Every mother of a toddler needs to keep a little (or big!) bag of tricks and ideas for when boredom strikes the little ones. Moms always seem to need to have some ideas and tasks to keep little ones occupied for chunks of time - whether it is on a daily or weekly basis. Here are some ideas that might work for your toddler. Keep in mind that while these ideas may seem boring and even mundane to us, they may keep your little one happily occupied for a chunk of time. Ideas to keep active toddlers busy during the day
Cleaning. Cleaning might be interesting to your child as it gives him or her a chance to be "in charge". Cleaning is not only a great way to occupy a bored toddler but it also instils a sense of responsibility and accountability into your toddler from an early age. Buy your toddler a child-sized broom to sweep the floor or even give them just a rag. Make sure you give him or her specific instructions on what to clean so they will have something to hunt down. Be sure to praise your toddler when done so they will experience a sense of accomplishment over the task.
Washing food. Washing food consists of a typical toddler's two favorite things - water and responsibility. Give your toddler the task of washing some of the food that you are preparing for a meal. Don't be surprised if you have to sacrifice a little bit of the produce though. A toddler may spend a half hour washing a tomato if you allow it! Note: give your toddler a bowl of water to do the washing so you'll save water.
Have some fun with food coloring. There is so much you can do with food coloring to entertain your toddler. One idea is to mix some food coloring with shaving cream in a ziploc bag, then draw shapes with it on your toddler's fingers. Another idea is to mix food coloring with alcohol to dye macaroni. Or you can simply mix food coloring and water together and use it to paint on paper towels.
Mix ingredients in a bowl. Toddlers love to do things just like their parents so this is a great idea to keep them occupied while you are making dinner. Take a medium-sized bowl and add some baking ingredients to it. Give your toddler the bowl along with a mixing spoon, telling him or her to "stir it up". You might need to add a few more ingredients to keep them occupied but for the most part, your toddler will love mixing up the concoction.
different kind of coloring. While toddlers love to color, you might have to change the activity up a bit to keep them interested. You can simply vary the coloring materials, ie markers versus paints versus colored pencils and so on. You can also change up what the toddler is coloring on. Coloring books and plain white paper are pretty standard but you can also give them paper towels, construction paper, poster board and canvas to change it up a bit. Or simply change the size. For example bring out a big roll of white or brown paper and let your toddler color a huge picture and see how long he or she is occupied!
Pouring water. Pouring water seems like such a simple and boring task but it can keep a toddler busy for quite a while. Pull out your largest cookie sheet and spread a layer or two of paper towels (to sop up spills). Put a few small bowls of water on the cookie sheet and let your toddler go! You might want to show your toddler what to do the first time but after that, he or she will know exactly what to do. You can even add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl to keep their interest longer.