fun educational activities for 2 year olds

17 Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds: Teaching Toddlers Through Play

Play-based learning is the best way for your toddler to learn about themselves and their world.

The world of your 2-year-old is full of exciting possibilities. They are developing quickly, and you will find them ready to dive into learning experiences. They are actively looking for ways to assert their independence and test their boundaries (and yours!).

Learning activities for 2-year-olds should look at their development holistically and engage them in new ways of thinking. Toddler learning activities are a fun way for you to connect with your child as you learn and grow together.

Play-Based Learning for Toddler Development

When your 2-year-old is playing, they are learning how the world works. Play ignites their curiosity and gets them to think creatively about simple tasks.

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning” – Diane Ackerman.

Here are some other ways that play is beneficial for development:

• Practice life skills
• Improves communication
• Develops empathy
• Encourages imagination
• Allows for independence and autonomy
• Fosters problem-solving skills

17 Learning Activities for Your 2-Year-Old

When it comes to educational activities for toddlers, you want to make them hands-on and fun. Learning should be joyful and creative. Fun activities can teach your child and keep them happily immersed in play.

Activities for Gross Motor Skills Development

1. Play Silks and Dancing

There is something magical about watching a child lost in their own world. Play silks are a great way to encourage imaginative movement in little kids. 

Put on some music and let your little one move to the rhythm. This unstructured activity allows them to use any movements they want. The play silks help them move their bodies, become aware of themselves within a space, and embody different characters. 

Fun Tip: Try music that evokes different moods. Watch as your child adjusts their movements to the music.

Benefits: 

• Imagination
• Free movement
• Express emotion

2. Animal Imitation

What toddler doesn’t love pretend play? 

You can use animal cards, toy animals, or even recorded animal sounds for this activity. Help your child think about how each animal moves and then watch as they try to imitate that movement. They can include the sound the animal makes to really get into character.

Fun Tip: Do this activity with your child. Yes, it may seem silly, but they will love it. Play is how our kids communicate with us, and something special happens when we join them in their world.

• Crossing the midline and gross motor skills
• Builds core strength
• Improves focus and attention

3. Mud Monster

Getting dirty is a great way to learn and a fun activity. Not only is mud a fantastic sensory experience, but it contains friendly bacteria that stimulate the release of serotonin . 

To create your mud monster, draw one on a wall with mud or build one around a hula hoop placed on the ground. Your toddler will then make mud balls and have to throw them into the mud monster’s mouth. Your 2-year-old is learning to throw overhand at this stage, and this is a fun activity to practice.

Fun Tip: Let your toddler help you make the mud. The process of mixing sand and water is a valuable learning opportunity.

• Develops tactile skills
• Strengthens throwing motion
• It helps them identify their dominant arm

Activities that Develop Fine Motor Skills

4. Building Blocks

Building blocks are a classic toddler activity that has a multitude of benefits. Simply place a bag of blocks on the floor and watch as your little one begins to create. At this age, your 2-year-old will be able to build a tower of 4-7 blocks, opening up a world of possibilities for them.

Fun Tip: Add other elements such as cars, animals, and wood planks. This will help your toddler play with the blocks in new and imaginative ways.

• Problem-solving
• Early math skills

5. Simple Tracing

Your 2-year-old might not be holding a pencil confidently, but they will enjoy simple tracing activities. They will help them develop tensile strength in their fingers and work on their fine motor skills.

Use simple shapes and lines with an easy-to-follow dot-to-dot pattern. A chunky pencil or marker will work best for your child’s inexperienced fingers.

Fun Tip: Start with sidewalk chalk to encourage large, free-flowing movements. Before starting with a pencil, try a Q-tip and paint to follow a series of dot patterns.

• Hand-eye coordination
• Concentration
• Crossing the midline

6. Paper Washing Line

Reaching the washing line outside might be tricky, but you can create a mini version indoors. All you need is a cardboard box, some twine, and two pieces of dowel rod. You can cut out clothing from cardboard and let your 2-year-old peg them onto the line.

Fun Tip: You can use clothes pegs to hang up art, count, color sort, and paint with. They are a versatile option for 2-year-old development activities. 

• Improve pincer grasp
• Motor accuracy
• Hand preference

7. Playdough Jars

Play dough is fantastic for sensory play and fine motor skills development. Put playdough and loose parts into different jars with the lids on. Then let your toddler open the jars and empty the contents. Opening the jars is good fine motor practice and your toddler is also at a stage where they love to empty containers.

Fun Tip: Ask your toddler to sort the items and place them back into the jars at the end of the activity. 

• Strengthens fingers, hands, and wrists
• Improves concentration

Activities for Language Development

8. Picture Books

Picture books are essential in child development, particularly for emergent language. Reading picture books allows you to foster connection with your toddler while demonstrating a love of reading. Your 2-year-old will also learn to connect the words to the pictures. This will help them understand their meaning better.

Fun Tip: Play a game of ‘spot the x.’ You can help your child learn new words as they associate them with a picture.

• Listening skills
• Strengthen visual thinking skills
• Encourage conversations

9. Mystery Bag

This is a versatile game that you can play with almost any object. Put a selection of things into a bag. Ask your toddler to reach into the bag and try and name an object they feel before pulling it out. This is a fun way to introduce new words to your child’s vocabulary.

Fun Tip: For an interesting variation of this game, draw the outline of your toddler’s body on a large piece of paper. Then ask them to point to and name their different body parts. 

• New vocabulary
• Improved tactile sense

10. Story Cubes

Story cubes have scenes/characters/objects depicted on them. Your toddler can choose the order of the cubes, and you can create a story together. This activity is excellent for teaching toddlers about creative thinking and future scenarios.

Fun Tip: Incorporate tower building into the process. Then start the story from the top of the tower and reverse it. This is a fun way to introduce the concepts of top and bottom while helping your toddler use their imagination.

• Imaginative play

11. Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes are great for teaching 2-year-olds about phonics and help with language development. Keep your rhymes simple and choose ones with repetitive verses.

Some great nursery rhymes for 2-year-olds are Incy Wincy Spider, Old MacDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Humpty Dumpty, and Hickory Dickory Dock.

Try to incorporate rhymes that have corresponding movements. The car is also great for practicing nursery rhymes with your toddler.

• Develop motor skills
• Teach grammar
• Introduce counting, colors, and shapes

Activities for Social/Emotional Development

12. Emotion Cards

2-year-olds are learning about themselves in relation to other children so talking about emotions is vital. Emotion cards work well as they show the picture that relates to a feeling. Start your day with the emotion cards and regularly bring them out. 

Fun Tip: Take a ‘sportscasting’ approach to toddler behavior. That means you observe and repeat the facts of the situation. This allows your toddler to feel and deal with the emotion for themselves.

• Builds empathy
• It helps them learn self-regulation and self-control
• Emotional vocabulary development

13. Simon Says

2-year-olds are starting to copy the behavior they see around them. That makes Simon Says a fun and simple game to play. Your toddler is also becoming more aware of themselves, and Simon Says is a fun way to start teaching them about the parts of their body.

Fun Tip: Use the anatomical names for body parts. Children must know the real names as they become aware of themselves and their bodies.

• Developing body awareness
• Sequencing Skills
• Following instructions

14. Kitchen Time

Your 2-year-old is becoming more independent, and you may find them increasingly defiant. Spending time in the kitchen is a great way to help them feel empowered and capable.

Simple cookies, scrambled eggs, and banana muffins are easy recipes that your 2-year-old can make with you.

Fun Tip: Involve them in the whole process by allowing them to crack, mash, and scoop but also wash up.

• Basic math skills
• Builds independence
• Boosts confidence

Activities for Cognitive Development

15. Puppet Play

Puppet play is an amazing developmental tool for toddlers. Your 2-year-old is starting to engage in make-believe play and new language. Puppets encourage creativity, imagination, and new vocabulary. It also helps develop social skills.

Fun tip: You don’t need fancy puppets. Toddlers love craft activities, so why not make your own out of socks? You know, the ones that make it out of the dryer without a partner?

• Motor skills
• Builds self-confidence

16. Treasure Hunt

A treasure hunt is a versatile learning experience that you can use repeatedly. For example, you can have a color hunt where your toddler has to find items in the house that are a specific color. Or you can stick shapes around the house and ask them to find and sort them.

Fun Tip: Take this activity outside for a diverse sensory experience with different textures.

• Color identification

17. Sorting Basket

Sorting baskets are another fun matching game to help your toddler learn colors, numbers, shapes, and sizes. You can put almost anything in a sorting basket, from leaves and stones to blocks and fabric scraps.

Fun Tip: Mix up textures and color shades to challenge your toddler.

• Develops reasoning and thinking skills
• Encourage categorizing
• Early literacy and numeracy skills

Teaching Your Toddler Through Play

Play-based learning opportunities are the best activities to get your toddler engaged and excited. They allow you to introduce complex concepts through simple play that your 2-year-old can easily understand.

Watching your little one engage with the world around them is a magical time, so get on their level and get playing.

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20+ Best Fun Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

1. Color Sorting

2. listen to fun number songs, 3. letter matching, 4. pattern matching, 5. play math and reading games online, 6. put together a simple toy train set, 7. paint with watercolors, 8. talk to your baby.

We know that parenting a toddler can be both rewarding and challenging, so we’ve put together a list of activities to help your little one learn and grow while having lots of fun. Welcome to our guide of 20+ fun and learning activities for 2 year olds!

From simple crafts and games that help with fine motor skills to more active pursuits that will get your toddler moving, there’s something here for everyone. And the best part is that most of these activities can be done using things you already have around the house, so there is no need to go out and buy anything special.

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We hope you enjoy trying out these activities with your toddler and that they help make your days a little bit brighter.

8 Educational Activities for 2 Year Olds

What you’ll need:  Construction paper in different colors, crayons, markers, or paint

What to do:  Cut out different shapes from each color of construction paper. Talk about the different colors with your toddler as they sort the shapes. You can also have them trace the shapes with crayons, markers, or paint.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting color recognition and fine motor skills. Toddlers also learn about shapes as they play.

Introduce your 2-year-old to numbers with this super easy nursery rhyme. This engaging song teaches kids to count from 1 to 10 through fun activities like collecting eggs and connecting stars. Oolzoo and his friends make learning to count an exciting adventure, encouraging toddlers to sing along and enjoy the process. This mix of fun, play, and learning helps your little one master counting while having a great time.

What you’ll need:  Construction paper, scissors, crayons, markers, or paint

What to do:  Cut out different letters from construction paper. Talk about the different letters with your toddler as they match them up. You can also have them trace the letters with crayons, markers, or paint.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting letter recognition and fine motor skills. Learning letters early can also help your toddler with reading and writing later on.

What to do:  Cut out different patterns from construction paper. Talk about the different patterns with your toddler as they match them up. You can also have them trace the patterns with crayons, markers, or paint.

Some patterns that toddlers can work with include stripes, polka dots, and zigzags.

What kids will learn:  This activity promotes pattern recognition and fine motor skills. It also helps toddlers develop their problem-solving skills.

What you’ll need: A computer with internet access

What to do: Many great math and reading games for toddlers are available online. Spend some time playing these games with your toddler to help them learn new skills. Ensure that children aren’t spending too much time looking at screens. For toddlers, 20–30 minutes is enough screen time.

What kids will learn: This activity encourages children to improve their math and reading skills. Toddlers also learn about computer use and basic game skills.

What you’ll need: A toy train set, such as the Thomas the Tank Engine Wooden Railway Starter Set.

What to do:  Let your toddler help you put together a simple toy train set. They can connect the track pieces, place the trains on the tracks, and press the buttons to make them go.

What kids will learn:  This activity promotes problem-solving, fine motor skills, and hand–eye coordination. Toddlers also learn about cause and effect as they play.

What you’ll need: Watercolors, paintbrushes, water, and paper.

What to do:  This is a classic activity that toddlers will love! They can experiment with mixing the colors, painting different strokes, and adding water to create different effects.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting art and creativity. Toddlers also learn about colors and mixing different shades.

What you’ll need:  Nothing!

What to do:  One of the best activities for 2 year olds, this is a great way to promote language development. Talk to your toddler about anything and everything. Describe what you’re doing, such as “I’m making lunch.” or “I’m putting on my shoes.” You can also ask them questions and encourage them to answer.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting language development. Toddlers also learn about communication and conversation.

