What To Do With Toddlers on Rainy Days

I’ve had two types of toddlers in this house. Toddlers that are content to sit down beside me while I get things done, help occasionally but play for the most part, and toddlers that need constant amusing or direction, no matter how much we modeled and focused on the ability to play independently from time to time.

Over time, we’ve found some of the most fun ways to occupy toddlers. Here are some of our favorites -

Chalk Paint
Chalk paint in the rain is a whole new experience from chalk paint during those days when the sun is shining. The colors become more vibrant, and you’ve got to paint your picture fast before it becomes an abstract piece of art. The simple recipe of half corn starch, half water and a touch of food color (the more food coloring, the more vibrant) makes it simple to paint the sidewalk. As a bonus, the rain makes mixing colors more fun than ever.

Blanket Forts + Movie Days
If you’ve ditched the cable, it doesn’t have to be difficult to find something to watch. There’s Netflix, or grab a compilation of movies like the Treehouse the Ultimate Collection. It’s got all of the shows that toddlers are traditionally going to find on Treehouse, and contains over 100 episodes. That’s a lot of rainy days to get through. Grab a few blankets, put a movie on and have a mini movie marathon. The episodes are short enough to keep their attention, and there’s enough variety in the box to entertain for all of the rainy days to come.

Plain Old Bubbles
Mix a tablespoon of soap with 1/4 cup of water in a high powered blender of mixer, until you’ve created a thick foam. Put the foam into a bowl, or even into the bath tub and you’ve got a whole new sensory activity that’s simple, easy to clean up and that’s going to entertain a toddler with ease on a rainy day.

Stashed Away Reading

I like to stash away a couple of new books from the Chapters sale section for an addition to the library from time to time. Books that have some sort of interaction or something to touch are the most popular with our toddlers, and helps to keep them engaged through the entire story. Well, that and trying to find the Pigeon at the end of the Elephant and Piggie books.