There are so many good DIY activities for toddlers. They are pretty easy to please (most of the time). Here are a few of Hunter's homemade activities that we have tried so far...
Sidewalk Chalk Paint This was a fun one and so easy! All you need is cornstarch, water & food coloring.
Directions: Fill measuring cup with 1 cup of water. Add 1 cup cornstarch. Mix well. Pour into muffin tin and add food coloring. Head outside with a paintbrush and paint away! We painted the sidewalk and some rocks. A little rain and it all washes away. Hunter started out with clothes but I didn't want to ruin them with the food coloring so this ended up as a diaper activity.
Hunter Happiness: 4/5
Mama Happiness: 5/5
Pasta Box
Easy to make with what you already have in your house!
Have a shoe box and a box of pasta? You are set! All we did was pour a few different types of pasta in a shoe box, throw in some scoopers and cups and the activity is ready! I started this with Hunter when he was young but I put a pacifier in and watched him like a hawk because dry pasta is definitely a choking hazard! As he got a little bigger, I calmed down a little. This is a go to activity for us when we're stuck in the house. Hunter loves it! We also used a round pasta (rigatoni) and stuck a chopstick in the box for him to be able to work on his fine motor skills.
Hunter Happiness: 5/5
Mama Happiness: 4/5 (Only because you have to watch so closely when they're young)
Foam Bubbles
This is a fun, quick prep activity with stuff you probably have in your house. All you have to do is put 2 tbsp of dawn dish soap and 1/4 cup of water in a bowl. Use a mixer on the highest setting for about a minute until the foam forms peaks. If you want it to be colorful, I added a drop of food coloring. You will likely need to make more than 1 batch to be enough to play with. I took his clothes off for this activity too so they wouldn't get stained. The website I got this from said they used "Colorations Liquid Watercolors" because they are washable but I didn't have that. Honestly you don't really need the color at all in my opinion. Hunter mixed it all together anyway and liked them all the same. A good recommendation from my cousin was to use his pool indoors to contain the mess and I'm definitely glad we did that! We hid some of his animal figurines under the foam and added some cups and spoons. If you do put them in the foam, beware they come out very slippery! I had to bring him right up to the shower so he didn't slip. You could always use a smaller bin and have them play with it without getting in it.
Hunter Happiness: 4/5
Mama Happiness: 3/5 (Not the easiest clean up and needed a shower right after)
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