7 Developmental Activities for 2 Year Olds

1. Trace the Body

W hat you’ll need:  Paper, a pencil, and some crayons or markers

What to do:  Help your toddler trace their body on a piece of paper. Then, they can decorate it however they like! This is a great way to encourage creativity and self-expression.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting art and creativity. Toddlers also learn about their own bodies and how to use different art supplies.

2. Get Dressed

What you’ll need:  Some clothes, shoes, and a mirror.

What to do:  One of the most important activities for 2 year olds is to learn how to get dressed independently. You can start with simple clothing items, such as a shirt or pants. Show them how to wear clothing and then let them try it themselves. As they get better at dressing themselves, you can add more items, such as shoes, socks, and jackets.

This is a great activity to do when you are vacationing with the family as you can afford the time and patience it needs to help your kids learn how to button their shirts or tie their shoes correctly.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting fine motor skills and independence. Toddlers also learn about different types of clothing and how to put them on.

3. Put Toys Away

What you’ll need:  A toy box or bin and some toys.

What to do:  Show them how to put the toys away in the toy box or bin. As they get better at this, you can add more toys or make it a game by timing them to see how fast they can put the toys away.

What kids will learn:  This is a great activity for teaching toddlers about organization and responsibility. It is also a good way to promote problem-solving skills. Toddlers thus learn about cleaning up.

4. Clap to the Beat

What you’ll need:  Some music or you can clap your hands yourself

What to do:  Help your toddler clap their hands to the beat of the music. As they get better at this, you can add other body parts, such as their feet or head.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting music and rhythm skills. Toddlers also learn about following directions.

5. Read to Your 2 Year Old

What you’ll need: Any good picture books, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar or The Cat in the Hat .

What to do:  This activity is great for promoting literacy skills. Sit down with your toddler and read one of their favorite books . As they get better at this, you can start asking them questions about the story or having them point out different objects in the book.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting literacy skills. Studies show that early exposure to reading is linked with higher reading achievement later in life. Toddlers also learn about communication and conversation.

6. Imitate Animal Sounds

What you’ll need:  A video or audio recording of animal sounds, or you can make the sounds yourself.

What to do:  This activity is great for promoting listening skills. Help your toddler identify different animal sounds. You can play a recording of the sounds or make them yourself. As they get better at this, you can start asking them questions about the animals, such as “Where does a lion live?” or “What does a cow eat?”

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting listening skills. Toddlers also learn about animals, their sounds, and maybe their habitats.

7. Play Kitchen Assistant

What you’ll need: A play kitchen, some pots and pans, and some plastic food

What to do:  Show your toddler how to pretend to cook in the play kitchen. Let them help you stir the pots and pans or cut up the plastic food. As they get better at this, you can start asking them to make specific dishes.

Some 2 year old development activities that can be done in a real kitchen include; helping to pour ingredients into a bowl, using a child-safe knife to help cut soft foods, or helping to stir—all with adult supervision!

What kids will learn: This activity is great for promoting imaginative play. Toddlers also learn about cooking and following directions.

8 Fun Activities for 2 Year Olds with No Prep, No Mess

1. Pillow Roller Coasters

What you’ll need:  Pillows, blankets, and a lot of space on the floor.

What to do:  Create a pillow roller coaster for your toddler to ride. They will love going up and down the hill. As they get better at this, you can start asking them to go faster or slower.

You could create a smaller pillow road for their toy vehicles. Children can hold a race with their toy cars and make them go up and down the road.

Remote-controlled tanks or any other remote-controlled toy can also be used for this activity.

After your 2-year-old is done playing with the pillow roller coaster, you can just put the pillows, blankets, and toy cars away—no mess to clean up!

What kids will learn:

This activity is great for promoting gross motor skills. Toddlers will also learn about ramps and the energy needed to go up and down the slopes. This basic experiential learning can help them in their future physics classes.

2. Rescue Animals (from zip-lock bags)

What you’ll need: Clear zip-lock bags and small plastic animals.

What to do:  Put their animals in clear zip-lock bags. Now ask them to help the animals get out by using their hands or opening the zip.

You can say, “I see the lion is roaring. It wants to come out. Can you help him?”

You can also put different kinds of objects in the zip-lock bags, like fruits, vegetables, leaves, etc. This will help your toddler learn about different textures and shapes.

After they are done playing with this activity, you can store animals and zip-lock bags separately or throw them in the toy box just as they are.

What kids will learn:  Such games and 2 year old activities help kids learn about animal names, sounds, and textures. It also helps them develop their fine motor skills.

3. Balloon Pop

What you’ll need:  Balloons and a sharp object (like a pin or a needle).

What to do:  Help your toddler blow up the balloon and then let them pop it with the sharp object. Be sure to supervise them closely so that they don’t hurt themselves.

Your toddler will have a blast popping the balloons. The toddlers love the loud noise of the balloons popping and the feeling of popping them.

This activity can get a little messy since the balloon bits will be scattered around. But, it is easy to clean up—gather all the pieces and throw them away.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting gross motor skills and hand–eye coordination. Toddlers will also learn about cause and effect as they see that their actions (popping the balloon) result in the desired outcome (the balloon makes a loud noise and pops).

4. Origami for Toddlers

What you’ll need:  Square pieces of colored paper

What to do: Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. There are many simple origami shapes that even toddlers can make.

You can start with something simple like a paper airplane or a boat. Just fold the paper in half and then in half again. Then, help your toddler make the folds to create the shape. Once they get the hang of it, they’ll be able to do it on their own.

We all know 2-year-olds love to display their creations, so be sure to have a spot ready to showcase their origami masterpieces.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting fine motor skills and concentration. Toddlers will also learn about following instructions and different shapes.

5. Magnetic Letters

What you’ll need:  Magnetic letters (you can find these at your local dollar store or online) and a metal surface

What to do: Stick the magnetic letters on the fridge or any other metal surface. Then, help your toddler spell out words with the letters. You can start with simple three-letter words and then move on to more difficult words.

You can even use these magnetic letters to offer clues to your toddler during a treasure hunt or pass on messages like a detective.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting literacy skills and creativity. Toddlers will also learn about the alphabet, spelling, and simple words.

6. Decorating with Clothes Pegs

What you’ll need:  Clothes pegs and containers or surfaces to decorate

What to do: Accept it: Painting with your baby can be a messy affair. Clothes pegs allow you to bring a pop of color and beautiful works of art together. And, with this method, you don’t have to worry about paint stains.

Just let your toddler put clothes pegs around the containers or surfaces. You can even use them to create patterns or shapes.

If you want, you can paint the clothes pegs before your toddler starts decorating or buy cheap plastic clothes pegs in different colors. This will add an extra layer of color and fun to the activity.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting creativity and imagination early in children. They will learn that anything can be turned into a work of art with a little bit of creativity.

7. Transfer Books and Toys From One Box to Another

What you’ll need:  Two cardboard boxes with lids and some toys or books

What to do: You will be surprised how much a toddler loves to help you do a chore and win compliments and hugs from you. It is a great way to keep them occupied while you’re busy with other things.

To set up, put some toys or books in one box and then close the lid. Then, have your toddler transfer the items into the other box. You can even make it a race to see who can transfer the most items in a minute.

You can easily make this a sorting and organizing activity, asking them to sort books, toys, or other objects by colors, shapes, or sizes.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting fine motor skills and concentration in toddlers. It is also a good opportunity for parents to inculcate a sense of responsibility and ownership in their toddlers and build their confidence.

8. Play with Kinetic Sand

W hat you’ll need:  Kinetic sand and some plastic toys

What to do: If you haven’t played with kinetic sand before, you’re in for a treat. It’s a type of sand that’s moldable and easy to shape. And it’s also very therapeutic to play with.

Let your toddler explore the sand and mold it into different shapes. You can even use the sand to make patterns or write words. If you want, you can add some plastic toys to the mix and see how your toddler plays with them.

And it does not create any mess! You can easily store the sand in a container when you’re done playing.

What kids will learn:  This activity is great for promoting creativity and imagination in toddlers. They will also learn about different textures and how they can be manipulated.

Get Started Now!

Learning activities for 2 year olds must be creative, hands-on, and FUN! Parents must realize that a young child’s attention span can be short. So, the activities must be structured to maintain their interest, even outdoor activities for 2 year olds must be engaging and interesting. The key is to keep it short and sweet.

Do you need some “you” time? Engage your toddlers in one of the fun activities for 2 year olds mentioned above and take that five-minute break. These activities will not only occupy your toddler but also help their overall development.

Here are more online educational resources for kids that will help with their learning experience and make them smarter.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to decide which activity is age-appropriate for 2 year olds.

Most two-year-olds can start with sorting shapes and colors, finding things hidden under objects, and doing simple puzzles. They may complete sentences in books they read regularly, follow two-step instructions, and love make-believe games. Activities built around developmental milestones for toddlers can help them progress to the next level.

What are some engaging indoor activities for two year olds that require few or no equipment?

Here are some indoor activities for 2 year olds that don’t require much equipment, if at all:

• transferring books and toys from one box to another
• sorting objects by colors, shapes, or sizes, 
• playing with kinetic sand or clay,
• playing online learning games .

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The Best Playful Learning Activities for 2 Year Olds

July 30, 2017 by Sheryl Cooper

Last Updated on May 26, 2023 by Sheryl Cooper

Inside: These 20 toddler learning activities are super fun, getting young children engaged with a hands-on approach.

You are a teacher who is putting together a curriculum for your toddler classroom. Or you are a parent that wants to add some learning to your toddler’s day.

It’s really much easier than you probably think. You don’t need flashcards. You don’t need fancy materials.

I’ve put together a collection of learning activities that your toddlers will love! And they are learning at the same time!

Activities that are age-appropriate and engage as many senses as possible. These learning activities involve concepts such as shapes, colors , numbers and letters in a fun, playful way. They can be done at home or in a classroom environment , with one child or a group of children.

Easy hands-on fun.

Touch and explore colors .

Learn about the farm while driving farm vehicles through paint.

Paint pigs (using free printable) using golf balls.

Stamp toys into paint for some fun shape art .

Grab some small brushes and use with paint for a fun process art activity .

Stamp spools into paint on big sheets of paper.

Include a no-mess sensory art activity to your day (free printable).

Drive cars through shaving cream rainbows to make roads.

Paint with fire trucks .

Squeeze paint onto pine cones and strengthen fine motor skills.

Roll a ball through paint.

Learn about the colors of the rainbow while painting on bubble wrap.

Get the hands involved while color mixing .

Learn about the shape of a circle while stamping with a paper tube.

Related: Easy Toddler Process Art Activities

Water Table

Make some alphabet soup using foam letters.

Sort colors in the water table.

Strengthen fine motor skills while using basters with water .

Learn about farm animals while washing them in a water table .

Related: 10 Ways to Have Fun with Water

Sensory Bin

Explore letters in the sensory bin.

Push construction vehicles through kinetic sand.

Put together a flower sensory bin that includes letters.

Scoop and pour colored pasta . (My Bored Toddler)

Make some 2-ingredient (toddler safe) cloud dough . (Happy Hooligans)

Practice pincer grip while transferring rainbow cereal . (The Resourceful Mama)

Related: Big Collection of Sensory Table Activities

Make an alphabet train to put on the wall. (Thriving Home Blog)

Add some fine motor with this ping pong name recognition activity . (Fantastic Fun and Learning)

Press letter stamps into playdough. (This Little Home of Mine)

Wipe letters that have been written on a window. (Busy Toddler)

Put alphabet pieces into a bin of rice. (Autistic Mama)

Related: 16+ Playful Toddler Alphabet Activities

Mix colors while driving cars through rainbows .

Learn what happens when yellow and blue are mixed using paper tubes.

Strengtehn fine motor skills while making rainbow sun catchers .

Go on a toy color scavenger hunt . (Hands On As We Grow)

Create your own color toss activity with bean bags. (Minne-Mama)

Collect leftover paint swatches to make a color book . (Craftulate)

Experiment with colors by painting with cotton balls and clothespins. (Domestic Mommyhood)

Related: How to Teach Colors to Toddlers with 15 Fun Activities

Match numbers using stickers. (Learning 4 Kids)

Add literacy to your day with foam letters .

Put pom poms into numbered ice cream “scoops” . (Happy Tot Shelf)

Work on color skills and numbers with this count and sort posting box. (The Imagination Tree)

Related: 25+ Number Games for Toddlers

Recycle paper tubes for some simple circle shape art .

