DIY play ideas for toddlers that you can try at home

Sensory Bins: Fill a plastic bin with materials like rice, dried beans, sand, or water beads. Add in small toys, scoops, and containers for your child to explore and play with. We talk about all the benefits of sensory bins here.

Homemade Playdough: Make your own playdough using flour, salt, water, and food colouring. You can find various recipes online. Provide cookie cutters, rolling pins, and other tools for shaping and creating. But who has the time to make it themselves! We have great dough sets and accessories at CleverStuff.

Indoor Obstacle Course: Create a simple obstacle course using pillows, cushions, tunnels (you can use chairs and blankets), and soft toys. Encourage your toddler to crawl, climb, and explore the course.

DIY Musical Instruments: Help your toddler make musical instruments using household items. For example, you can make a drum from an empty oatmeal container or a shaker from a plastic bottle filled with rice or beans. If you don’t want to make your own, there are lots of wooden musical toys here.

Nature Hunt: Go on a nature hunt in your backyard or a nearby park. Give your toddler a small basket and ask them to collect items like leaves, flowers, or rocks. Talk about the different colours and textures as you explore.

Puppet Show: Create puppets using socks or paper bags. Decorate them with markers or craft materials. Set up a small stage using a cardboard box or table, and put on a puppet show for your toddler. This is one of our CleverPlay Club activities! Want to join? Get some information here.

Water Play: Fill a basin or sink with water and provide cups, spoons, and bath toys for your toddler to play with. You can also add food colouring to the water to make it more visually appealing.

DIY Painting: Set up an art station with washable paints, brushes, and large sheets of paper. Let your toddler explore their creativity by painting freely or using objects like sponges or toy cars to create different textures. We have lots of paint and craft items as well.

Story Time: Create a cozy reading corner with pillows and blankets. Choose age-appropriate books and spend time reading to your toddler. Encourage them to interact by asking questions or letting them turn the pages.

Dress-Up Time: Gather old clothes, hats, and accessories and create a dress-up box. Let your toddler use their imagination to dress up as different characters and act out stories. If you need some toys for pretend play check these out.