Play-Based Learning Activities For Toddlers

Since we have been on lockdown, I have been looking for some play-based learning activities for toddlers.

Because my daughter is bored.

And if you have an 18-month-old toddler or just a toddler in general, boredom can turn into a bad mom day for us mommas.

I will be the first to say that being on lockdown with a toddler is completely different than being on lockdown with a school-age kid.

School-age kids are very capable of occupying themselves and verbalizing their needs and wants.

Toddlers require 100% of your attention all of the time and they aren’t fully able to verbalize what they want.

I don’t know about you all, but my toddler is just bustling with energy from the moment she wakes up in the morning until she goes to bed at night.

When she is awake, she is ready to play and get into whatever her tiny hands can grab.

In fact, by the end of the day, I actually feel tired from chasing her around all day.

I knew that I had to start incorporating activities that we could do throughout the day or on particular days since we wouldn’t be leaving the house much that did not involve placing her in front of a tv.

And since most toddlers learn through play, I also wanted to make sure that the activities that we were doing were also fun and engaging.

These are all the activities that I have currently been doing with my 18-month-old toddler and I have found that she enjoys the majority of them.

Here are some play-based learning activities for toddlers that you can start doing with your little ones.

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What Is Play-Based Learning?

Before I get into some play-based activities for toddlers, let’s discuss what play-based learning is and how to get started with your child.

For those who are unfamiliar with play-based learning, it is pretty much what it says.

It is learning through play.

The writers from Wonderschool even go on to say play-based learning is a type of early childhood education based on child-led and open-ended play.

I know that most of us as adults would not think of playing as a form of learning and wonder if children can really learn through just playing.

But playing is learning.

Within playing, children are learning and developing the necessary skills that they will need in the world such as socializing and critical thinking.

If you are looking for a way to get started with play-based learning, a great program to start with is Abundant Play

Abundant Play is a monthly digital activity book subscription filled with activities, printables, children’s songs, and other fun things for young children up to the age of 5.

As a stay-at-home mom of a toddler, I am her first teacher, but I sometimes feel stumped on what I can be doing to get my daughter ready for when she starts to attend school.

This is where Abundant Play comes in.

Instead of trying to figure what out to do, I have play-based activities delivered to my Abundant Play account every month that I can refer to.

It has become something that my daughter and I both look forward to because we get 1 on 1 time playing and learning with our monthly activities.

And it is only $9 a month.

Yes! $9 a month!

I know many of us moms have heard of those really expensive kids subscriptions that many of us cannot afford to spend on a monthly basis, so I love that this subscription is way more affordable.

And because you all are my viewers, the lovely ladies over at Abundant Play wanted to give you an even bigger discount!

If you use the coupon code JASS, you can get $8 off your first month.

Yes! You will be getting your first month for $1!

This is a great way to try out this wonderful subscription service and get started learning through play with your little ones today!

Along with Abundant Play, let’s get into some other play-based activities that I do with my daughter.

Play-Based Learning Activities For Toddlers

Reading Board Books

The first of the play-based learning activities for toddlers that I want to suggest is board books.

And you’re probably wondering how are reading board books a play-based learning activity for toddlers?

Reading board books is not only great for language development and building your toddler’s vocabulary which will help get them talking in no time.

But they are also fun to act out to.

You can make animal noises, sing songs, and even dress up as your favorite characters in the book.

I personally love to read and I knew that I wanted to pass this down to my daughter, so we started collecting books when she was born.

I began reading to her at a very early age and to this day, she still loves being read to.

Before bed every night during her bedtime routine, she runs over to her tiny bookshelf to grab her favorite books for me to read to her.

Some of her favorites are:

• Doggies by Sandra Boynton
• Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Puzzles

Puzzles are another great play-based activity and it helps to fine-tune those motors skills.

There are some really chunky puzzles made by Melissa and Doug that are made for little hands to grab that we have and enjoy playing with.

I like to help her by showing her where the pieces go and seeing if she can remember where they go when we play with them again.

My daughter has really grown to love puzzles and I often catch her playing with her puzzles alone during the day.

Legos/Blocks

Legos have become one of my daughter’s favorite things to do and since the actual Legos are way too small for toddlers, we use the Mega Blocks instead.

It is the same concept with just bigger blocks so our little ones can’t swallow them.

Don’t worry if your toddler is more comfortable with destroying than creating because that is a part of how they learn.

By knocking the pieces down, they will learn to stack them back up, and eventually, they will learn that you put the legos together.

