Fun and Creative Activities for Infants and Toddlers

Infant-toddler creative activities that build the bond between parent and child are priceless. Try some of these ideas for some fun activities that your child will love, from baby to toddler.

If you’ve ever been to a one-year-old’s birthday party, you know that kids often love wrapping paper even more than they love gifts. Create your own wrapping paper party by using old newspapers to wrap up familiar objects from around the house – such as the baby’s bowl, a toy car, a stuffed animal, and a set of keys. See how long it takes your child to figure out how to get to the object. For toddlers, have them feel the object through the wrapping to guess what it is.

When your child is an infant, lie her on a soft blanket and gently drag it across the floor. She might react to the change in gravity and to the unfamiliar movement by looking around to see what is happening. As she becomes older, give her rides on the blanket, pretending to be a horse as you do so. Young toddlers can pull their own stuffed animals behind them as well.

Once infants are grasping well, challenge them by sticking several small pieces of masking tape to their fingers. As babies become used to this feeling, tape a piece of contact paper to the table, sticky-side up. Encourage them to play with the sticky side of the paper. Give older toddlers pieces of tissue paper or other objects that will cling to the contact paper, and talk about what they are doing.

Does your child seem to love the bubbles in the bath? Try filling up a large pot with soap and water to create a huge pile of bubbles. Bring the pot outside, and encourage your child to play with the bubbles, while talking about what he is doing. As he grows older, bring a mirror outside so that he can see the bubbles on top of his head, too! This activity makes your child feel like he's doing a messy activity, whereas he'll be cleaner than ever when he's finished.

These infant-toddler creative activities are the perfect way to keep your child’s interest from babyhood to the toddler years and beyond.

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