10 Fun and Engaging Toddler Activities for Cold Days

Figuring out some fun and engaging toddler activities does not have to be a challenge. Our little ones simply have too much energy and become easily bored with their regular toys, books, or routines. Therefore, I compiled a list of some creative ideas to make cold days as exciting as outdoor play!

These cosy, fun indoor activities will keep your little one busy and at the same time help them develop new skills, ignite their imagination, and strengthen sibling bonding (a bit overconfident statement, but hey, let’s give it a go!).

1. Indoor Toddler Activities: Create an Obstacle Course

How to set it up to create a safe environment to play in but also manage the mess? You can use sofa cushions to create hurdles to jump over. Blankets form perfect tunnels to crawl through, supported by chairs to walk around or under. Add stuffed animals to rescue at certain points (they provide a great distraction) or use painter’s tape to create a zigzag path to follow. If you own the soft tunnel, foldable storage boxes, or any yoga mats, those can become a valuable addition to the newly built indoor playground. I love to play in the “cave” with my toddler, pretending we are out on an adventure and camping.

2. Sensory Play Stations

Sensory play is particularly calming and stimulating for toddlers. It also encourages them to explore, enhancing their tactical awareness. But honestly, I find it appealing at any age. Gather things around your home, and you can easily create a sensory experience.

My preferred method is the mini Arctic World, where my toddler played with a huge ice cube containing their favourite toy, which I froze the night before. We pretend that we need to “free” his toys. He is patiently removing small portions of ice as it melts. But you can do it differently, using water, ice cubes and small toys based on the theme, creating the arctic scene, and letting your toddler feel the cold while you describe the scenery of a real continent.

My second favourite is the rainbow rice method. For that, you simply dye uncooked rice with food colouring and let your toddler scoop, pour, and dig through it. The brighter the colours, the better. You can even hide some toys or objects in the rice and let them look for them.

3. DIY Art & Craft Projects

Crafting allows toddlers to learn about colours, shapes, and different textures, practice their motor skills, and improve decision-making. It is the perfect activity for their imagination and creativity, especially when given free rein. Arts and crafts never get old, and you don’t need to spend a fortune (I get most of the supplies from Bargain Store or Poundland!).

The best crafting ideas revolve around the use of paper, for example, decorating paper plates with stickers, feathers, and glitters, making fun superhero masks, or simply colouring with crayons. If you trust your toddler with the supervised use of child scissors, let your toddler cut shapes out of the paper, or use the crafting punch to make confetti. Animal-themed stamps are also such a fun activity; my toddler never gets tired of stamping a large sheet of paper (and sometimes my forehead!) and loves to name all the colours and animals in the process. I got a great deal of hundred assorted stamps off of Amazon, and they lasted for nearly 6 months!

Tissue paper collage is another popular method in our household, and unlike paper, which is not so hard to find, just grab a toilet roll and the fun begins. You can glue them on cardboard or card paper and then let your toddler watercolour them. We love to create an “aquarium” environment and then use fish-themed stamps to complete the look. Speaking of watercolours, non-toxic paint is a must in your crafting cabinet. Handprint designs can be easily transformed into animals, such as birds, fish, or elephants, and your toddler will enjoy getting a bit messy in the process.

4. Baking Together

Understandably, baking with your toddler can turn into a very messy experience, but I promise it’s also a wonderful activity that will bond you together and a great opportunity to introduce basic math concepts such as measuring and counting. All the touching and mixing of the ingredients also doubles up as a sensory experience, which is your toddler’s favourite thing in the world.

There are so many kid-friendly recipes online, from mini cupcakes, cookies, or non-bake snacks to more advanced recipes. But you normally need a plastic bowl, a small whisk or spoon that is easy to hold for your little one, and some basic ingredients and toppings. For example, peanut butter, banana, and oat cookies will take you approximately 15 minutes to make and bake. Let your child help as much as they can; it will be a lot of fun for them, and it will certainly boost their confidence. Who does not like a sweet reward?