Work on triangle shape recognition while pressing buttons into playdough.

Invite your toddlers to go on a circle hunt .

Feed the hungry shape monsters . (The Imagination Tree)

Roll the ball on the taped shape. (Hands On As We Grow)

Paint giant shapes on paper. (Happy Toddler Playtime)

Related: 25+ Shapes Activities

Strengthen fine motor skills with some DIY cardboard beads . (The Imagination Tree)

Press colored tissue paper to a big sheet of contact paper for a fun window display.

String Cheerios on spaghetti. (Juggling with Kids)

Balance dinosaurs (or other toys) on blocks. (Moments Enriched)

Related: 25 Easy Toddler Fine Motor Activities

Make fizzy ice cubes . (Busy Toddler)

Have fun with enormous bubbles ! (Happy Hooligans)

Related: 10 Toddler Science Activities that are Full of Fun

Invite your toddlers to make some pumpkin muffins .

Put together a simple chocolate chip banana muffin cooking activity .

Make some applesauce using a steamer – quick and easy!

Related: Cooking With Kids – Easy Recipes

Explore nature with a scavenger hunt. (Childhood 101)

Take a nature walk, notice the birds, and make a bird feeder . (Happy Hooligans)

Related: 15 Nature Activities for Toddlers

Looking for more ideas? Check out these 15 toddler activity packets that I helped create!

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About Sheryl Cooper

Sheryl Cooper is the founder of Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds, a website full of activities for toddlers and preschoolers. She has been teaching this age group for over 25 years and loves to share her passion with teachers, parents, grandparents, and anyone with young children in their lives.

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12 Fun Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Looking for ways to entertain and educate your toddler? Check out these expert-recommended indoor activities for 2-year-olds to enhance your little one's development.

After your child celebrates their second birthday, they will experience major intellectual, physical, social, and emotional changes that help them make sense of the world. With that, having a supply of hands-on learning activities for 2-year-olds is incredibly important.

"The stage from 2 to 3 is major because language is really beginning to develop ," explains Robert Myers, Ph.D., a child and adolescent psychologist, founder of the Child Development Institute, and assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. "Children are also starting to recognize that they're independent beings and are actively exploring their world."

Dr. Myers notes that parents can provide encouragement and support that enable the child to master key developmental tasks. "Always layer activities with lots of language, interaction, and imaginative play," adds Roni Cohen Leiderman, Ph.D., dean of the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development at Nova Southeastern University, and co-author of Let's Play and Learn Together . "Child development comes through the portal of relationships with parents or caregivers."

To get started with your little one, try these simple learning activities for 2-year-olds to keep them entertained, engaged, and always growing.

Play Dress-Up

Haul out a pile of old clothes and let your child play dress-up. "You can also participate, but it's great to encourage group play with two or three other children their age," Dr. Myers suggests.

Skills learned: Creativity, imagination, language skills, and social development

Decorate a Crayon Carrier

Cover a table with newspaper, then gather a resealable zipper storage bag, glue stick, pompoms, and crayons. Let your child use the glue stick to coat the bag and help them stick on the colorful pompoms. They can fill the bag with crayons when it dries. Next time you go to a restaurant, whip out the carrier and let them show off their creation. They will be excited to use their creativity again.

Skills learned: Motor skills, planning, creativity

For an easy indoor activity for 2-year-olds, hide a toy somewhere in the house, and ask your child to find it. Explore with them, using cues like "warmer" and "colder" to guide them. You can also use flashlights for the search or hide several objects at one time.

Skills learned: Listening, problem-solving, social skills, and memory

Make a Mailbox

Create a mailbox by decorating an old shoe box or cardboard box and cutting a slit in the top. Fill it with your junk mail for your child to open. "Not only does this develop fine motor skills as they open the envelopes and take out what's inside, but you can also use it to teach your child basic concepts," Dr. Leiderman says.

"Talk about the pictures, colors, and letters; help them sort it by size, shape, or color; or count the pieces. You can also layer in imaginative play by playing post office, or playing store with the coupons."

Skills learned: Develops an understanding of basic concepts, and fine motor skills

Imagine a Boat

Lay out a towel or blanket on the floor and have your toddler sit it, gently pull them around the room. Pretend the blanket is a train or a boat and that you are stopping at different places, like the zoo, the grocery store, or a favorite restaurant. This activity for 2-year-olds at home will also improve balance !

Skills learned: Balance, pretending

Trace Their Body

Have your child lie down on a large piece of paper and trace the outline of their body. "Because the child has to lay still to be traced, they learn self-control," Dr. Leiderman says. "You can show them where the two eyes, nose, and mouth go, but if your child just wants to color all over it, that's fine. Don't impose anything on them, just let them have fun with it."

Note: If your child doesn't want to lie still, don't force them. Start with tracing just their hand or foot, or tracing your hand or foot.

Skills learned: Sense of self, self-control, and identifying body parts/language skills

Play Simon Says

Start out with simple directions ("Simon says, touch your toes"). Then graduate to silly, more complex routines ("Simon says, tug on your left ear, then your right ear"). You can also encourage your child to jump, skip, catch something, and more. And don't forget to drop "Simon says" every now and then during this learning activity for 2-year-olds!

Skills learned: Gross motor skills, following directions, and receptive language

Try a “Stop and Go” Game

Play games that involve starting and stopping, such as "red light, green light" or "freeze dance." Developing self-control will eventually help children negotiate, compromise, and work out conflicts without losing their temper, Dr. Leiderman says.

Skills learned: Self-control

Craft a Collage

Cut out different noses, eyes, hair, and other features from old magazines, and give them to your child. Encourage them to make funny creatures or silly faces with the features, then glue them onto a piece of paper.

"Talk to your child about the pieces and how to glue them down, but don't be too directive with it," Dr. Leiderman says. "Ask a lot of 'wonder questions,' like 'I wonder what would happen if you put the pieces down without the glue?' and 'I wonder why the glue is getting all over the table?' Childhood is about learning new facts and applying them to theories, so help them make theories."

Skills learned: Creativity, language

Pass a Ball

This fun activity for 2-year-olds requires a play tunnel. Standing at opposite ends with your child, take turns lifting each end to roll a softball back and forth. "This can take some trial and error for your kiddo to get the hang of, but it's great motor planning practice and takes teamwork," says Rachel Coley, occupational therapist, author of Simple Play: Easy Fun For Babies , and founder of CanDo Kiddo .

Skills learned: Motor planning, understanding cause and effect, teamwork

Draw a Song

As you sing one of your child's favorite songs, draw a simple picture of what is happening in the lyrics, then hand your child the paper to draw something else mentioned in the song. For example, Coley would sing "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" to her son, first drawing the spider and then having him draw his version of the rain. Go back and forth until the song ends.

Skills learned: Language skills, creativity, storytelling

Initiate Conversation

Hand over a doll or plush toy, and encourage your child to hold, talk, dress, and take care of it. "Talk to the doll the way you would talk to a child, and encourage your child to do the same," Dr. Myers says. In addition to language skills, this activity for 2-year-olds also teaches creativity and imagination.

Skills learned: Social, language, and fine motor skills, creativity, and imagination

Related Articles

Sorting colors is a quick and simple activity to do with your toddler- they will have so much fun, they will not even notice how much learning is going on.

Most parents have muffin tins, and they’re perfect to use for sorting colors. All you need is some construction paper and something to sort. We love the rainbow bears !

Read Books Together

One of the best things you can do with your 2-3 year old is to read books together. Reading books helps your child develop their early language skills and takes them away on fun adventures.

Reading to your kids is one of the best things you can do for their future education, so use up all opportunities you can!

Related : 20+ Best Books for 2 Year Olds

Apple Number Match: Free Apple Printables

Apples are a quintessential fall theme since all of the local orchards open for picking. Who doesn’t love some apple cider? So, grab some apple printables to go along with the theme.

These apple number match is great for toddlers and preschoolers who need practice counting from 1-20. They work on various skills, such as:

• Practice Counting 
• Number Recognition 
• One-to-One Correspondence

Play Board Games

Board games might not be your first thought when finding activities for 2-3 year olds, but kids love them. If you find board games that work for your child, you will enjoy them together. They’re perfect family activities!

Related : Perfect Board Games for 2 Year Olds

Clothespin Letter Match Preschool Activity

This clothespin letter match activity is perfect for a cold winter day when you are looking for an activity with very little supplies and easy set up.

The best thing about this activity is it is using supplies you probably already have laying around the house! All you need is clothespins, a paper plate, and a marker.

Q-Tip Painting

Grab some cotton swabs and paper. You can practice early pre-writing skills with your 2-3 year old. Start by writing out letters or shapes on the paper and give them cotton swabs to paint with.

It’s definitely one of my favorite activities for 2-3 year olds. We always have cotton swabs available, and a little bit of paint goes a long way with using these for painting. Plus, holding the cotton swabs help with fine motor skills!

Color in a Coloring Book

Sometimes, you don’t need fancy activities for 2-3 year olds. All you need is some nice coloring books and crayons.

My kids are LOVING these new Twistable Crayons since they never seemed to want to use crayons after they got to the paper. These always seem new.

I grab coloring books at the grocery store; they’re cheap at the Dollar Tree as well!

Make Glitter Sensory Bottles

Sensory bottles can be a calming experience for your little one. They’re great for babies, toddlers, preschoolers or any child who loves visually stimulating objects.

The great thing is you don’t have to buy them! Instead, you can save money and make them yourself at home with inexpensive materials from the store and what you already have in hand.

Splash in the Bathtub

Once again, skip those complicated activities for 2-3 year olds and put your kid in the bathtub. Toddlers and preschoolers love to splash, so toss in some bath toys.

I promise you; your child will be entertained!

Ocean Dot Activities

Our house loves all things ocean related like sharks and whales. So, I made this set of dot printables for my preschoolers to enjoy.

2-3 year olds love dot markers ! These are fun for coloring and activities; we use them all the time. Grab a set and my favorite ocean dot activities printables.

Easter Egg Letter Match

Use Easter eggs to play a letter match game to help your child learn their uppercase and lowercase letters while having fun with a favorite – and cheap – toy. All you have to do is use a permanent marker to write an uppercase case or lowercase letter on either side of the egg.

Then, your child has to find the matching one!

Washing Toys

Grab some play trucks and fill a small tub with water. Give your child a sponge and some dish soap. Then, let him wash them!

It’s such a simple idea, but it’s still fun for little kids regardless. 2-3 year olds love imaginative play like this that also focuses on real life skills.

Fishing For Letters Outdoor Activity

Fishing for Letters is a simple activity that your toddler will love! There is very little prep and it also creates a fun learning experience for them. You can use various tools besides bath letters for whatever your child is learning at the time, whether it be shapes, animals, numbers, etc. 

Grab a baby pool and some foam letters . It’s easy to throw this activity together on a warm summer day!

Shaving Cream Writing

It’s really easy to practice shaving cream writing, and if you’re worried that your toddler will put it in their mouth, whipped cream works well too. 

This is one of those activities I bet you did when you were in school; it’s an excellent pre-writing activity. Let your child draw out shapes, letters, and CVC words as they learn them!

Enjoy Some Stickers

Want to keep your 2-3 year old busy for awhile? Give him some paper and a book of stickers . Kids love to stick stickers somewhere, so give them an appropriate outlet to do so.

Related : 31 Fun and Simple Sticker Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Work on Puzzles

Puzzles are great for little kids. Make sure you get chunky puzzles with only a few pieces; I like the ones with the knobs for easy holding.

One of my kids’ favorite puzzles is the Melissa & Doug Farm Animal Puzzle . It’s easy for 2-3 year olds, and each piece has a peg for easy grabbing.

Sidewalk Chalk Shape Learning Game

This sidewalk chalk shape game is as simple as it gets and will keep your toddler or preschooler busy for a bit!

All you need is some sidewalk chalk and pavement and you have a fun game for your little one. It’s like a life-size game board where your child can learn, explore, or practice their shapes and colors. 

Play Simon Says

Start with simple directions like “Simon says touch your toes.” Over time, move into silly things like “Simon says hop on your foot or tug your ear.”

This is a great game to develop gross motor skills and work on following directions. Plus, you can play this game with your older kids as well as little kids. Everyone thinks Simon says is fun!

