Fun Exploration Activities for Toddlers

I was given free product in exchange for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Toddlers are so fun and  ready to learn! My little girl is always exploring. Sometimes that means messes. I try to create fun exploration activities for toddlers to keep her having fun in a controlled way so that we don’t end up with too many messes. Here are my ideas for fun exploration activities for toddlers. Many of them also help with motor skills, provide a sensory experience, and more!

LEGOS 

I used to think LEGO’S were for older kids, but have you seen the Duplo line? They are larger building blocks perfect for little hands. I took a leap of faith and tried the LEGO DUPLO Preschool. Miss JJ and her cousins loved it! It was such a hit and because there were so multiple areas to the preschool that each child was able to take a turn with each part. With so many different LEGO DUPLO sets, there are lots of ways to explore, build, and imagine with LEGOS for toddlers. This set was great to explore some letters, numbers, colors, and more.

Slime

Have you tried the slime craze yet??? We did and it was fun! Slime is a bit messy, but the process to create it can be just as fun as playing with it. Mix up some slime using this slime recipe. Then play away. The texture is fun. Make different colors and work on color recognition. 

Cooking and Baking

Dinner doesn’t make itself around here. There is so much to do each day and meals can be be hard to fit in with kids. Instead of trying to have toddlers entertain themselves include them in cooking. Pull up a stool and have them pour ingredients in a bowl and mix up. Teach them about measuring, cooking, baking and so much more.

Washing Dishes

Miss JJ loves to give the dishes a “bubble bath.” It is like the highlight of her day. She likes to rinse the dishes, swirl the bubbles, and be very helpful! Don’t stop with the dishes, add in other chores. Give toddlers an opportunity to help out and make it fun for them!

Nature Walk

Explore a local park or even your neighborhood. Make it a scavenger hunt and look for leaves, sticks, pinecones, bugs, etc. Take a basket or bag to carry the treasures home in to talk about.

Build with Cardboard Boxes

There are so many ways to have fun with cardboard boxes. Build cars and drive them around the house. Make a fort. Read books in them. Color, cut, and customize big or small boxes to create lots of inexpensive exploration fun. Follow your little ones lead and let them use their imagination to play with the boxes.

What ideas do you have for fun exploration activities for toddlers? I’d love more great ideas, especially with the winter months coming!

More great ideas: