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Easy, DIY Indoor Activities for Toddlers

By Aimee Yeager, Lenoir NC Mom and MacKid Guest Writer March 23, 2017

March/April weather can be unpredictable. As we transition from winter to spring, there are days when the gorgeous, warm sun simply beckons us to come outside and play. Then, there are days where the wind blows, the rain falls cold, and we snuggle in with a bowl of warm soup and a cozy blanket. Yeah, right… that cold rain actually makes us want to pull our hair out, because with it comes bored toddlers who cannot go outside and instead insist that we spend every waking moment of the day entertaining them. This is where busy boxes come in handy!

A busy box is a simple, plastic box (I use a plastic shoe box like this for most of mine) with a complete activity inside that you can hand your child when their boredom has gotten the best of them (and you!). All of these busy boxes are easy, DIY and will keep your child entertained on a cold, rainy day long enough for you to grab a quiet cup of hot tea (you deserve it!).

1. Color Sort (good for young toddlers 18-30 months)
  • You will need: 3 boxes, 1 lid, plastic balls in 2 colors, two pieces of paper in the same two colors, and tape.
  • Let’s say you chose Blue and Yellow as your two colors. Tape the blue paper to the bottom of one box and the yellow paper to the bottom of another box. Then, put the balls (both colors) in the third box and put the lid on the box with the balls. Stack the boxes together for easy storage.
  • When your bored child starts screaming and throwing fits, pull out the stack of boxes and let them sort the balls into the appropriate color box for as along as their little attention span will hold up. When sorting gets old and boring, you can turn your boxes into an easy ball toss game, too!
2. Shape Matching (good for 2-4 years)
    Okay, this one’s not really a box, but it’s super easy to make and store and my little boy loves it!
  • You will need a small tri-fold cardboard display board, felt, a marker, and Velcro.
  • On the display board, draw various shapes. You can see mine has triangles, squares, circles, and rectangles. Then cut a small square of Velcro to stick in each shape. Cut shapes out of the felt to match the shapes drawn on your display board and stick the opposite type of Velcro on the felt shapes, so that the shapes will stick to the cardboard display.
  • Watch your toddler have fun sticking the Velcro shapes onto the cardboard! To store, stick all the shapes back on, fold it up, and slide it in the closet.
3. Colored Button Sort (good for older toddlers – possible choking hazard for the littles)
  • You will need: your box, a pack of colored, disposable storage bowls (like these), colored buttons to match the colors of the bowls, and a box cutter.
  • Put the lids on each of the bowls. Using the box cutter, cut a small slit in the tops of the bowls, so they look like a piggy bank. Put the bowls and buttons in the box and close it all up until that cold, rainy day.
  • When boredom strikes, pull out the box and let your toddler sort the buttons into the matching colored bowl.
4. Counting Pom-poms (good for 18 months-4 years)
  • You will need: your box, 10 paper or Styrofoam bowls, at least 55 pom-poms, and a marker.
  • On the inside bottom of the bowls, write the numbers 1-10. Then on the inside rim of the bowls, draw the corresponding number of dots (i.e. – 1 dot on the #1 bowl, 2 dots on the #2 bowl, etc.). Stack the bowls and put them in the box along with the pom-poms
  • When it’s time to pull out the box and play, help your child put the appropriate number of pom-poms in the bowls.
5. Construction Zone (good for ages 1-infinity)
     This box is fun even for adults, because who doesn’t like sensory play?!
  • You will need: a box, a sensory material of your choice (black eyed peas, small stones, dry oats, and sand all work well for this box, but my favorite is this DIY kinectic sand), and small construction vehicle toys.
  • Put the sensory material and toys in the box. Then watch your kid go to town playing in the sand with the toys (and her hands!).
  • A good tip for easy clean-up is to put out a big plastic tablecloth on the kitchen floor and let your child play on top of that. Then when playtime is over, you can simply pack everything back in the box and throw the tablecloth away (or take it outside, shake it out, and save it for another time!).
These are only a few of a myriad of ideas for toddler busy boxes! Really, do a simple Google search (or check Pinterest) and you will find countless ideas – some easier and some messier than others, but all fun!

As a stay-at-home mom, I know the struggle of being home all day with a bored toddler who cannot go outside, while trying to get through the day with your sanity still intact. We are in this together, Mommas! I hope these ideas help to protect the peace inside your home the next time the weather roars its lion roar outside!