No-Mess Finger Paint Activity

Kids love finger painting, but not everyone wants to deal with the mess. Some days, I just want my kids to have fun without having to scrub up paint that ends up everywhere.

Instead, use this no-mess finger paint activity. Finger paint works great in plastic bags, and kids still get to squish and have fun.

Cutting Play-Doh

Cutting is an important skill for 2-3 year olds to begin practicing. It takes years to master, but they need the practice. One of the best ways to practice cutting is to use Play-Doh.

All you have to do is give your toddler or preschooler a set of kid-safe scissors and some play dough. Tell them to roll it out like a snake and cut it into pieces. It’s fun and easy to put together!

Winter Cutting Strips

Another way to practice cutting is with cutting strips. I set out a basket for my preschooler, and he can practice cutting whenever he wants.

Cutting strips have different lines and shapes for your child to cut. It gives them direction rather than just cutting small pieces of paper all over your floor.

Grab my free printable winter cutting strips !

Winter Sensory Bin with Fake Snow

If you need activities for 2-3 year olds to stay busy in the winter, make a winter sensory bin with fake snow. Grab some items you have around the house and make a winter wonderland for your child to enjoy.

Related : DIY Fake Snow For Sensory Play

Easter Egg Water Scoop

Kids love sensory activities, and they also love playing in water. An Easter egg water scoop activity will keep your 2-3 year old busy for awhile.

It’s definitely a crowd pleaser, and I suggest putting down a towel to reduce your clean up. All you have to do is put Easter eggs into a container of water, and give your child a spoon or cup for scooping them.

He will have tons of fun!

Ocean Scene Jello Toy Dig Sensory Bin

Young children LOVE to get messy! Their little hands and minds are so eager to dig into whatever materials they can find.

One fun and messy sensory experience for babies, toddlers, or preschoolers is playing with  Jell-O . In fact, any gelatin material will provide endless fun and sensory play for your child. Simply mix in some toys or fun new objects and you’ve got an exciting new activity for your little one.

Fall Farm Festival Scavenger Hunt

Fall is the perfect time to head to local pumpkin patches or apple orchards. You can add to the fun by bringing along a fall farm scavenger hunt. It keeps your child entertained and watching for everything on the list!

Pom Pom Tube Drop

This PomPom Tube Drop activity is very simple and only requires 3 items. Most of them you probably already have at home, making it one of our favorite activities for 2-3 year olds. I love when I have what is needed on hand!

Fine Motor Activities for 2 – 3 Year Olds

Playdough creations.

Roll, squish, and shape playdough into various forms, allowing your little ones to exercise their fine motor skills and unleash their creativity.

Threading Beads

Provide large, colorful beads and a shoelace or string. Encourage your child to thread the beads, enhancing their hand-eye coordination.

Finger Painting

Finger painting is a fantastic fine motor activity. Give your child non-toxic finger paints and let them explore their artistic talents on paper.

Related Post: Why are Fine Motor Skills Important?

Learning With Letters and Numbers

Alphabet hunt.

Hide foam letters around the room or outside and have your child find them. Or as an alternative write letters and have your child find items that begin with that letter.

As they find each letter, you can say its name together, helping them become familiar with the alphabet.

Number Matching

Create number cards and corresponding cards with the same number of dots or objects. Let your child match the numbers, introducing them to early math concepts.

Counting Games

Use everyday objects like buttons or candies to practice counting. Count them together, and make it a game to see who can count the most.

Sensory Play

Sensory bins.

Fill a container with rice, beans, or sand and hide small toys or objects within. Your child will enjoy digging and discovering hidden treasures, stimulating their sense of touch.

On a warm day, set up a water table or simply provide bowls of water and various containers. Let them pour, splash, and experiment with water.

Nature Exploration

Take nature walks and encourage your child to touch leaves, flowers, and rocks. Describe the different textures and colors they encounter.

You don’t need a planned activity for your toddler or preschooler each day. Free play is always a favorite, but try adding a few planned activities to your week. It will help your child develop new skills and have fun, especially when it’s too cold to go outside!

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Get Organized & Create Routines for Your Family

20+ Super Easy Activities for 2 Year-Olds

By Erin   |   Updated: October 29, 2022   |   3 Comments

This post may contain some affiliate links for your convenience (which means that, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission). Read my  full disclosure policy

While 2 year-olds get a bad rap (i.e. “Terrible Two’s”) I gotta say, I love them. Irrational? Sure. But after driving you nuts, they have a way of throwing their little arms around you and turning you into putty.

They love whole-heartedly, say hilarious things, and are fascinated by basically everything (except vegetables).

The hard part: keeping them busy and engaged, without acting as their sole source of entertainment. 

We’ve got a million things our to-do list. And if planning and organizing elaborate and messy toddler activities is not on that list, you’re in the right place. Because here I’ve stockpiled a list of super easy activities for 2 year-olds that are:

• fun & help develop fine motor skills

Of of these activities are crazy easy to whip up and will keep your toddler busy so you can get stuff done.

RELATED: How to Keep Kids Busy So You Can Get Stuff Done

SUPPLIES YOU MAY NEED

There are a few simple and inexpensive toddler activity staples worth having around the house for on-the-fly fun. Here’s what I recommend:

• Kinetic sand

Other than these few items (which you most-likely have already), you’ve probably got everything else lying around your house. If you don’t have them and don’t want to pick them up, you can whip up a batch very quickly using this easy play dough recipe or this recipe for kinetic sand .

If you wanted to spend a couple of bucks to get a Craft Kit with pipe cleaners, pom-poms, and googly eyes, you’ve basically got everything you need for endless toddler fun.

RELATED: How to Get Stuff Done with a Toddler and a Baby

SUPER EASY ACTIVITIES FOR 2 YEAR-OLDS 

I’ve listed the activities based on the supplies needed to make it easier to scan to find the right activity for your little one based on what you have.

Activities with Play Dough & Kinetic Sand

• Play Dough and cookie cutters – Let your toddler practice smashing dough and using cookie cutters to make shapes or letters.
• Play Dough with small toys – My kids love playing with small toys in play dough. for example, they love making terrain for their little dinosaurs and animals . Or they can imprint the animals and make “fossils.”
• Smash with Tools – Grab a potato masher or other kitchen utensil and let your child explore with smashing the play dough.
• Bug Fossils – This is a simple play dough activity from Plain Vanilla Mom.
• Printable Play Dough Mats – These free play dough mats from Picklebums are beyond brilliant and will let your little one’s imagination run wild (even my older kids like these!).
• Kinetic Sand Lego Stamping – Super simple kinetic sand activity from And Next Comes L.
• Straws, Pasta, and Playdough Activity – This is a fantastic STEAM activity from Raising Dragons.

RELATED: Free Printable Chore Chart for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Activities Using Junk Mail or Recycling

• Rip Junk Mail – Let your child’s destructive instincts let loose by allowing her to rip up junk mail into strips or other shapes. Then you can get your toddler to place the ripped pieces into a trash bin or other container.
• Cut up Junk Mail – If your toddler is ready to use safety scissors , you can let your little one practice cutting up junk mail or scratch paper then putting t in
• Build with Recycling – All the items in your recycling bin (empty cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls, etc) make for good building materials for your toddler.
• Paper Ball Toss – After crumpling up paper/junk mail into balls, your toddler can practice trying to throw the balls into the waste basket.

Activities Using Pom-Poms

• Pom-Pom Push  – All you need are pom-poms and old food containers for this activity from Busy Toddler.
• Grab & Sort (from Busy Toddler)
• Pom-Pom Whisk – This activity from Hello Wonderful is perfect for toddlers learning fine motor skills.
• Pom-Pom Pouring – Another easy pom-pom activity from Busy Toddler using stuff you already have around your house.
• Scooping Pom-Poms – A simple pom-pom activity from Buggy and Buddy

Miscellaneous Easy Activities for 2 Year-Olds

• Rainbow in a Bag – A mess-free way for your toddler to explore with paint from Powerful Mothering.
• Laundry Hamper Fishing – from Munchkins and Moms
• Card-Slot Drop from Busy Toddler
• Pasta Jewelry – With tube pasta and pipe cleaners , let your toddler thread the pasta to create pasta jewelry! While you can use ribbon or yarn, using pipe cleaners is much easier for such little fingers.

PERSONALIZE A ROUTINE CHART FOR YOUR 2 YEAR OLD

Kids need engaging activities where they can play and let their imaginations run wild. And they also need routines and schedules that they can expect.

With so much out of their control, kids are happier when they have routines they can rely on. And as a parent, you’re happier when things run smoothly and there are fewer tantrums.

So in addition to keeping an arsenal of activities to keep your little one busy, having set routines also go a long way to keeping your child happy.

With these fillable routine charts , you can personalize your child’s morning and evening routines.

MESS-FREE ACTIVITIES TO KEEP YOUR TODDLER BUSY

There you go! Over 20 super easy activities to keep your 2 year-old engaged and busy–without making a huge mess. Occupy your busy toddler so you can get stuff done.

What easy activities does your toddler enjoy?

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Jessica says

April 2, 2020 at 9:36 am

i am def trying these! we are going crazy here in the house. thanks for sharing!

April 3, 2020 at 8:03 am

I hear ya! Stay safe!

May 1, 2020 at 1:06 pm

I will try these ideas with one of my students since we have to provide few weekly activities to his mom. Thanks!

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Parent Resources for Learning > Core Skills > 7 Fun and Easy Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

7 Fun and Easy Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

by Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos | May 16, 2023 | Core Skills

Welcome to the terrific twos! Toddlers are bursting with energy and movement, and the age of 2 is a crucial time in their brain development. This is a wonderful opportunity to refocus their energy into fun learning activities for 2-year-olds. We know that as a parent to a toddler, it may feel more like lots of cleanups, tantrums, trying to prevent physical injuries…so we’re here for you with a curated list of fun things to teach your toddler! 

While children do learn through everyday play, it’s also essential to create specific activities for them . At Begin, we recommend teaching toddlers fun activities focused around the 5 C’s , or 5 key areas of learning for all children: Core Skills , Creativity , Curiosity , Character , and Critical Thinking . By thinking in terms of the 5 C’s, you can ensure that your child’s learning development is holistic and well-rounded. 

The Short Cut

• Learning activities for toddlers can help them with the 5 C’s that help them thrive in school and life
• Toddlers are bursting with growth–this is a crucial time in their development, and they’re ready to learn! 
• Activities that involve one or more of their senses will help your child stay better engaged
• Parents can teach kids at their own pace to excite their interest
• A learning membership that grows with your child can provide great opportunities for toddler and 2-year-old learning

Introducing Your Toddler to New Learning

Stumped on what to teach a 2-year-old? Read on! In a nutshell, educational activities for 2-year-olds are essential because they:

• Introduce children to new concepts and Core Skills 
• Allow kids to practice Critical Thinking as they face new challenges
• Help children learn to try until they succeed
• Encourage Curiosity as kids try new or unfamiliar things
• Help children continue developing their fine and gross motor skills 

Try out some of the activities below—and watch your child’s creativity and curiosity grow! 

Engage Your Child’s Senses

At this stage, one of the best ways your child is discovering their world is through their senses. You’ve probably noticed how your child’s tiny fingers and hands love touching and exploring new textures.

Of course, it’s not always possible to engage every sense through play, but ensuring that the activity you choose involves using at least a couple of their senses will help your little learner continue learning through external stimuli.

Is the Activity Safe?

It’s important to choose activities for 2-year-olds that are child-friendly. For instance, consider if the items for a game you’ve selected are small enough to fit in your child’s mouth. Choking is a serious hazard for children under three.

While you’ll likely be closely monitoring their play, it’s beneficial to be proactive and avoid unnecessary stresses.

Is the Activity Age-Appropriate?

When choosing learning activities for 2-year-olds, keep in mind the developmental milestones to expect from your child.

For instance, by the 24-month mark, children can sort shapes and colors, build towers of four or more blocks, and communicate in simple two- to four-word sentences. 

Understanding these and other milestones will help you choose the most relevant games to help your child continue learning and growing at a healthy rate.

Fun Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

1. mini-tangram puzzle.

What You’ll Need:

• Our printable mini-tangram puzzle guide
• A pair of scissors

What to Do:

After printing out the file, proceed to cut out the different shapes on the first page. The second page has an outline that the cutouts from the first page will fit into perfectly.