They will only figure this out if you allow them to knock it down, to begin with.

Playdoh

I know some parents might be against playdoh, but it’s great for sensory play.

As long as you clear an area for them to play, this will allow them to explore this type of texture without it becoming a huge mess.

Playdoh is great for molding the shapes and objects that you are saying.

And if you have cookie cutters, this can make this activity even more fun.

Make sure you are supervising this activity at all times to ensure that your child does not put the playdoh in their mouth.

Sand

Sand is a lot like playdoh which makes it another great activity for sensory play.

And also like playdoh, will require adult supervision at all times to ensure the sand does not wind up in the mouth of your little one.

My daughter has so much fun exploring this texture and it keeps her occupied for longer than 5 minutes.

Kinetic Sand is great for indoor sand play and has been something that my daughter has also enjoyed outside of getting to play in the real stuff.

Draw/Scribble

Obviously, toddlers can’t draw really well, but they can scribble.

They are watching you write things down and may show some interest in wanting to write too, so give them a crayon and a piece of paper to see what they do.

This establishes those early writing skills that will be useful later on.

I wouldn’t expect them to start writing out the alphabet or anything like that for another couple of years, but at least the connection is being made.

I use these jumbo triangular crayons from Melissa and Doug for her right now so that she can hold them and begin to make the association that crayons go on paper.

Finger Painting

This might be another one that parents might not be a fan of because it can get really messy, but finger painting is also great for sensory play and encouraging creativity.

Like I mentioned with the playdoh, make sure an area is clear for them to explore.

I like to use the Finger Paints from Crayola.

Water Play

This leads me to the next activity that my daughter really enjoys which is water play.

Like most kids, my daughter loves the water.

As soon as she realized that bath time could be fun with all of the splashing and toys, she was completely on board with bath time every night.

We started utilizing toys in the bathtub as soon as she could sit up such as squirting rubber ducks, stacking toys, and even a singing baby shark.

When she turned 1, we got her this mini duck basketball hoop from Munchkin that she can shoot into as well as these water cups from Munchkin that stick to the side of the bathtub that she can pour water in.

She loves to watch the water move through the different cups and finally come out of the bottom.

Another water toy that we got her for outside was this Water Play Table by Step2 that has been a major hit with her.

Nature Play

And speaking of water play, nature play is another activity that your toddler can learn through playing with the various things outside.

Nature has so much to offer and by allowing your little to explore the outdoors they can learn a lot about what they are seeing, hearing, and feeling.

They can see what the sky looks like, what animals sound like, and what the ground feels like just by stepping outside.

Part of my 18 months old’s daily routine includes getting out and taking a walk around our neighborhood.

And this is when we will likely engage in some nature play.

This usually consists of her naming the animals that she sees and stopping to play in some dirt that she comes across.

Role Play

The next activity that my daughter loves to do is role-play.

This is great for their imagination and it allows your little ones to pretend and act out what they see.

The first thing I got for my daughter was a play kitchen from KidKraft when she turned 1 because she was showing so much interest in what I was doing in the kitchen.

I also got her apron to wear when she is in her kitchen and she absolutely loves it.

Another toy I got her was this cleaning set from Melissa and Doug and this Dyson vacuum toy because she was also showing an interest in cleaning and she loved those as well.

My daughter loves to role play with items that look similar to what I have so I try to pay attention to that and get her things that mirror what I’m doing.

Let Them Help With Daily Tasks

And my last play-based learning activity suggestion for toddlers is to let them help with daily tasks around the house.

My daughter follows me around all day long and she is already showing signs that she wants help so I thought why not let her?

Tasks that I typically let her help me with are laundry, throwing trash away, and even unloading the dishwasher.

For us as adults, this is not something fun or something that we find enjoyable, but to a toddler, it is the coolest thing in the world.

Now I do have to warn you, they are more likely to mess more up than they help, but once again that is how they will learn.

Repetition is key with toddlers and the more they do it, the more they will begin to hone and master that skill.

This is also a great way to start teaching your toddler good habits and establishing expectations and ground rules that you would want to put into place in your home.

Your Turn

Well, those are all the play-based learning activities for toddlers that I have been doing with my own daughter. Now, I want to hear from you all now. What are some activities that you all enjoy doing with your toddlers? Don’t forget to use my coupon code JASS to save you $8 off your first month at Abundant Play so you get started learning through play with your kiddos! I want to hear from you in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous below. Until next time!

• Read More: How to Cope With A Sick Family Member

Love,

Just Jass