Five Ways to Occupy Toddlers on Rainy Days

With April shower right around the corner, having a toddler in the house can be a challenge to keep them occupied during all the rainy days ahead. You can’t take them outside when it’s storming really bad, and in this technology driven age it can be a good idea to unplug them from cartoons and get them doing other fun activities.

Counting with snacks – Toddlers love counting and organizing small items. Using cheerios, pretzels, or even raisins; you can get them to count and line up a pile of the fun snacks. They’ll stay busy for a good ten minutes and have fun in the process!

Have an indoor picnic – Put a blanket down beneath your dining room table and have an indoor picnic at lunch with your little munchkin. It’s a fun way to celebrate the coming of spring, and what toddler doesn’t love doing something new and exciting?

Make moon sand – Using eight cups of flour and a cup of baby oil all mixed up in a large container, let your toddler go crazy. Less messy than real sand, and not nearly as sticky as play dough, it’s a fun idea for a rainy day.

Make box houses – If you have large boxes laying around in your garage, bring them into the basement or living room and build a box fort with your toddler. Cut out some windows and a door or two, and they’ll have a blast! If you have more budget, soft play design and installation is a great investment.

Sorting – This goes along with counting snacks, but most toddlers love being able to sort things. If you have any pom-pom balls, buttons, or large beads; give them a clean egg carton to put the sorted items into, and sit back and watch them stay occupied for a good forty-five minutes.

What are your favorite ways to keep your toddler occupied on dreary days?

When she’s not obsessing over literature or saving animals from being turned into fur coats, RJ is a student and avid writer.