Activities for toddlers And infants

GET ARTY

You can’t go wrong with a bit of painting. Even better, you won’t need anything fancy for these homemade potato stamps.

Instructions

1. Halve a potato lengthways to make a long stamp, or across the middle for a slightly smaller one. Pat the flat ends dry.
2. Press your chosen cutter into the smooth edge of one of the potato halves – it doesn’t need to go all the way in, it’s just to create an outline to follow. Carefully use the knife to cut into the potato and around the cutter to create a stamp.
3. Remove the cutter from the potato. Your stamp is now ready to use.
4. Cover a table with newspaper and squeeze a selection of paints into shallow pots or a tray. Lay out some paper for stamping – kids can either use a paintbrush to load the stamps with paint or dab them into the pots.

DIY marble run

You need some leftover loo rolls or cardboard tubes for this one. To create a DIY marble run suitable for toddlers, stick your tubes about a quarter of the way up a bedroom door (so the top is low enough for them to reach). Arrange the tubes at slightly vertical angles, one below the other, making sure the top of one touches the bottom of another.  Give your toddler a pom pom or other soft, round object to drop into the tubes. If you’ve got older kids, try helping them to build their own structure using cardboard boxes.

Get Cooking

Baking’s been big in lockdown, and now’s the perfect time to get the kids involved with some simple recipes. They can help with rolling, mixing, or simply tasting the mixture before it goes into the oven. For more cooking ideas, check out some of our recommendations below.