I don’t know about you, but it feels like all I have done lately is find ways to entertain my toddler inside. With the ice storm in early December, the holidays and then the Polar Vortex I seriously feel like we hadn’t felt the sun on our faces in over a month! Add to the mix a newborn in our family and it seems like everyone in Dallas is sick, I am not kidding, we have been inside forever.
I’d like to think that I am pretty good at entertaining my toddler. I mean, I was a camp counselor for 3 summers – I can convince any kid anywhere that they are having fun.
But being inside for that long? Yeah, my creativity started to run dry.
That’s when I reached deep inside the box and pulled out these easy, new favorites for when we’re stuck inside!
1. 
Bring outdoor toys indoors.
I can’t tell you how tickled my toddler was that I kept bringing his typically outside toys inside. He drove his car all around the house, telling me each time he made a lap which friend he was going to visit. He even watched TV from inside his car! This plus his tractor, basketball goal and ride on toys guaranteed hours of entertainment.
2. Turn your sink into a water park.
Water + bubbles. That’s it. He played for a good 25 minutes while I sat on the side of the bathtub and read a book. Win win!
3. Box o’ colors.
The daily battle in our household and the mantra I feel like I say 100 times a day is, “Crayons are for paper only.” Anyone else feel my pain? Then this is a sure fire way to keep your kids happy. I simply stripped my toddler down to his diaper, handed him an entire box of crayons (gasp!) and set him inside a huge box where he could color anywhere he wanted. The look of pure glee on his face was priceless. We went back to this activity time and again!
4. Ball Bath.
What little kid doesn’t live for a ball pit? What about a ball pit in your bathtub? Double winner for me – my toddler has yet to figure out how to climb out of the bathtub so he was completely contained for 30 minutes. I sat on the bathroom counter and played on Facebook. Totally worth the back ache from bending over to pick each and every ball up afterwards.
5. 
Eye Spy.
Granted, my toddler was a little young for this, but we stood at the window constantly just observing nature and (my toddler) screaming everything he saw. Granted he kept thinking the squirrels were mice, but we’re working on that.
At the end of the day, you just have to embrace the chaos of living life inside, whether it’s due to the weather, having a new baby in the family, or simply because you have absolutely no clean laundry.
Oh, and just get over how messy your house will be at the end of the day. The happiness of your kids isn’t worth the constant nagging to clean up if you know you won’t be leaving the house that day. Remember, happy kids equals a happy mama.
Do you have activities that work every time the boredom sets in?
Share your secrets in the comments!
These are great ideas for keeping the kids entertained on a cold winter day. Thanks for sharing with us!