8 ideas to keep your toddler busy

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One of the biggest challenge in homeschooling (o.k., in parenting, period) is keeping the youngest family members meaningfully engaged, occupied, and out of trouble. My motto? A busy toddler is a happy toddler, and a happy toddler rarely disrupts the flow of a day by unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper, eating a box of crayons, or snipping the cords to every earbud in the house.

Which, with a Momma focusing elsewhere for huge chunks of the day, can be easier said than done. That’s why all good parents know that plopping a thirteen month-old in front of a movie or sticking them in a corner with the same toys they’ve been teething on for the past six months is pretty much a recipe for disaster. Toddlers are, by definition, everywhere and into everything. Anyone who thinks that they’ll be reading novels or getting anything else done with an unoccupied toddler underfoot is either asking for frustration or slightly delusional. A little pre-planning, a whole lot of baby proofing (seriously, put the breakables away if they will make your primary interaction with your child “No touch!”), and some multi-tasking will make your job so much easier in the long run! Here are some of my tried-and-true methods for keeping my littles close, out of trouble, and busy:

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1. Make them your sidekick. All of my toddlers have wanted to be my right-hand man anyhow, so giving them the job of being “helper” is usually a front-line defense in keeping them busy. If I’m teaching, I keep some blank paper and some colored pencils or crayons next to me for little hands. Another twist is to make little blank books for the toddler to draw in, flipping the pages and feeling like a big kid as he or she creates. (No time to make your own? You can buy them, too.) Stickers, special coloring books set aside for just these moments, and little magnetic or felt playsets are also great for times when Momma’s lap is the place to be. In a pinch, I’ll pull up a whiteboard app on an iPad, and let my little one draw mess-free. Other jobs can be more engaging and even more toddler friendly. Moving laundry from the washer to the dryer, pulling needed items for snacks and meals from the pantry, sweeping the floor– all lend themselves to keeping small hands active and out of mischief.

2. Have an arsenal of activities on hand. I am a huge fan of Montessori-based work for little ones. Skill-building mixed with play? Yes, please! The Montessori mindset keeps trays accessible to small folks, and has them focusing intently. Our favorites have usually practiced small motor skills, simple learning concepts, or attention to detail. The internet is rich with ideas for building your own library of trays (and “busy bags,” a closely related concept), or you can purchase ready-made toddler activities. I am a huge fan of Naturababy on etsy.  Her trays are simple, beautiful, fun, and stand up to the wear and tear of multiple little hands enjoying the work. Tray time around here is usually when Momma has to be away from the table working with another child, or doing something that doesn’t lend itself to small folks being involved. Keeping these activities to short bursts (always stop before they tire of the actions!) keeps them fresh and makes them feel like a treat rather than busywork.

3. Rethink painter’s tape. I can’t tell you how often I pull out the blue painter’s tape for my littles. A long strip on the floor is a balance beam. Or a car track. Or a stick to jump over. Or a measuring stick for a bean bag toss. Little squares on the wall at different heights are for jumping and smacking, or for practicing throwing cotton balls at targets. Mark out a min-obstacle course, make a corral for all those tiny animals, block off a section of floor just for scooting on that little ride-on you keep tripping over. Tape empty cardboard tubes to the wall and let them experiment dropping pom pom balls through. Make a spider web and pitch balls of wadded-up paper at it. Keep a roll on hand for emergencies. You won’t regret it.

4. Color the table. Investing in a big roll of paper pays dividends. Wrapping a table (or even covering a large swath of floor) with paper gives plain old crayons, markers, or colored pencils new life in the eyes of a toddler. I’ve used a variation of this on warm days on a patio with almost-nekkid kiddos and finger paints. Totally messy, but so stinkin’ worth it.

5. Pull out the diggers and rice. This is a classic that literally every Momma who tries swears by. There’s a catch, of course– it’s messy. Dry rice in a shallow baking sheet, a collection of tiny construction vehicles… it’s an indoor sandbox of epic proportions for boys and girls alike. Guaranteed hit well worth the time spent vacuuming rice out of the nooks and crannies of your kitchen.

6. Yarn isn’t just for baby cats. A ball of cheap yarn (sorry, I just can’t urge you to pull out the alpaca for this), some oversight, and a basket full of random household items will make for untold hours of joy for the preschool and under set. Unrolling, tangling, wrapping, hiding … these are all fun distractions for a little one whose Momma can keep an eye on the happenings. In the end, you may have to cut your wire whisk free from a web of rainbow acrylic, but the hour gained reading aloud to your older kids is so worth it!

7. Sometimes, you just need a bath. The toddler, not you. A warm tub full of fun toys has saved my bum on more than one occasion when I’ve needed to deep-clean a bathroom, or work one-on-one with a child on a school issue that might take a bit. The older child doesn’t mind that our conference happens while sitting on the bathroom rug, and the toddler is happy to splash his or her way to oblivion while I am still mostly focused on the work at hand. I’ve even pulled this one out when I’ve needed a long meal-planning session or time to do paperwork. Just keep the laptop far from the splash zone!

8. Go on a toy hunt. I am a big believer in rotating toys. Outside of that, I’m also a big fan of using old toys in new ways. Sometimes all it takes is hiding them to make them new again! Older toddlers can hunt for pieces of wood puzzles in a small area of a room (just make sure you’re hiding them in plain sight) while younger toddlers get a kick out of finding things where they just don’t belong. Simon still cackles like mad when we purposefully send him looking for a truck and he finds it not on the shelf, but hidden under a pillow on the couch in the play room. Hide a couple of things, make a list (so you don’t forget what’s where) and send your little one on “jobs.”

These ideas are just a sampling of the things you can do to make the homeschooling life that much easier with toddlers in the mix. What are your go-to ideas? How have you occupied little minds and hands?

 

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