35 toddler learning activities that make learning fun

Whether your toddler is building a tower or squishing playdough, they’re learning every minute of the day. These early years are packed with discovery, and with the right activities, you can help build their language, motor, and problem-solving skills in ways that feel like pure play.

We rounded up 35 toddler learning activities, including some teacher-approved favorites, that support your child’s development at home. Most use things you already have on hand.

Sensory activities to stimulate little minds

1. Rice bin exploration: Fill a bin with dry rice, scoops, and cups. As your child digs and pours, they’ll build hand strength and sensory awareness.

2. Frozen toy rescue: Freeze small toys in ice cubes and provide warm water or tools. They’ll love the challenge of getting toys out, building patience, and problem-solving.

3. DIY texture board: Glue textures like felt, foil, and sandpaper to cardboard. Let your toddler explore and compare the different feels to boost tactile development.

4. Water play station: Fill a bin with water, plastic animals, and cups. Encourage pouring, splashing, and imaginative play while discussing floating and sinking.

5. Scent matching jars: Add safe scents to cotton balls in small containers. Have your child smell and match them with pictures, helping them learn sensory recognition.

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Language and literacy boosters

1. Story basket: Create a themed basket with a book and matching toys. Acting out the story helps build comprehension and makes reading more interactive.

2. Name tracing with fingers: Write your child’s name in large letters. They can trace it with their finger to learn letter shapes and begin building familiarity with writing.

3. Sing and sign: Learn basic American Sign Language (ASL) signs while singing songs. It encourages language skills and supports early communication.

4. Label the house: Label items like "door," "chair," and "toy box." Seeing printed words every day can help your toddler begin to build early reading skills.

5. Rhyme time: Say a word and challenge your child to find one that rhymes. It’s a playful way to build phonemic awareness.

Math and counting fun

1. Counting hopscotch: Tape numbers to the floor and hop from one to the next. Call out the numbers as you go to combine movement and counting.

2. Snack sorting: Use small snacks like cereal to sort by shape, size, or color. It's a tasty way to practice categorizing and comparing.

3. Puzzle numbers: Use number puzzles to match numbers with quantities, like dots or pictures. It helps connect symbols to real-world counting.

4. Block towers by number: Challenge your child to build a tower with a set number of blocks. This encourages counting and one-to-one correspondence.

5. Shape scavenger hunt: Go on a shape hunt around the house. Spotting shapes in real life helps toddlers begin to understand early geometry skills.

Movement-based learning

1. Animal walks: Crawl like a bear, hop like a frog, and stomp like a dinosaur. These playful moves can help develop gross motor coordination and balance.

2. Dance freeze: Play music and freeze when it stops. This game helps toddlers follow directions and improves impulse control.

3. Obstacle course: Set up a mini obstacle course with pillows, tunnels, or boxes. They’ll start to learn how to climb, crawl, and problem-solve as they go.

4. Balloon toss: Toss a balloon back and forth or try to keep it off the floor. It boosts coordination and spatial awareness.

5. Yoga for toddlers: Introduce simple poses like "tree" or "cat-cow." Practicing yoga can help build balance, focus, and body awareness.

Creative play to spark imagination

1. Cardboard box playhouse: Give your child a large box to decorate and transform. Whether they want it to be a spaceship or a house, it’s a blank canvas for them to use their creativity.

2. Play dough letters: Roll out letters using play dough. It’s a hands-on way to introduce the alphabet and improve fine motor control.

3. Puppet play: Make sock puppets or use paper bags to create characters. Acting out scenes helps toddlers begin to understand storytelling and emotional expression.

4. Dress-up adventures: Use costumes or old clothes to inspire pretend-play. It fosters creativity, language, and social skills.

5. Sticker storytelling: Provide stickers and blank paper for kids to create their own scenes. Ask them to tell you about their picture to help them learn how to express themselves and share their creations.

STEM activities for curious toddlers

1. Sink or float?: Test items in water to see what sinks and what floats. Ask your toddler questions and see how they predict outcomes for what will happen next. This helps develop thinking about things in a scientific way.

2. Ramp races: Make ramps with cardboard and race toy cars or balls. Talk about speed and angles to introduce the basic concepts of physics.

3. Magnet hunt: Use a magnet to search for magnetic items. Curate a box of items, both magnetic and non-magnetic, to help children begin to learn which items have magnetic properties.

4. Shadow tracing: On a sunny day, trace your child’s shadow with chalk. They can watch how it changes throughout the day to learn about the sun and how light interacts with the world around us.

5. Weather station: Draw symbols for the sun, rain, and clouds. Let your toddler "forecast" the weather each morning and report back later in the day whether their forecast was correct.

Everyday learning moments

1. Cooking together: Let them help with pouring, stirring, and measuring. Cooking teaches children a variety of skills, such as math and following directions.

2. Cleaning up game: Turn cleanup into a race or song. It helps instill responsibility and can turn into a fun routine that leaves less mess for parents to clean up.

3. Nature walk finds: Collect rocks, leaves, or flowers outside. Talk about colors, shapes, and textures to turn this into a sensory-rich learning moment.

4. Laundry color match: Have them sort laundry by color or match socks. It encourages an understanding of how to classify and organize items in addition to attention to detail.

5. Mirror faces: Look in a mirror and make different faces. Talk about emotions and expressions to help children understand the different meanings behind each one.

Supporting your child’s learning at every stage

Every child learns at their own pace, and every day brings something new. That’s part of the magic and the fun. By creating a rich learning environment at home, you’re setting your toddler up for success in preschool and beyond.

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This blog post is provided "as is" and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.