumping and running.
It also helps to improve his balance.
Just make sure that you or another responsible adult is supervising your child at all times while they are doing the obstacle course.
Even if you have a very active toddler, most kids will be willing to calm down enough to be read a story.The trick is to reach for books that will encourage movement and play with your toddler.
Read books that include some active movements, such as Dr.
Seuss’ "The Cat in the Hat"
"The Elephant and the Bad Baby" by Elfrida Vipont and Raymond Briggs, "We’re Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury and "Would You Rather by John Burningham." For example, while reading Dr.
Seuss’ "The Cat in the Hat"
your active toddler can pretend that she’s balancing the things on her body just like the Cat does in the story or if you have twins or sibling toddlers; they can pretend that they are Thing 1 and Thing 2, playing and running about the house.
While reading "The Elephant and the Bad Baby"
your toddler can pretend that she’s the baby riding the elephant and traveling all over the place. , Allow your child to watch some shows that encourage singing and dancing.
As much as possible, use video CD or DVD’s instead of leaving your toddler to watch television programs with advertisements that play every 5 minutes.
Some shows recommended are HI-5, Blue’s Clues and Elmo’s Great Adventure and the much beloved, Sesame Street.
You can skip television viewing altogether and just throw on a CD and have a song and dance party with your toddler.
Apart from helping her develop movement and coordination, you also get to move and burn a couple of calories along the way. , A busy bag is a simple bag containing activities that your toddler can engage in.
Each bag has its own activity that your toddler can get busy working on.
You can get really creative with these busy bags (your imagination is the limit) but rest assured, they’re super simple to make.
Some examples are:
Place a small coloring book with crayons or colored pens inside the bag.
When your toddler grabs a busy bag she can start coloring the books with her crayons.
For slightly older toddlers (3-4 years old) you can place their favorite puzzles in the bag, which they can solve on their own or with a little guidance from you.
You could also place little treats like a small pack of jelly sweets or a box of raisins into the busy bag. , You can let your toddler pour herself a glass of water or make a bowl of cereal.
You could also set her up at a sink and allow her to wash some plastic cups and dishes in some warm soapy water, or sweep the floor using a child sized broom. , Dressing up can be so much fun for toddlers, especially girls.
Even if you don't have proper costumes, you could allow her to wear some of your make up and let her wear mommy’s shoes.
Pretend she’s an office girl, a teacher, a model, a doctor or a painter. , If your toddler is a water baby and loves playing in the bathtub, then by all means allow at least 30 minutes for her to play (and get clean!).
Fill the tub with rubber toys and make colorful foams by adding food coloring to the bubble bath before mixing it in the water.
About the Author
Susan Flores
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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