5. Interactive Storytime

Reading is generally fun, but the interactive one with all the acting, voice-changing, and using props will truly bring the characters to life. It’s a new twist to traditional storytime, and your toddler will love the imaginative play as it boosts their language development, listening skills, and imagination. Encourage your child to read along, or tell them what happens next in the story to build excitement.

Use stuffed animals and toys as characters from the book, read in different voices and accents, and entertain your little one with your acting skills. Let them join you and slide from the story to add their lines from time to time. Pupper books or touchy-feely books are perfect for storytime as they already provide what you need. Another great way to use this method and bring it to its full potential is to perform the shadow theatre.

6. Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Who would have thought that something as simple as hiding some toys, snacks, or everyday items around the house and creating a whole theme around it could entertain your toddler for at least two hours? Well, let me tell you, the indoor scavenger hunt is such an adventure for our little ones, especially if you give them specific quests (find things of a certain colour, size, shape, etc.). This is a perfect opportunity to work on problem-solving skills, learn how to focus attention to details, and learn basic categorization. Give your toddler a basket or bag to collect their findings; create a list of items to find (try to be specific; use examples such as “a red toy”); and to make it more exciting, add a time limit for older toddlers. If you have more than one child, you can make it a bit more competitive and assign prices to the one who finds more objects (but make it fare, otherwise they will fight!).

7. Pretend Play Stations

Pretend play is my favourite activity with my toddler (I enjoy it more myself!) and it’s important for his development. Role-playing encourages social interactions and creativity, and it teaches how to express ourselves. Plus, it’s so much fun to switch between roles and try to be a doctor or a fireman for an hour. Today, you can buy all sorts of toys that are thematically spot on.

My favourite and the easiest to set up is the grocery store. Simply pick up toy food or a shopping cart and use chairs or other furniture to organise little space for the till. Use pretend money and try to teach them basic math. If you don’t have any of these at home, you can always set up a restaurant using pots, pans, and utensils right from your kitchen. Pretend to take orders, cook together, and serve customers. My husband’s favourite is to play a patient while my toddler is a doctor. He just lies down and pretends he is very sick and needs to rest. Meanwhile, my little one uses all his doctor toys to check his body and write a report. Not much to add there!

8. Building Blocks and Towers

Sounds very boring, but there’s something special and magical about building towers and stacking blocks with your toddler that they adore. Toddlers love when you help them raise their construction to the highest level, and it’s great for building up their patience, motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills. Encourage them to create actual buildings such as castles, bridges, or whole cities. Challenge them to sort blocks by size or colour, or to stack up the tallest tower and see how high they can reach before it tumbles down.

9. Dance Party

Want to burn some of the ever-flowing toddler energy? Throw them a dance party! Music is stimulating; it improves mood and helps them develop balance and rhythm. Teach your little one a simple dance move, or if they are older, try a simple choreography. Toddlers’ favourite moves are jumping, clapping, and twirling; make sure to add those! Play a variety of music, switching between nursery rhymes and upbeat pop songs. You can try to play freeze dance with them; simply stop and freeze in place when the music stops. Very popular are also dances around objects such as toys to help them improve their coordination and orientation skills.

10. Toddler Yoga

I know it sounds like something impossible to keep your little one calm and focused on exercising. But I don’t have traditional yoga on my mind! Think about it more as a way to stretch and bring awareness to their little body. There are plenty of toddler-friendly yoga methods and videos to choose from. Opt for simple poses such as “cat-cow” or “downward dog.” Those won’t cause any harm; on the other hand, they will help strengthen their growing muscles. You can use animal sounds or actions to make it more fun (fly like a bird, be a tree, do the penguin, etc.).

Final Thoughts

Those rainy days that you are forced to spend indoors don’t have to be dull. It takes a bit more energy and creativity to keep your little one entertained, but I promise it can turn cold days into fun, memorable experiences for both you and your toddler. Create a list of activities that sound appealing to you and that you know your toddler would enjoy as well. Remember those activities are also developmentally beneficial, whether it’s sensory play, crafts and arts, or pretend play, as they boost their physical, cognitive, and even emotional development.