Filling up the long, beautiful summer days with activities your toddler enjoys can seem like an endless task- especially when they only play with one thing for ten minutes at a time.
The go-to move for wiggly, bored toddlers is to set them up with the tantalizing screen, where they sit entertained longer than most coloring activity or craft.
But lo and behold there are fun forms of toddler intrigue that will be a summer favorite for weeks to come- and the best part is you have all the ingredients right in your pantry!
Susie Allison knows firsthand how difficult it can be to occupy the busy minds of toddlers.
With three kids herself, a website, and a rising Instagram following already topping 1 million, she has to stay on top of her game.
Her site Busy Toddler, has just released a free at-home summer camp activity guide to give you the best activities to help your little one grow and develop with ease, all while having fun.
Allison said to Good Morning America:
“My goal is to help people find activities and things that they can do with their kids without relying on screens all of the time or having to spend a ton of money on new supplies.”
Her three best toddler activities combine some of toddlers favorite things, like making messes, playing with colors, and experimenting with gravity.
1. Oobleck
This tactile sensation is exactly like what it sounds – a gooey substance that drips and folds in your hands and around objects.
Allison explains the science behind toddler’s favorite mystery goo:
“Oobleck is super fun and it’s an amazing science experiment. It’s a non-Newtonian substance, which means it has some properties of a liquid and some properties of a solid, which is completely awesome to play with because [kids] can’t quite decide what they’re working with.”
All you need is:
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 1 drop of food coloring of choice (optional)
Mix all the ingredients in a bin and watch their faces light up!
No need to worry about the goo getting on their clothes or into curious little mouths, because all the ingredients are safe and washable.
2. Fizzy Ice Cubes
My toddler could play with a bucket full of ice for quite some time, but there is actually a way to make ice even more fun with some simple ingredients.
Combine ½ cup of water with one cup baking soda (with a couple drops of food coloring to make it interesting) and put the mixture in an ice cube tray and freeze it.
Fill some spray bottles, busters, or syringes with white vinegar. Dump the baking soda ice cubes into a bin and have the children spray the vinegar on them.
The chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar will cause the ice cubes to fizz, bringing squeals of delight from your little scientists.
3. Ball Ramp
This classic activity can bring new joy to restless minds, also giving the kids a break from the heat of the day.
Gather the materials suggested by Allison:
- Cardboard
- Tape
- Stick or broom handle
- Random assortment of balls or circular objects
Fashion the cardboard to form a ramp and use the stick to secure a stable backing.
Lean the ramp down the couch, on the wall, or down the stairs to let gravity do all the work.
Allison explains how you can use the activity to be more than just fun:
“Let the kids explore with setting the ramp on your couch, on the stairs, outside, inside, on the fireplace, on the ground at different angles, different rates of movements. Kids really explore what kind of objects roll best. ‘How steep can we get it? How level can i get it?'”
Before you know it they will have the concepts of physics down and a whole slew of objects tested for their projectile abilities.
Summer is the time for swimming, sprinklers, and family road trips, but in between the typical play there is so much to explore.
Putting these activities on your summer fun rotation will make your day easier and your toddler’s life more enriched.