Sidekick Mama Toolkit

50 Indoor Activities
to Keep Kids Busy and Learning
1. Animal Tape Rescue Activity: This is at the top of the list because I
KNOW our one-year-old will love it! My son loves to pick and pull at
just about everything, so this activity has his name all over it. All you
need is tape, plastic animals (really, any toy would work), and a
place to tape the animals down.
2. Painting with Water: This is a simple way to introduce your toddler

to the idea of painting, but without the mess! Definitely another one
at the top of our list!
3. Flashcards: I know what you’re thinking. My one or two-year-old

isn’t old enough to use flashcards! STAY WITH ME! Think of how much
your baby has developed and learned in the first year of their life.
They are craving knowledge right now! Start working with them while
they are little. We've made it easy for you by creating some flashcards
you can print below. Use them at home or on the go!
4. No Mess Finger Paint: This one is simple and
fun with the added bonus of no mess!
5. Edible Finger Paint: Ok, so after watching my

little guy destroy his cake on his birthday, this is
another list-topper! But…it will create quite a
mess, so I suggest getting a shower curtain from
the dollar store for your toddler create their
masterpiece on.
6. Familiar Faces: I LOVE this idea! Print pictures

of faces your baby will recognize, and let them
look at and explore all the pictures.
7. Tupperware Bin: We started doing this when our son started

pulling things out of the kitchen cabinets. He loved exploring
and pulling out each item one-by-one. We now have a bin of
Tupperware in the kitchen that we don’t use anymore just for
him.
8. Hammering Golf Tees: This would need

some parental supervision depending on
the age of your little one, but it’s a unique
idea!
9. Road Rally: Another fun way to use
tape to keep your toddler busy. They
can drive their cars and then have fun
pulling the tape off during cleanup.
10. Car Parking Number Game: Your little

one can park cars by matching numbers.
11. Contact Paper Art: Contact paper used
to be a really popular way to laminate
projects for cheap. For this project, tape
the contact paper to a door/window with
the sticky side out. This allows your little
one to stick items to it.
You could let them stick on random craft
supplies like this project, or have a specific
theme like the first link. You can also cut
out a furry animal, like a sheep or polar
bear, and then they can stick on cotton
balls on it to simulate the fur!
12. Fishing game: This one takes some

time to prep but it would be a fun
PORTABLE game to have on hand.
13. Colorful Pom-Pom Drop: Another way to

learn colors while playing!
14. Old Phone: Find an old
rotary or landline phone at
a local thrift store and let
them play to their heart's
content.
15. Feed the Lego Monsters:

You could make this a
color, number, or size
matching game.
16. Drawing with Cars:

Tape a marker or crayon
to toy cars to draw a
masterpiece? Sounds fun
to me!
20. Cloud Dough: I hadn't heard of this one
before, but it is somewhat similar to moon
sand. It is also taste-safe for those little
hands that still like to taste everything.
21. Balloon and String Baseball: Don’t

worry, you won't end up with any
broken windows playing this kind of
baseball in your house.
22. Window Baby Grab: Try sticking

Munchkin Letters and Numbers Bath
Toys to a glass window or door for
your child to play with. They can sit
in their highchair or stand and play.
23. Pots, Pans, and Spoons: Gather up 25. Animal Mix-Up Legos: This is a super cute idea
some of your kitchen gear and let your but does require some prep! Your little one will
child have at it. Kids can be entertained have fun matching up the animals or mixing them
by the simplest of things. to create new creatures.
24. Bubble Wrap Stomp: Who doesn’t
26. Card Slot Drop: Improve your child’s fine
love playing with a roll of bubble
motor skills with this simple activity.
wrap? You can even turn this activity
into an art project like this one, here
27. Bag or Box of Objects: Our little man
loves taking things out of our diaper bag,
so I decided to give him a bin of random
items to play with. I change which items I
put in the bin or bag each time we do this
activity. You could also let them pull
tissues or sandwich bags out of their
boxes.
28. Sensory Bins and How to Train Your

Toddler to Use Them: If you were just to
hand your child a bowl of rice, a spoon,
and a few empty containers and then
walk away, you are going to end up
with a HUGE mess! Your child can be
taught how to play in a sensory bin by
slowly introducing new items into the
bin AND supervising their play.
29. Stacking and Playing with Plastic Cups: This simple activity will keep your busy
toddler...BUSY!
30. Ice Excavation Activity: This one

requires you to make the ice tower
ahead of time, but you should be
able to find everything you need in
your home. This could be done in a
large plastic container or even in the
bathtub.
31. Sticker Line-Up: Teach your little one

hand-eye coordination and help
improve their fine motor skills.
32. Books: If your child loves books,

try checking new books out at the
library for them to explore every
month. While you're at the library, hit
up one of the storytime classes your
library offers.
33. Zipper Boards: These DIY zipper
boards are an easy project that will
keep your toddler busy at home or
on the go.
34. Whisk Play: Stick smaller, hazard-

free items, like pom-poms or small
toys, in a kitchen whisk for your little
one to pull out and play with.
35. Sprinkle Sensory Bag: This can be

used for learning letters and numbers
or just doodling.
36. Blocks: Stacking is a skill toddlers

should be working on and mastering.
There are lots of options for blocks, but
here are a few I liked: Melissa & Doug
Wooden Building Blocks Set, EXERCISE
N PLAY Cardboard Building Blocks, First
Builders Big Building Bag, and ATDAWN
Wooden Educational Toys. 37. Printable Worksheets and Coloring Pages:
There are a TON of options for places you can
38. Matching Objects: This is a quick activity to find fun, educational pages or coloring pages
help pass the time.Trace a few of your child's for your little ones. Most of the time you can
toys on squares of paper and let them try to even find free printables. Here are a few of my
match the actual toy to the tracing. go-to sites: Teachers Pay Teachers (not just
for teachers!), Education.com, Coloring 4 Kids,
Crayola.com, and Mom Junction.
39. Fingerpaint with Yogurt: How fun is this?