Start by showing your child where and how to put the puzzle pieces together. Afterward, step back and let them practice on their own.

In the beginning, there might be a lot of trial and error. That’s okay! This is the perfect opportunity for them to practice their problem-solving skills.

To make it more challenging, your child (or their older sibling) can complete the puzzle using only the border on page three.

Optional: Make Your Own Puzzle

If your child has mastered our mini-tangram puzzle, why not make your own?

Start by gluing a picture you like onto some firm paper (bond or construction paper). Then cut this into four, five, or more pieces. Just like that, you have yourself a new puzzle!

You can also give your child a piece of bond or construction paper and let them draw their own puzzle, which you can then cut out for them to piece back together.

2. Crazy Costumes

• An iOS or Android device with the HOMER app
• Another favorite character

In this fun activity, children get the opportunity to dress up their favorite HOMER characters! Your child’s storytelling and creativity will be front and center here.

You can follow this link to get detailed instructions about playing Crazy Costumes on different devices (iOS and Android). If you don’t have the HOMER app, see what characters you already have around the house. Does your child have a favorite stuffed animal or poster? Get creative using found objects to recreate their favorite character’s look and vibe, or come up with a brand-new persona! 

What crazy costumes will your child come up with?

3. Play Dough

If your child loves play dough (what kid doesn’t?), then don’t forget to incorporate this soft and squishy material into their playtime.

There are many relevant play dough activities for 2-year-olds, including:

• Creating basic shapes, like a ball or a pancake
• Forming animals, like a snake, fish, or dog (remember it’s okay if these animals aren’t perfect!)
• Learning basic 2-D shapes by outlining triangles, squares, and circles with their play dough

We also encourage you to use a variety of play dough colors so your child can practice learning colors while they play. Hands-on activities engage kids’ senses and are a fantastic way to fully immerse your child in learning!

4. Building Blocks

• Set of building blocks
• Large play mat

If your child is like most 2-year-olds, they probably love playing with blocks! Playing with building blocks is a great independent activity for children, but you can also join in to help enhance learning.

You may ask questions to encourage Creativity, such as:

• What is your building — a school or a home, a toy store or an ice cream parlor?
• Who lives in your building?
• Who might visit it?
• What else is in the neighborhood?

By thinking through these questions, your child will be improving their language skills as well as Creativity.

Additionally, you can use blocks to demonstrate how to create a solid base for a building and to practice counting and learning colors (e.g., let’s stack two red blocks on top of each other).

5. Color Mixing Sensory Bag

• Icing or shaving cream
• Food coloring
• One small bowl
• Toothpick or spatula
• Large zip-top bag and tape, or cookie sheet

Start by filling your bag with icing or shaving cream. After selecting two different colors, add a few drops of each into the bags. Proceed to tape the bag carefully onto a working surface. Now, your child can use their fingers to squish and mix the colors.

While they’re mixing, put some icing or shaving cream into your bowl. Next, add a few drops of food coloring into the bowl and fold the color into the icing or shaving cream.

Lastly, it’s time to scoop the colored icing or cream into the bag or cookie sheet and encourage your child to mix the two colors.

Color mixing is a great hands-on activity to engage your child’s senses while they learn Core Skills.

6. Colorful Cookies

• 1 cup of butter or margarine
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 ¾ cups of flour
• Rolling pin
• Cookie sheet
• Cookie cutters

For detailed instructions on making delicious cookies your 2-year-old (and you!) will enjoy, check out this activity put together by the team from our HOMER app .

This is a great activity to help your child explore kitchen items. They can also act as a little sous chef by helping you roll the cookie dough and use the cookie cutters.

This activity is also excellent for language development, learning colors, and sensory skills. Considering all the yummy goodness from this activity, they probably won’t need much encouragement to participate!

7. Plant a Seed

• This printable field notes template
• Crayons or pencils
• A large jar (glass or clear plastic)
• Fast-growing seeds (e.g., peas or beans)
• Paper towels
• An old milk or juice carton
• A ruler or measuring tape

Follow the simple instructions from our field notes template to help you plant a seed and watch it grow! Your child can actively participate by measuring the plant daily and observing any noticeable changes.

We love this activity, as it helps to encourage language development. It also helps your child boost Critical Thinking by learning to compare and contrast (as the seeds grow) and understand the basic needs of a growing plant (e.g. sunlight and water).

Teach Them at Their Own Pace

Toddlers grow at an incredible rate! By introducing the 5 C’s through fun learning activities for 2-year-olds, you’re helping support that growth even more. Whether you use some or all of the above activities, we hope you and your child have fun through it all! 

If you find yourself needing extra things to do with a 2-year-old, check out our learning membership , which helps them develop the right skills as the right time to thrive.

Take our quiz to see which stage is right for your family today!

Jody has a Ph.D. in Developmental Science and more than a decade of experience in the children’s media and early learning space.

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Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos

Chief Learning Officer at Begin

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The Best Activities for 2-Year-Olds, According to a Child Development Expert

They're really not terrible at all.

Two-year-olds get a bad rap. They may have the occasional (or frequent) tantrum , true, but the “terrible” age is often a golden period of curiosity, bemusement, increased abilities, and even cooperation. They are, generally speaking, interested in…everything, but they have a few behavioral leanings that make certain learning activities optimal — pretend play, scribbling, and socializing among them.

When picking out activities for 2-year-olds, start with their interests, as well as their current abilities, then create experiences that match these. Look for open-ended toys that can be used in a variety of ways, advises Rebecca Parlakian, a senior director of programs at the nonprofit children’s advocacy organization Zero to Three . This provides an opportunity for the child to develop multiple skillsets at the same time.

Two-year-olds also like a challenge. “We want children to have fun, and having fun means they are challenged and it’s within their ability to master the challenge.” So, rather than propping your 2-year-old with a rattle, give them a puzzle or, better still, a set of blocks. At age 2 they might bang them together, but at age 3 they will build a house and by age 5, an entire village.

Don’t be afraid to include your 2-year-old in household activities, as well. “As much as young children learn through play, they also learn through rich, responsive interactions with caregiving adults and peers.” When we bring children into our everyday activities, they experience it in the same joyful way as they experience play. This kind of involvement, when matched with a show of appreciation from the adult, ultimately strengthens bonds and relationships.

Play Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Sink or float.

Tools: Large Bowl, Water, Toys

How to Play: Fill up a large bowl with water, then get toys and items of different properties and have your child drop them individually into the bowl of water. As they drop each item in, have them identify whether the items sink or float. Aside from the fact that kids love playing with water, this will also serve as a great way to have them introduced to the basic elements of science.

Body Tracing

Tools: Cardboard, Marker

How to Play: Have your two-year-old lay flat with their back to the cardboard paper, then ask them to outline their body shape. Because the outlining process requires intricate detail, it should encourage them to build on the self-control that is required to stay still for extended periods of time. Additionally, as they hold on to the marker and move their hand across their sides, to get the drawing in, they are developing their fine and gross motor skills. Once they are done outlining, you can encourage them to draw in their complete facial features or play with the piece as their creativity leads.

Bears on a Ladder

Tools: Counting Bears, Paper, Marker

How to Play: This activity for 2-year-olds is an open-ended one that could help expand your child’s vocabulary as well as early math skills. Draw a ladder on a paper and have your 2-year-old move the counting bear around it. You can use directional worlds like, “Put two bears on the ladder.” Move the blue bear up the ladder. Place the red bear below the blue bear.

Tools: Costumes

How to Play: Ask your 2-year-old what they would like to be, then give them a set of clothes and watch them create an entire scenario. This activity gives them the creative license to use their imagination. It also helps them improve their communication and thinking skills. Don’t be surprised if you discover a mini Tarantino.

How to Play: This classic game will help improve your child’s communication and listening skills. Feel free to explore different target areas as you play the game. A good rule of thumb is to pay attention to what your child is currently good at, then identify areas for improvement and work that into the game.

Freestyle Drawing on a Whiteboard

Tools: Whiteboard, Marker

How to Play: This activity is as simple as it sounds, but it allows your 2-year-old to explore their creativity while passing time. Simply prop a whiteboard on a wall and invite them to come to draw on it. Then watch as their artistic tendencies take flight. (The key here is that they are standing while performing this activity.) Don’t worry about if the drawing “looks like” anything; instead of asking “what is it,” ask them to tell you about it.

Softball Balloons

Tools: Balloons or a Nerf or Other Soft Ball

How to Play: Clear out an area of the room and give your 2-year-old a softball or balloon to play with. Since they are at the stage where they tend to push, pull, and throw things, this activity will be right up their alley. The advantage, softballs are not strong enough to mess up your beloved flat screen tv.

Chore Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Sorting laundry.

Tools: Laundry Basket, Clothes

How to Play: Ask your 2-year-old to “help out” with the laundry. Sorting clothes is a fun activity for 2-year-olds that targets their concentration, hand-eye coordination, and ability to implement simple instructions. You can target specific aspects of their development: ask them to sort by colors (sense of sight) or by textures (sense of feeling).

Cleaning Windows/Painting Steps

Tools: Spray Bottle, Water, Cleaning Cloth or Paintbrush

How to Play: Kids love water, and these are easy and interesting ways for them to play with and observe it, without any huge messes. Give them a spray bottle and a rag and ask them to clean off the windows. The wiping is good for their hand-eye coordination, and they’ll enjoy the sense of accomplishing a task. Painting the steps is similar: give them a paintbrush and ask them to “paint” the stairs/fence/house outside.

Tools: Step Stool, Food

How to Play: Give your toddler a step stool and ask them to help you put the carrots in a bowl or make a gingerbread man out of dough. This activity is great for 2-year-olds to build a variety of skills at once: from balance to math skills to fine motor skills. What you see as a chore, your 2-year-old considers an intriguing fun activity and will be excited to help every step of the way.

Putting Dishes in the Sink

Tools: Dirty Dishes, Sink/Dishwasher

How to Play: This activity for 2-year-olds is loved by parents for obvious reasons. It is a great way to introduce your toddler to the act of cleaning-up while keeping them busy at the same time. After your toddler’s meal ask them to bring over their dishes and watch them place them into the sink. This activity will challenge their movement and coordination. Don’t forget to give them positive reinforcement every step of the way.

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100+ No-Prep Indoor Activities for 2 & 3 Year Olds

• Preschooler

Updated in 2023 with new no prep toddler activities! Are you looking for fast and easy activities to keep your toddler busy? No prep or low prep activities that are easy to clean up, engaging, education and fun? The you have come to the right place! Here is our ultimate list of the best super easy no-prep or low-prep activities you can do at home with your toddler or preschooler or 2 and 3 year olds .

Most Requested List on Social Media

I first put this list together back when we were all at home but it has quickly morphed into one of the most requested resources on social media. Hundreds of parents struggling to keep their toddlers busy at home message me on instagram requesting this list. These are the go to activities that I did with my 2 and 3 year olds at home and it will quickly become your go to as well.

I have updated the list with new activities and new pictures and more details.

I put this list together from the best kids activity blogs out there and I hope that it will help you through this time while at home. I will be updating this list periodically as I find more easy no and low-prep ideas. So keep checking back for new ideas. They will be at the top of the list.

Tips for Working Parents

If you are a parent who is now working from home, finding ways to entertain your kids all day can seen very daunting but with this list you will have a resource you can turn to that will help you through this tough time.

The best way to use this list is to go through it the night before and choose 2 or 3 ideas you think your kids will enjoy and you feel comfortable setting up. Write them down on stick them on the fridge so you can refer to them the next day.

Keeping the Mess Down

To help keep the mess down when it comes to doing easy painting or easy sensory activities take advantage of your bathtub! It’s a sure fire way to change the mood of any toddler and messy activities when done in the tub can be cleaner up with a turn of tap.

Supplies For No Prep Toddler Activities

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

For a quick guide to activity supplies check out my Amazon shop .

For more help on how to start to do activities with your kids check out this post for things to buy and save for kids activities.

These activities are things you can set up when your child comes to you and says, “I’m bored”. Most of them will take 5 minutes or less to set up. And although it’s hard to predict how long your child will play with an activities, it’s more than likely that they will play with these ideas for more than just 5 minutes!

