Activities and toys for 2-Year-Olds: Indoor and Outdoor Fun for the “witching hours”

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Engaging a 2-year-old during the late afternoon “witching hours” can be challenging. Incorporating a variety of indoor and outdoor activities can help channel their energy and foster development. Below is a list of activities that we’ve been doing.

Indoor Activities

Physical Activities

  • Balloon Tennis: Use balloons and fly swatters or hands to play a gentle game of tennis indoors, promoting hand-eye coordination.
    • Tools Needed: Balloons, Soft balls.
    • Products ideas: fly swatters .
  • Indoor Bowling: Set up empty plastic bottles as pins and use a soft ball to bowl, teaching aim and control.
    • Tools Needed: Plastic bottles, soft ball.
    • Product ideas: soft ball
  • Dance Party: Play your child’s favorite songs and dance together to expend energy.
  • Building with Cushions: Use cushions to build forts or obstacle courses for climbing and imaginative play. Arrange pillows on the floor to create a path or “road” for your child to walk or crawl on, enhancing balance and coordination.
  • Threading Beads or Pasta: Provide large beads or pasta tubes and a string for your child to thread, enhancing fine motor skills.
  • Writing in Shaving Cream: Spread shaving cream on a tray and let your child draw or write in it, offering sensory play and pre-writing practice. 
    • Tools Needed: Shaving cream, tray.
  • Jell-O Bin: Prepare a bin of set gelatin with hidden toys inside for your child to dig and find, promoting sensory exploration. 
    • Tools Needed: Large bin, prepared gelatin or jell-o, small toys.
  • Finger Painting: Allow your child to paint using their fingers to create art, fostering creativity and fine motor skills. 
  • Red Light, Green Light: Play this classic game to teach listening skills and self-control. 
    • Tools Needed: Open space.
  • If all fail, have Extended Bath Time: Extend bath time by adding cups and toys for water play.
    • Tools Needed: Bath toys letters, numbers, fishnet, floating animals, cups.
    • Product ideas: Bath Toy Set

Cognitive Activities

  • Color Sorting with Muffin Tins: Use a muffin tin and colored objects (like pom-poms) to help your child sort by color, enhancing cognitive skills.
  • Sticky Wall Art: Tape contact paper (sticky side out) to the wall and provide lightweight objects for your child to stick, fostering creativity.
    • Tools Needed: Contact paper, lightweight objects.
    • Product ideas: contact paper
  • Playdough Fun: Encourage creativity and fine motor skills by playing with playdough. 
  • Sock Puppet Show: Create simple puppets from socks and put on a show, encouraging imagination and language skills. 
  • Alphabet Scavenger Hunt: Hide letters around the house and have your child find them, promoting letter recognition. 
  • Q-Tip Painting: Use cotton swabs and paint to create dot art, enhancing fine motor skills. 
    • Tools Needed: Cotton swabs, non-toxic paint, paper.
    • Product ideas: Washable paint
  • Sensory Bins: Fill plastic bottles with various materials (like rice, beads, or water with glitter) to create sensory exploration tools. Hide things inside them and ask your toddler to find it.
    • Tools Needed: Plastic bottles or bins, filler materials.
    • Product ideas: Bins
  • Matching Games: Create or purchase matching cards to help your child match colors, shapes, or animals, enhancing memory skills.
  • Indoor Scavenger Hunt: Make a list of items for your child to find around the house, promoting observation and problem-solving skills.
    • Tools Needed: List of household items.
  • Simple Board Games: Introduce age-appropriate board games to teach turn-taking, strategy, and patience.
  • Shape Sorting: Use a shape sorter toy to help your child identify and match shapes, improving hand-eye coordination and spatial understanding.
  • Pretend cooking: Veggie cutting
  • Nature-Inspired Crafting: Use leaves, twigs, and flowers collected during outdoor play to create art projects indoors.
    • Tools Needed: Craft glue, paper, collected items.
    • Product ideas: washable glue

Outdoor Activities

  • Nature Walks: Explore parks or trails, encouraging your child to observe plants, insects, and birds.
    • Tools Needed: Comfortable walking shoes, collection bag.
  • Chalk Art: Use sidewalk chalk to draw pictures, practice shapes, or play hopscotch on the pavement.
  • Obstacle Course: Set up an outdoor obstacle course with cones, hula hoops, or simple household items to jump over or crawl under.
  • Bubble Play: Use a bubble machine or wand to create bubbles for your toddler to chase and pop.
  • Gardening Together: Let your child dig in the soil, water plants, or collect flowers, teaching them about nature.
  • Outdoor Painting: Set up a canvas or large sheet of paper and let your child paint outdoors, minimizing mess while promoting creativity.
  • Tricycle or Balance Bike Rides: Let your child ride a tricycle or balance bike to develop motor skills and coordination.

Additional Ideas: Classes for Toddlers

Outside the home, structured activities can be a great way to keep your 2-year-old engaged and learning. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Swimming Classes: Help your child develop water confidence and basic swimming skills.
  • Toddler Gymnastics: Improve flexibility, balance, and coordination in a fun environment.
  • Soccer for Toddlers: Encourage teamwork, motor skills, and physical activity.

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