Next time my toddler is begging for a snack
(when is he not??), I'm going to let him have
some fun while eating it. Yes, it definitely will
be messy, but do it on a bath day when you
can stick them right in the tub after.
40. Pool Noodle and Rubberbands: Let your

little one practice their fine motor skills with
this simple activity. Just keep an eye on those
rubber bands so they don't become a choking
hazard.
41. Cereal Smash: I KNOW my toddler would love this activity. I mean, smashing cereal with a real
hammer? He does tend to get a little carried away when he's having fun so I would definitely need
to supervise him on this one. I found a Mini Hammer on amazon that would work well for this
activity, but you could also use a Soft Mallet if you don't like the idea of using an actual hammer.
42. Build a Fort: This
classic activity has kept
kids entertained for
decades. Make it a
little extra special by
planning a fun activity
to do inside the fort.
Options for this are
endless, but a movie
night, pizza party,
read-a-thon, or craft
night are a few ideas.
43. Educational Magic

Sticker Book: We got
this as a gift from
grandma before a
recent trip. Not only do
these stick on the book
it comes with, but he
plays with them on
windows and the fridge
too. While I do end up
finding them all over
the house, it is an
activity he comes back 44. Stain Glass Craft: Your little one will need help with this one, but
to over and over again. they will love seeing the sun shine through their final project. You
don't have to do an Easter egg like the given example. You can print
off a picture of anything they are interested in to use as a template.
45. Mega Bloks Ice Painting: This is a fun twist on a painting activity.
Turn Mega Bloks into easy ice markers for the kids to make a
masterpiece with. Put a shower curtain or plastic tablecloth under
their paper to contain most of the mess for easy cleanup (hopefully).
46. Fizzy Ice Science Activity: Help your
little one experience this fun science
activity. It’s pretty simple to set up
and most of the supplies needed are
already in the pantry. They will love
watching the baking soda and vinegar
react in a bubbling concoction.
47. Taste-Safe Playdough: This is an

easy recipe for homemade
playdough. I definitely wouldn’t
suggest letting your toddler eat this
by the handfuls, but if they decide to
taste it occasionally, it won’t hurt
them! If you store it in an air-tight
container it should last a few weeks,
but you can also add a little water
to it if it starts to dry out a bit.
48. Crayola Washable Window Markers: My little guy has a thing for windows. He loves to be
looking outside because that is where he wants to be. He loves drawing on our back sliding door
with these. You could also use normal EXPO markers for this activity. Either way, supervision is
definitely needed on this one, at least for us!
49. Large Water Beads: I searched through hundreds of pages to find you guys this little gem!
These Large Water Beads look they would be an absolute blast to play with. While being too
big to fit in your toddler’s mouth, they can pop if squished too hard so make sure to keep a
close eye on your little one during play.
50. Homemade Musical Instruments: This is

a fun craft idea that turns into a toy-
BONUS!! From super simple to a little more
complex, there are a ton of ideas for
homemade instruments out there.
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BALLOON OLYMPICS BREAKFAST FOR DINNER
GOT TO THE MOVIES GO FOR A PICNIC
FLY A KITE INVENT A NEW GAME
DISNEY THEME DAY MAKE S'MORES
VISIT A HISTORICAL LANDMARK DRAW YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES
LEARN SOMETHING NEW FIND AND PAINT ROCKS
MAKE PAPER AIRPLANES BIRD WATCHING
DANCE PARTY PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT
MAKE MARSHMALLOW SHOOTERS EAT SOMEWHERE NEW
BUILD A BLANKET FORT OBSTACLE COURSE
VISIT A MUSEUM
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

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50 Indoor Activities

to Keep Kids Busy and Learning

2. Painting with Water: This is a simple way to introduce your toddler

3. Flashcards: I know what you’re thinking. My one or two-year-old

5. Edible Finger Paint: Ok, so after watching my

6. Familiar Faces: I LOVE this idea! Print pictures

7. Tupperware Bin: We started doing this when our son started

8. Hammering Golf Tees: This would need

10. Car Parking Number Game: Your little

12. Fishing game: This one takes some

13. Colorful Pom-Pom Drop: Another way to

15. Feed the Lego Monsters:

16. Drawing with Cars:

21. Balloon and String Baseball: Don’t

22. Window Baby Grab: Try sticking

28. Sensory Bins and How to Train Your

30. Ice Excavation Activity: This one

31. Sticker Line-Up: Teach your little one

32. Books: If your child loves books,

34. Whisk Play: Stick smaller, hazard-

35. Sprinkle Sensory Bag: This can be

36. Blocks: Stacking is a skill toddlers

39. Fingerpaint with Yogurt: How fun is this?

40. Pool Noodle and Rubberbands: Let your

43. Educational Magic

47. Taste-Safe Playdough: This is an

50. Homemade Musical Instruments: This is

BALLOON OLYMPICS BREAKFAST FOR DINNER

GOT TO THE MOVIES GO FOR A PICNIC

FLY A KITE INVENT A NEW GAME

DISNEY THEME DAY MAKE S'MORES

VISIT A HISTORICAL LANDMARK DRAW YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES

LEARN SOMETHING NEW FIND AND PAINT ROCKS

MAKE PAPER AIRPLANES BIRD WATCHING

DANCE PARTY PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT

MAKE MARSHMALLOW SHOOTERS EAT SOMEWHERE NEW

BUILD A BLANKET FORT OBSTACLE COURSE

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

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