Quick No Prep and Low-Prep Activities for Toddler

• 50+ Easy Things to Do at Home by Happy Toddler Playtime is a great list of 50+ super no prep activities to do at home with a 3 year old but can also be done with a 2 year old and even older children. That should be the first place you look for easy no-prep ideas. I created it when I was pregnant with my twins and I had a 3 year at home. It saved me on many many days. Click here to find the first 50 super easy and completely doable low prep activities for preschoolers here !
• Mega Blok Jumping

You’ll need Mega Bloks. Set up an indoor jumping range for your toddler using their Mega Blocks. This is a simple active activity that your toddler can help set up with you!

• Pillow Road

You’ll need pillows and cars or trucks. Create a pillow road for your toddlers favourite trucks and cars.

• Toilet Paper Rolling

You’ll need toilet paper and toys. Take a toilet paper roll, unroll is and place a toy at the end. Invite your little one roll is back up trying to keep the toy from falling off.

• Snack Names

You’ll need snack, paper and a marker. Write their name on a piece of paper with circles below each letter. Invite your toddler to place one snack in each circle and have them identify each letter and its sound. As they remove their snacks and eat them repeat the same thing.

• Sock Puzzles

You’ll need a sock and a wooden puzzle. Put wooden puzzle pieces inside a large sock and have your child put their hand in to find the pieces and complete the puzzle

You’ll need paper, marker and snacks. Count snacks on a piece of paper.

• Free the Animals

You’ll need animals and small ziplock bags. Place the animals inside and invite your toddler to open and free them.

• Dinosaur Bath

Put dinosaur toys in the bath

• Decorate your Diapers

Decorate diapers with permanent markers.

• Painting Bread

You’ll need white bread, food colouring and milk. Paint bread with edible paint and then eat it! Find out more here .

• Ice Sensory Bin – an easy idea that works in winter and summer
• Snowman Towers – build a snowman using paper towel rolls.
• 100+ Low -Prep Activities you can Do in Your Backyard by Little Pine Learners are a great set of fun activities to do outside.
• Paint with Kitchen Tools as Paint Brushes by Busy Toddler or with cotton balls.
• Do a craft together using kitchen tools. Check out this post of super easy crafts using a potato masher .
• Car bowling using bowling pins or toilet paper rolls and a car big enough to knock them over. Line the pins or rolls up and then use the car to knock them down.
• Alphabet Match is fun activity using fridge magnets and can be set up in 3 minutes!
• Tea Bag Water Play is a quick activity using herbal tea bags and water.
• Paper Tunnels and Balls by Toddler Approved can be set up in minutes and is fun for little and big kids.
• Pom Pom Number Sweep can be set up in 2 minutes and is fun for 2 and 3 year olds.
• Pouring Station by Busy Toddler is fun water sensory bin that is sure to entertain for more than 5 minutes!
• MegaBlok Names is a quick set up activity to practice name recognition.
• Foil Puzzle Presents is a great way to use a puzzle and has lots of ways to extend the play.
• Toddler Dot-to-Dot by What We Do All Day is a fun idea for Toddlers
• Build a Book Rainbow is a great way to use your children’s library in a fun way. It will lead to reading a few current favourites and some forgotten favourites as well.
• Sponge Letter Match uses sponges and letters and is fun for 2 and 3 years. It can also lead to lots of extending play.
• Animal Tape Rescue by Busy Toddler is a fun fine motor activity that toddlers will love!
• 10 Salad Spinner Toddler Activities is a list of 10 super easy to set activities to do with a salad spinner using items you already have at home.
• How to Make Paper Airplanes by The Best Ideas for Kids has a great full video tutorial. This idea is great for all ages.
• Spaghetti Drop for Toddlers is a quick activity using dried spaghetti and cardboard tubes. You can set it up in minutes.
• STEM Play Dough Building Challenge by Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds. This is a fun idea that you can set up in less than 2 minutes and great for 4-6 year olds as well.
• Cloud Dough Kitchen uses a quick sensory recipe using flour and oil to create a taste-safe dough that is fun and easy to play with.
• Coin Sorting by Rhythms of Play is a fun sorting activity using coins and can be set up in 2 minutes. Great for 3-5 year olds.
• The Drop Anything Toddler Activity have your toddler drop markers, crayons or anything they can find that will fit down a cardboard tube! You can set this up in 2 minutes!
• Towel Holder and Rolls For Toddlers by Powerful Mothering using paper towel rolls and is great for toddlers.
• Feed the Animals by Little Ones Learn
• Cutting a Banana by Rhythms of Play is a great way to combine snack time and playtime. This is great for 2 and 3 year olds.
• Pom Pom Picnic by Happy Toddler Playtime is a fun pretend play activity that lasted for days in my house.
• DIY Sorter by Little Ones Learn is a fun diy activity using a cardboard box and random items in your house.
• Lego Color Sorting by Lorena & Lennox is a quick set up colour sorting activity that has the potential to lead to lots of free play!
• Colour Mixing Tea Party by Happy Toddler Playtime is a quick early colour mixing activity.
• Water Play for Toddlers – Fishing for Colors and Letters by Active Littles is a fun and easy water play activity for toddlers.
• Cardboard Box Wash & Paint by Happy Toddler Playtime for Toddler Approved is a great way mess free way to use a cardboard box.
• Dinosaur Hunting with Paint by Powerful Mothering is fun for 2 and 3 year olds using water colour paints.
• Pom Pom Water Transfer

You’ll need Pom Poms or sponges and two containers and water. Find out how to set it up here .

• Cookie Sheet Sensory Play by Twin Mom Refreshed is a quick to set up sensory activity.
• Stone Washing by Happy Toddler Playtime is a easy set cleaning activity using stones and shaving. Its not as messy as it sounds and will entertain for more than 5 minutes for sure.
• Wine Cork Push by Happy Toddler Playtime is a great way to use those wine corks you might accumulate while working from home with your kids!
• Paint Animals

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mandisa | Happy Toddler Playtime (@happytoddlerplaytime)

51. Elastic Bands Around Feet

Take a few elastic bands and invite your toddler to pull them over there feet. Don’t use too many and remove them immediately after playing. This is great practice for putting on socks. You can also use scrunches!

• Cutlery Sorting

53. Dinner Plate Counting

54. Backyard Toy Painting

More No Prep and Low Prep Toddler Activities

55. Car Letters

56. Hand Sock Painting

• Window Washing

You’ll need sponges , water, soap and sensory bin or bowl.

• Pom Poms Mega Blok Colouring Sorting

Your’ll need Pom Poms, Mega Bloks and tongs. Turn your Mega Bloks upside down and use them to colour sort with Pom Poms.

59. Snack Necklaces

Serving snack? Why not turn it into an activity. All you need is string and a embroidery needle and snacks that are soft enough to thread the needle through or have holes or soft

60. Elastic Bands over Paper Towel

Grab some elastic bands and invite your toddler to see how many they can wrap around the paper towel roll.

61. Ivory Soap Experiment

You’ll need ivory soap, microwaveable plate and microwave. Unwrap bar Ivory Soap, place in the middle of the plate. Place in microwave and heat for 1- 2 minutes (about 1:30 is the sweet spot). Keep watching the entire time because it happens fast!

62. Turtle Boxes

You’ll need a cardboard box. Grab a cardboard box and place it on your toddlers back and pretend to be turtles. Can you hide in your shell? Decorate the outside of the shell with markers

63. Bug Whisk Rescue

You’ll need a whisk and small toys, Pom Poms or socks. Place toys like bugs or LEGO or Pom Poms or socks or cotton balls.

64. Book:  Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more. 

Find out more and grab your copy  here .

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

65. Laundry Basket Dump Truck

You’ll need a laundry basket and heavy items like a bag of flour or bottle of vinegar or oil. Place some heavy items into a laundry basket and see if your toddler can move them around like a dump truck.

66. Balloon Bug Tennis

You’ll need a balloon and a cardboard tube like a paper towel roll.

67. LEGO Body Trace Activity for Kids

You’ll need larger butcher paper, LEGO DUPLO or MEGA BLOCKS and marker.

68. LEGO Finish the Animals

You’ll need butcher paper and LEGO and markers.

69. Step Stool Jumping

You’ll need: a step stool. Invite your toddler to climb and jump off the step stool!

70. Feed the Stuffed Animal Ball Relay Race

You’ll need: Plastic balls, cardboard boxes, stuffed animals. Place the plastic ball pit balls into a box on one end of room or backyard and an empty box on the other end. Place their favourite stuffed animals next to the empty box. Invite your toddler to use a spoon to scoop up a ball and walk it over to the box next to the stuffed animals. They can pretend to feed the animals the ball and then place it in the box. Repeat until all the balls have been transferred over.

71. Rescue the Animals

You’ll need pipe cleaners and animals. Wrap elastic bands around your under the sea creatures or farm animals. Invite your toddler to unwrap the animals to free them

72. Stick Ladder

You’ll need sticks. You can use broom sticks or even just painters tape and invite your little one to pretend that it’s a ladder that they have to climb up. Find more ways to play  here .

73. Book Drop

You’ll need: books and a cardboard box and scissors. Does your toddler love to return library books at the library through the book drop? Well all three of mine do so I decided to turn it into a fun activity using a cardboard box!

74. Bubble Wrap Highway

You’ll need bubble wrap, painters tape, sharpie and cars. Use bubble wrap to create a highway for your toddlers toy cars and trucks.

75. Glow in the Dark Bowling

For toddlers use a larger ball so that hitting the balls is not so challenging. Grab some empty large water or pop bottles, fill them with glow sticks. Set them up in your basement or a room that you can make fairly dark and let them try and know them down!

76. Paper Towel Roll Towers

Grab some paper towel roll with the paper towels still on. You can even add some toilet paper rolls with the toilet paper still on. Full rolls for this activity and invite your toddler to stack them like giant blocks! We did activity in the winter and made  snowmen  out of them by adding buttons and a hat. 

77. Fly Swatter Bubbles

You’ll need fly swatter and dish soap, water and a bowl. This bubble making activity is soo easy for toddlers and a great way to get out energy. And bonus no spilt bubble solution!! All you need is a fly swatter! Find out more  here .

78. Clouds in the Sky Picture: Cotton Ball Gluing

You’ll need blue construction paper, glue and cotton balls. Invite your toddler to make a clouds in the sky picture glue the cotton balls to the blue construction paper.

79. Water Pouring Station

You’ll need bowls and cups and water and towel or sensory bin. Fill bowls and cups with water and place them on a towel. You don’t need lots of water to make this fun. Invite your toddler to pour the water in the bowl. If doing this in a sensory bin or outside you can add more water! or even colours with food colouring!

80. Ice Cream Cone Balloon Toss

You’ll need: balloons and brown construction paper. Twist your brown construction paper into a ice cream cone shape and use some tape to secure it. Blow up a balloon. Invite your toddler to toss the balloon in the air using the cone an try and catch it again!

81. Taste Test

You’ll need 4-5 containers and different foods that taste sweet (honey, chocolate), sour (lemon, lime), salty (chips, cucumber with salt) and bitter (kale). Invite your toddler to taste each one. Taste about how it tastes with them. What’s their favourite? Least favourite?

82. Pull the Pipe Cleaners

You’ll need pipe cleaners and a colander or container with small holes. Invite your toddler to insert the pipe cleaners in the colander and them remove them.

83. Spice Container Measuring

You’ll need spice containers. Measure different things using spice containers. My kids loved measuring themselves, stuffed animals and large trucks.

84. Pillow walk

You’ll need pillows. create a path using all the pillows and cushion you have and go for a walk on it!

85. Giant Nail Salon

You’ll need cardboard box, sharpie, ice cube tray washable paint, fine paint brushes or q-tips. Find out how to set it up here .

86. Pom Pom Water Transfer

87. Wash the Toys

You’ll need plastic toys large or small, water, dish soap or bubble bath and water. If indoors use a sensory bin otherwise you can do this outside!

88. Oat Sensory Bin

You’ll need oats, animals and a sensory bin or box or large Tupperware container.

89. UNO Memory Game

You’ll need UNO cards. Choose a match of 3 or 4. Place the card face down. Flip over two cards, if they match you keep them. If they don’t match turn them over and try again.

90. Draw A Farm

You’ll need markers, paint sticks and a large sheet of butcher paper and farm animal toys. Invite your toddler to draw the different habitats of farm animals. For example a mud pit for the pigs, a pond for the ducks, a field for the cows and horses and barn or the chicken. You can draw the outline of item for younger toddlers and let them colour it in or let yourolder toddler create their own farm.

