I know in our current world situation, with new developments happening hourly here in the US and globally, parents are concerned about what they’re going to do if their children’s school is shut down due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). As of right now, Mason’s preschool out till April 13th. But, that isn’t to say that in a few weeks or days, that couldn’t change! I know that our governor, Gavin Newsom, has made a statement that schools may not open for the rest of the school year. That is a scary thought for parents and kids as I’m sure if they’re like Mason, they already are missing their friends and teachers. The Bay Area currently has a “Shelter in Place” so trips to the park are off limits now too leaving us feeling locked inside our homes.
I wanted to compile a list of activities to keep your toddler busy during long breaks from school, because even if school isn’t shut down now for you, Spring break is right around the corner and school will be out then as with summer break. Because of COVID-19, we’ve canceled our Spring break travel plans. Justin was supposed to be in Bali on a surf trip and I was going to be taking Mason on a beach vacation. Yes, we live near the beach, but I was wanting to go somewhere more tropical with him! I hadn’t finalized our travel plans and I’m happy now that I hadn’t.
Activities to Keep Your Toddler Busy During Long Breaks From School
1. Kinetic Sand – This is something I saw Mason playing with at preschool one day at pick up and immediately asked his preschool teacher about it. You can order Kinetic Sand in an array of colors but I got it in natural. This has kept Mason busy for a while which is nice when you’ve been cooped up at home and need something to distract them. You can also take it outside in your backyard if it’s a nice day to let them also get some vitamin C.
2. Sensory Tables – So one of my mom friends is amazing at making cool sensory tables for her kids to enjoy hours of creativity and fun. I just did a little google searching for some great sensory table ideas and here are just a few I really liked.
3. Color Matching Game – set up a tray or section off parts of a table and designate a specific color to each section of the table. Then have your little one place objects or toys that he or she has that are the same color in the appropriate section. We sectioned off Masons play table with tape to make it quick and easy.
4. Race Car Track – If your kid is into cars then having a race car track rug can offer up plenty of play time. Mason absolutely loves breaking out his cars and playing with them on his race track rug. He’s got one at each of his grandparents houses and with the upcoming closure and extended break time that I am anticipating I got one of my own.
5. Magna Tiles – Building with Magna Tiles is so much fun and allows them to be super creative or just build the tallest building they can before breaking it down. Mason and I have enjoyed playing with his Magna tiles to create lots of fun and interesting things including “rocket ships.” And when Justin is home, he gets in on the fun too!
6. Imaginative Play – I think Mason really enjoys imaginative play. He’s great at creating a story line and including lots of his toys as well as us to play along with him. We’ll be running around the house, having conversations with his different toys, and playing outdoors where we’re either on the hunt for something or rescuing someone. It’s a lot of fun to watch his imagination run wild and as long as you have the time to play along with them it’s extra fun and can take up a good portion of the day or afternoon.
7. Playdough – Just like with the Kinetic Sand as long as your kids are not in the stage of putting everything in their mouths, play dough is an easy thing to break out when your kids are board and need something to do. If you have cookie cutters or other things for them to cut the play dough with or stick into them they can have fun with play dough for quite a while.
8. Musical Instruments – You might grow tired of hearing them bang on their musical instruments after a while but isn’t it so much fun to create songs with them or just play along to their current favorites on Alexa?? Mason loves music and he loves getting everyone involved. We’ve got quite the family band going! We might not be so musically inclined but it still a lot of fun to pass around his musical instruments and get to playing.
9. Dance Party – Along the same lines as playing musical instruments along to their favorite songs, having a dance party is equally fun and gets your body moving. While at this stage in Mason’s life dancing is more like bouncing around to the beat he does have some cute moves and I like to let loose with him and dance like no ones watching!
10. Building a Fort – Building a fort in the living room is always a good idea. It lets your child have a little space all to themselves as well as gets them creative in the process of building it and what they want to do once they’re inside. Typically for us, I help Mason build the fort right around him. We use all the pillows and cushions on the sofa and then the throw blankets over the top. I have had my eye on a Nugget for a while since I think it would be awesome for stuff like that but just not sure if we really have the space for it!
11. Sensory Bottles – One of our friends actually gave us their sensory bottles after their kids grew out of them. They dyed rice all different colors so they became shakers. This doesn’t really distract Mason for very long but they can obviously be used for musical instruments if you don’t have any or to go along with what they have to round out the band ๐
12. Sidewalk Chalk – Sidewalk chalk is great for getting them outside and keeping the art mess to a minimum indoors. Don’t get me wrong I’m all about putting together traditional art projects for Mason to do but one thing I have learned is that his capacity to focus on an art project like painting is very short lived so set up and clean up take longer than the actual project itself. I know that will change as he gets a little older but for now, I’m really loving getting him outside, if the weather permits, and allowing him to go crazy with the chalk!
13. Car Wash – They might be too small to help you wash your car but that doesn’t mean they can’t have fun washing their toy cars, trikes, or bikes! Mason has a boat load of toy cars and trucks so when you’re needing to get them to do something new to take their minds off of being bored and at home away from their friends, have them set up a car wash outside in your backyard or in the shower or bathtub and let them get to scrubbing!
14. Yoga – Mason loves doing yoga at preschool so I wanted to set aside some time each day to do a little yoga session with him. Consider doing this especially before nap time or bedtime to help them relax and unwind or if your kids are a little too wound up, yoga is a great way to calm them back down and give everyone a little breather.
15. Hand and Feet Paintings – Mason’s preschool teacher just shared some fun hand and feet art you can make with your toddlers. I’m including the link here so you can get some ideas of what to create with their hands and feet.
16. Water play – If you have a water table, kiddy pool, or a fun sprinkler for summer break them out when the sun is shining and let your kids play outside. This entertains Mason for a long time plus it’s nice to be out in the sun and get some fresh air, especially with feeling like we’re otherwise on lockdown.
17. Sing a Longs – Singing is a big part of Mason’s preschool and he is always bringing home new songs that he’s learned. I also love making up songs for Mason, so needless to say we enjoy singing. Even if we don’t sound that great it’s a fun activity to do as a family.
18. Trace Numbers and Letters – You can print out forms for your kids to trace numbers, letters, or even animals. This is an easy project to set up and will hopefully hold their attention for a little while while also getting in some learning.
I will add more activities to this list as I come up with more so be sure to save the post and/or pin this for later reference!
As always, thank you so much for stopping by the blog today!