91. Pom Pom Drop

Can’t have a list of easy toddler activities without this classic one. Its a classic for a reason. Its super easy to set up and just plain or fun for toddlers. You’ll need cardboard tube, painter’s tape and Pom Poms.

92. Prepared Playdough Kits

93. Foam Shapes on the Window

You’ll need foam shapes, a bowl and water. Wet the foam shapes and stick them all over a window!

94. Painting with Water and Chalk

You’ll need construction paper, colourful chalk, bowl, water and paint brush. Paint the construction paper with water. Then colour over the water with some chalk.

95. Salad Spinner Art

You’ll need a salad spinner, washable paint and coffee filters or paper and scissors. Place the coffee filter in the salad spinner or cut a circle from white paper to fit inside the spinner. Add a few drops of washable kids paint. Close the spinner and turn as fast as you can. Open the spinner up and see what happened!

96. Pasta Threading

You’ll need penne pasta and pipe cleaners. Thread the penne pasta around the pipe cleaners.

97. Feed the Animals: Puzzle Activity

You’ll need rice, animal puzzle, spoon, bowl and sensory bin or box.

98. Oobleck

You’ll need water and corn starch. Find out how to make it here .

99. Popsicle Bath

You’ll need popsicles and bath.

100. Stacking Challenge

You’ll need flat rocks. Try and stack them as high as you can!

101. Fizzy Experiment

You’ll need baking soda, Tupperware container or sensory bin, bowls, vinegar, eye dropper and food coloring. Spread baking soda out in the sensory bin. Fill bowls with vinegar and a drop of food colouring. Use the eye droppers to apply the coloured vinegar to the baking soda and watch it fizz with colour!

102. Playdough Tool Mark Making

You’ll need paint, paper and play dough tools. Dip the playdough tool in the paint and make prints or marks on the paper.

Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!

Play2learn toddler & preschool programs for curious toddlers.

There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!

But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.

Play2Learn for Toddlers  includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.

Play2Learn Preschool  which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years.  That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again! 

These  toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities  will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!

Click here for more information: Play2Learn

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book:  Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information  Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids . Or grab your copy at  Amazon . 

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Book:  Big Book of Riddles for Kids

Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast?  The Big Riddle Book for Kids , of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles that show them how to think outside the box.

• 350 riddles for kids —Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
• Level up their skills —Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
• Double-check their work —Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years   old and up.

TV Show:  Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to finally share my new crafting TV show  Curious Crafting  which launched July 1 at on  TVOkids  and  TVOkids YouTube !

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create. 

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up. 

WILL YOU TRY ANY OF THESE NO PREP & LOW-PREP TODDLER ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR TODDLER OR PRESCHOOLER?

Filed Under:

• Three Year Olds
• Two Year Olds

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48 Fun & Inventive Games For Two-Year-Olds

November 16, 2023 //  by  Seda Unlucay

At age two, your toddler is most likely starting to develop abilities to strategize and understand simple concepts, acquire new vocabulary, and learn to sort colors and shapes. They are also developing hand-eye coordination, balance, spatial recognition, and social skills. These games—including concentration and memory games, pretend play, art activities, sensory bin ideas, and colorful crafts—will give them plenty of opportunities to develop their growing skills while letting their imagination run wild. So, dive in and get ready to discover some educational entertainment for your little ones!

Related Content:

• Games for Kids
• Games for 1-Year-Olds
• Games for 3-Year-Olds
• Games for 4-Year-Olds
• Games for 5-Year-Olds
• Games for 6-Year-Olds
• Games for 7-Year-Olds
• Games for 8-Year-Olds
• Games for 9-Year-Olds
• Games for 10-Year-Olds

1. Gingerbread Cloud Dough Sensory Bin

This gingerbread sensory bin includes scented cloud dough to engage your little one’s senses. Providing cookie cutters and other child-sized tools will give your toddler plenty of fine motor practice.

Learn More: Views From A Step Stool

2. Marbled Doily Hearts

These marbled hearts are a beautiful craft for Valentine’s Day—or any time you want to spread a little love! Have your two-year-can start by squirting fluffy shaving cream out for this craft; even that first step is sure to be a hit. Then, help them to marble the foam with paint and press paper doilies on top. This activity makes for a unique sensory experience and results in lovely, textured artwork! The marbled doilies can be cut into hearts and used as textured wrapping paper, room decorations, or for sharing heartfelt notes with family and friends.

3. Kitchen Match-Up

Your toddler will love matching everyday kitchen utensils to their proper places on this memory board. To create this fun challenge, you’ll simply trace distinctively shaped tools on paper and then let your little one match the object to the shape. This game will keep them busy as it builds spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills while developing their vocabulary.

Learn More: Days with Grey

4. Size Sorting Box

This simple but engaging game will challenge your young learner to sort markers, crayons, or objects of their choice into their proper slots. You can make your little one their very own sorting box by cutting holes in the top of any container with a lid—that’s it! Then, lay out some different-sized objects and your little one can have a blast trying to figure out how to insert them into their box.

Learn More: Busy Toddler

5. Have Fun with a Colorful Game

This color-matching game requires toddlers to use fine motor skills to maneuver Duplo blocks onto their correct places on the board. Set out Duplo blocks in simple color arrangements and challenge your child to match the colors as they add in their own blocks. To further enhance their learning, you can say the name of each color Aloud as they fill in each space with the correct block.

Learn More: Happy Tot Shelf

6. Number Two Learning Game

This is a great way to celebrate your toddler turning two. Draw a large two—or any other number—and let your little one color and trace to their heart’s content. You can also cut and paste other shapes or objects while practicing their counting skills. This is a quick way to develop their motor skills while introducing numbers and counting.

Learn More: Toddler Approved

7. Learn Shapes with a Physical Activity

This fun two-year-old activity requires only a small ball and some painter’s tape formed into various shapes. You and your little one can roll a ball back and forth across the floor. As it rolls over each shape,  you can call out their names to reinforce their learning—or even encourage your child to do so.

Learn More: Hand On As We Grow

8. Cork Painted Snowflake Craft

This wintery craft requires only construction paper and some corks to use for painting. You can cut out a large paper snowflake and then invite your little one to create their own snowy masterpiece by painting circles with corks. Not enough for your toddler? You can also let their imagination run wild and incorporate glitter, stickers, or even beads!

Learn More: No Time for Flashcards

9. Bubble Painting With Bubble Blowers

This creative painting activity requires only regular bubble mixture and liquid food coloring, but your little one will use them to create some truly striking art! All you need to do is mix a small amount of food coloring in with your bubble mixture. Your kiddo can then blow bubbles directly onto white paper and watch as a magical scene emerges!

Learn More: Childhood 101

10. DIY Cut-Up Straw Bracelet

Do you have a toddler who’s passionate about accessories? This DIY colored straw bracelet is a simple and inexpensive activity for learning about patterns and colors while developing fine motor skills. Simply cut some different colored straws into small sections to act as your “beads”. Next, guide your little one in stringing their beads onto string to craft charming bracelets. They’ll love wearing and showing off their creations!

Learn More: Creative Connections for Kids

11. Create A School of Colorful Forked Fish

These colorful fish require only cardstock, tempera paints, and plastic forks. Your young learners will love painting with these unusual “paint brushes”—forks! They can get creative experimenting with different ways to hold the fork— tapping, scratching, or whirling them to create a variety of different patterns and shapes.

Learn More: Fantastic Fun and Learning

12. Make Some Bubble Wrap Eggs

Bubble wrap makes for a fun and interesting texture for kids to explore; it’s also a great way to develop their fine motor and sensory skills, as they have to resist the urge to press down too hard and pop the bubbles! For this egg-cellent craft, your little one will use bubble wrap and paint to create a polka dot pattern on paper Easter eggs. It’s a quick, festive, and colorful way to spend an afternoon!

Learn More: The Chaos and Clutter

13. Giant Water Bead Activity

These large, transparent, and colorful water beads aren’t only biodegradable but also very versatile. They’re squishy and fun to stretch out or break into pieces making them an ideal choice for sensory play as well as to develop cognitive and social skills and practice counting. Fill a sink, bathtub, or even a wading pool with these jumbo delights for a sensory experience like no other.

Learn More: Hello Wonderful

14. Make a “Fill it Up” Station

This twist on a classic sensory bin is a perfect way for your child to learn scooping and filling skills—while having lots of messy fun in the process. To set up this activity, fill one bin with something “scoopable” like uncooked rice or beans. Then, place that bin inside an even larger, empty bin, along with a variety of cups, bowls, spoons, and other scoops. Let your toddler practice scooping and pouring in whatever way they like!

15. Make Your Own Edible Play Dough

This edible play dough can be made from everyday kitchen ingredients, using a simple dough recipe that can be flavored with additional ingredients of your choice. Your toddler can enjoy plenty of squishy sensory play, and you can enjoy not worrying about them putting it in their mouth—as they most surely will!

Learn More: All Recipes

16. Hide-and-Seek Matching Game

This hide-and-seek matching game will challenge your little learner to find pairs of objects in a sensory bin. Simply hide pairs of small objects in a sensory bin—then see if your toddler can find them! Talk about a hands-on way to develop problem-solving, counting, and sorting skills.

Learn More: The Imagination Tree

17. Rainbow Matching Puzzle

Your two-year-old will adore this colorful rainbow matching game ! Matching is a classic game for practicing the concept of parts and whole while developing visual discernment skills. As your little one assembles these colorful, toddler-appropriate puzzles, it’s a great opportunity to help them learn their colors.

Learn More: Teach Me, Mommy

18. Make Handprint Firework Art

This easy handprint craft makes for a creative way to keep track of how your toddler is growing month to month or year to year. Your child will love the sticky feeling of having their hand painted—and seeing the impression it makes as you help them create vibrant fireworks with their handprints! 

Learn More: Crafty Morning

19. Bathtub Soap Paint

Letting your toddler play in the tub with this soap-based take on paint is an easy way to contain the mess of their artistic creations. You can make your own “soap paint” with an easy mix of cornstarch, water, soap or shampoo, and food coloring. Give a variety of colors to your little artist in your bathtub and let the artistry commence!

Learn More: Eating Grichly

20. Make Farm Animals from Paper Plates

Do you have a few extra paper plates lying around? Using some colorful paint and plenty of imagination, you can help your toddler turn them into their own adorable farm animals! They can create chicks, cows, lambs, or whatever animal their creative minds can come up with! You can also complete this as a seasonal craft—chicks for spring, turkeys for Thanksgiving, and so on.

Learn more: Mess for Less

21. Explore Floating and Sinking with Bath Toys

Bathtime is not only relaxing and fun—it’s also a great opportunity for learning about the concepts of floating and sinking. Present your toddler with a variety of toys; being sure to include ones of differing weights. Demonstrate how the toys will float or sink in the water—get your little one involved by challenging them to first guess whether each one will sink or not!

Learn More: My Bored Toddler

22. Velcro Dots Tower

This fun activity consists of matching colorful blocks to a plastic tower using velcro dots. You can create a DIY color-matching tower using just an empty food container, paint, velcro dots, and colored blocks. Show your little one how to match the blocks to the colors on the tower and then let them try their hand at it. It’s an engaging way to build color recognition, counting, sorting, and fine motor skills .

Learn More: School Time Snippets

23. Have Fun With Tiny Pom-Poms

Here’s a no-mess way to entertain your toddler and build their fine motor skills: simply guide your child in placing pom-poms on the suction cups of bath toys. Matching the pompoms to the scooped pockets will make for a fun but challenging coordination activity!

Learn More: Powerful Mothering

24. Explore the Beauty of Flowers

Flowers aren’t just for decoration! Fresh flowers make for a wonderful opportunity for your toddler to explore cutting, arranging, bouquet making, vase placing, and petal plucking and sorting. This open-ended activity is also a great way to start a discussion with them about different textures and colors—helping their powers of observation and description.

Learn More: Laly Mom

25. Make Some Colorful Butterfly Art

Your toddler will love making their own butterfly using glitter glue, shiny stars, and some googly eyes. You’ll simply cut a simple butterfly shape out of colored paper and invite your child to decorate it however they’d like. Once they’re done, why not take them outside for some flying fun in the garden?

26. Wear Sunglasses

This is a cute twist on playing dress-up. You’ll just need some sunglasses sticky notes—either purchase them or cut out your own. Then, find a book or magazine with pictures of humans or animals and have your toddler attach and remove the glasses on each character. Apart from being a fun concentration-based game, this activity will help you develop their hand and eye coordination.

Learn More: Sparkling Buds

27. Create a Bubble Wrap Runway

An activity that involves movement and noise—what could be better? Secure strips of bubble wrap to the floor with painter’s tape to start the fun; they can jump and pop as much as they want! Prompt further learning by asking your child to count how many jumps, steps, and hops it takes them to get to the end of the runway, or let them drive toy vehicles over the bubble wrap to pop those bubbles. There’s no end to the different ways to enjoy this setup! 

Learn More: Hands On As We Grow

28. Jungle Vine Gross Motor Activity

Welcome to the jungle! This is a good rainy day gross motor skills activity that can work even if you only have a small amount of space available. Start by setting up some chairs by placing them back to back and opposite from one another; leaving a space down the middle big enough for your toddler to crawl through. Then, create your jungle vines by attaching strips of streamer paper around the chair backs and chair legs for your toddler to navigate. Your kiddos will love pretending they’re rainforest animals crawling through the jungle!

Learn More: Paper and Glue

 29. Shaving Cream Cake Decorating

Shaving cream is always a messy win! Set up a cardboard box lined with greaseproof paper, some shaving foam, colorful buttons, and sprinkles—this will be your child’s “cake” to decorate! Guide them in spreading the shaving cream like icing. Your toddler will love the feel of the shaving foam on their little hands; and by adding some tools, such as a plastic butter knife, they’ll be working on their fine motor skills too. They can finish off their cakes by adding buttons, sprinkles, and other decorative elements.

Learn More: Days wit h Grey

 30. Giant Nail Salon

If you have some cardboard and paint, you can help your littles set up their own beauty shop! Flatten out a cardboard box, trace your hand several times around the edges, and then draw on some fingernails. Next, set out different colored paints in an ice cube tray with either small brushes or Q-tips. Your little one can then paint the nails to give their clients manicures. They’ll love the creativity that this game inspires as they exercise their fine motor skills!

Learn More: Happy Toddler Playtime

31. Scrap Artwork

This activity is super eco-friendly! Simply grab a few odds and ends from your craft drawer—like bits of paper, card, tissue paper, etc.—and have your toddlers rip or cut them into fun shapes to make a collage. Waste-not-want-not!

Learn More: KidPlayDo

32. Create a Color Wheel 

Help your little artist learn their colors! On a large circle of poster paper, mark out five or six segments. Then, have your littles paint each one a different color. Make things more imaginative by providing them with a few different colored objects, such as pom-poms, tissue paper, beads, etc., and allowing them to glue these to the corresponding colored segment!

Learn More: Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

33. Make Frozen Paint Popsicles

This idea is super fun! Simply squeeze some toddler-friendly paint into an ice cube or popsicle tray (washable finger paint works well). Stick a popsicle stick in the middle of the paint and freeze it overnight. In the morning, you’ll have these cute frozen “popsicles” to paint with! Your toddler will love watching the colors melt together.

Learn More: Learn with Play at Home

 34. Create a Face Painting Kit

Kids love face paint. Set up a face painting station with face paints, brushes, sponges, and mirrors—and be sure to include a palette so your toddler can mix colors together, which adds to the creative experience. When you have everything you need in one place, let the face-painting fun begin! Offer yourself up as a model for a sweet bonding experience!

Learn More: 30days

 35. Create a Dress-Up Bin

Playing dress-up is always a fun idea! Check out your local thrift stores—or even your closet!—for old dress-up costumes, and accessories. Put together a dress-up bin for your little one and watch the play unfold. Allowing them to experiment with putting different clothing combinations together will see their vocabulary widen and their imaginations soar.

Learn More: Tiny Beans

36. Make a Confetti Collage

This is a great way to use up any extra scraps of paper you have lying around—while also giving your toddler a great sensory experience that will enhance their fine motor skills. Use a hole punch to punch some different colored papers, collect the discarded holes, and use these for your confetti. Then, show your toddler how to glue them onto paper to make a collage—or use paint to add more texture and color. 

Learn More: Picklebums

  37. Animal Yoga Poses

Kids love to move—and they can do it a lot more easily and naturally than adults! Lean into this by giving your toddler some gentle encouragement and structure by introducing yoga practice. There are lots of resources for toddler yoga online, but these animal poses are a perfect start for little bodies!

Learn More: Kids Yoga Stories

38. Make a Music Station

Learning about sound is an important experience for children. Create a DIY outdoor music station for your toddler by securing some pans, trays, and cups in an outdoor space—then, allow them to experiment with sound and get some fresh air and exercise by using different tools to create different rhythms and beats!

Learn More: Fun at Home with Kids

 39. Float That Boat

Toddlers plus water equals lots of laughter and mess! Your little one will love this fun boat activity. First, fill a water tray. Then you’ll need some boats—craft some simple ones with colored plastic cups! Now for the fun part—add different amounts of blocks or small toys into each cup and watch how this affects them. This is a great early introduction to STEM principles.

40. Egg Carton Color Sorting

This color-matching activity is a quiet way to amuse your little one on a rainy day. To prepare, first paint some egg cartons in different colors. Once they’re dry, add them to a tray with pom-poms in the same colors, as well as small scoops and tongs. Next, have your toddler match the pom-poms to the correct colored egg carton. This simple activity will keep their little hands busy and brains engaged and learning!

41. Make a Watermelon Squish Bag

Looking for a sensory experience for your little one that won’t require a bath or a lot of clean-up? This one fits the bill! For these fun squish bags, simply add 8-10 ounces of clear hair gel and food coloring to your bag, add some watermelon seeds, and secure with clear packing tape to ensure no mess. Then, affix the bag to a window or wall and let your toddler squish and mash it to their heart’s content. A strip of tape down the middle will even turn this into a math game: 1 seed + 2 seeds = 3 seeds. Great fun!

42. Set Up a Spaghetti Shop

Little kids love nothing more than getting messy—so this spaghetti shop will quickly become one of your kid’s favorite station activities! Set up chopping boards, bowls, and toddler-safe cooking utensils for them to experiment with some cooled, cooked spaghetti. You can even dye some noodles different colors to make things more interesting. Your toddler will love serving you and any stuffed animals who may pop by the shop!

Learn More: Where Imagination Grows

43. Letter Squirting Activity

Listening skills are important to develop in little ones. Write a strip of letters on a chalkboard and provide your toddler with a squirt gun or a spray bottle filled with water. Then, have them listen to you say a letter before squirting it with their water to erase it. You can also do this with numbers and shapes when working on math skills!

44. Toilet Roll Towers

Some simple toilet rolls can create lots of opportunities for your toddler to experiment. Have a competition to see who can build the tallest tower. Challenge their threading skills by adding straws for structure and different items to experiment with balance. Get creative and add color with stickers or colored markers. You’ll be amazed at how many different uses your little one can find for these cardboard tubes!

Learn More: Frugal Fun for Boys

45. Make Your Own Ring Toss

Practicing throwing is a great way to help develop your toddler’s gross motor skills. Luckily for you, this simple ring toss game is super easy to set up! Get a ball of play dough and place it in a large plastic bowl, and then stand a wooden spoon up in the middle of it. Collect a few rings (bracelets work well) and encourage your child to throw them onto the stick—whoever gets the most on the stick wins!

Learn More: Love and Marriage Blog

46. Make a Race Track

Toddlers love things that move—and they can learn so much through playing with vehicles. Keep them busy by setting up a race track on your floor with painter’s tape, being sure to include roundabouts, junctions, and parking spots. Bring out some of their favorite toy cars and let their travels begin. This will bring hours of wholesome fun into your home and introduce real-world experiences to your child.

Learn More: Busy Blooming Joy

47. Make Sticker Lines

Here’s a fun medium for your little artist—stickers! Start by securing some poster paper to a wall and then draw some different lines; experiment with swirls, zig-zags, waves, and simple outlined shapes. Lastly, give your little one some inexpensive stickers and ask them to cover each line. This activity is a surefire way to keep their little hands busy and their brains ticking.

Learn More: Kids Kubby

48. Q-Tip Writing Practice

Tracing is a great observational skill for your little one to develop. Get them started by writing some letters or numbers onto a sheet of paper. Then, provide your toddler with some different colored poster paints and Q-Tips and have them trace over your makings. As your child gets older and more dexterous, this technique can be used for writing practice as well.

Learn More: Oh Hey Let’s Play

30 Learning Activities for 2 Year Olds

Discover fun learning activities for 2 year olds ! From educational activities to arts and crafts, get ideas to do with your toddler.

I don’t stock sensory bins or organize trays of card stock at home. I also don’t like how many toddler activities seemed to focus on the parents’ crafting skills, not necessarily the child’s.

And I’m more interested in child-directed learning, not the “final product.” It’s not so much about creating a beautiful item as it is about allowing kids to be curious and ask questions.

Still, even as a non-crafty mom, I wanted to provide my kids with activities that encouraged their desire to learn and explore. After all, toddlers still have the same curiosity as when they were infants, but with the ability to do more complex tasks.

Below, I’ve listed the best activities I’ve done with my kids when they were this age. I divided them into five categories for a total of 30 activities (which makes for a fun month-long challenge!). These activities are bound to keep your toddler busy and engaged.

That said, I purposefully kept these activities realistic to do as well. You won’t need to buy science toys or craft supplies galore. If you do decide to buy anything, you’re more than likely going to use the materials over and over.

And these activities are simple . We’re all busy, and we know 2 year olds don’t exactly sit still for hours at a time. They can definitely go at their own pace. Hopefully, you can find them useful. As one parent said:

“I don’t even comment on blogs. But I’m trying to introduce new activities that we can do together and this has really helped. I just wanted to say thank you for putting these ideas and resources together!” -Kaitlin

Table of Contents

Craft activities

1. play dough.

Roll play dough into balls and count them one by one as you place them into a pile. Or roll them into long strings and spell the letters of your child’s name. Encourage fine motor skills by allowing her to pinch bits and pieces off of a large ball.

2. Fractions with paper

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Grab a sheet of paper, cut it in half, and explain how the two pieces make up the whole paper. Then, cut those two pieces in half, making quarters. Keep going, making eighths.

After each round of cutting, assemble the paper so your child can see how all the pieces form the original sheet. You can also get these pizza fraction toys to make it even more fun.

3. Matching game

Using card stock or index cards, write two sets of the letters of the alphabet and have your child match them together. Start with a few at a time to avoid overwhelming her with all 26. Either way, keep the letters all the same color so she understands that she’s matching by letters, not color.

4. Glue by color

Cut tiny pieces of colored paper—for instance, blue, red, yellow, and green. Then, on separate sheets of paper, draw two circles per sheet using different-colored crayons. One sheet can have a blue circle and a red circle, while another has a yellow and a green one.

Finally, have your child glue the cut-up pieces into the matching-colored circles (green bits into the green circle, for instance).

5. Mix colors

Using the three primary colors of red, blue, and yellow, show your child how to mix and match to make different colors. A few to try include:

• red + blue = purple
• yellow + blue = green
• red + yellow = orange

6. Count with dot markers

Have your child practice numbers with dot markers . Print two sheets of paper in landscape format, with the numbers 1-10 along the side. Show her how to color the appropriate number of dots next to each letter, counting along with her.

FREE printables: Make these activities even easier with these ready-made printables ! You’ll get a set to play the matching game, sheets to glue by color, printables to count with dot markers, and samples of my workbook, Letters and Numbers.

Grab the printable pack below—at no cost to you. You’ll also get my newsletters, which parents say they LOVE:

“Loved this email, it came precisely when I needed it! Many thanks for sharing your insight and helping me see things differently!” -Alejandra M.

Educational activities

7. sort colors.

Find a set of items and sort them by color. A few ideas include building blocks, magnets, cars—anything you’ve stored in a box! Then, sort them into different piles or place them into empty bowls, one for each color.

8. Count everything

Play a game of counting everything . Count toys like building blocks and pom poms, or snacks like crackers and carrots. Use any opportunity to count. Climbing a set of stairs? Count the steps you take. Pushing her on a swing? Count each time you give her a push.

9. Cut paper strips by size

Play a game of sorting by size, using 10 pieces of paper strips, straws, or pipe cleaners, ranging from one to 10 inches long. For instance, you can have one piece that’s one inch long, then another that’s two inches long, and so forth.

Once you have all 10 pieces, shuffle them on the ground and encourage your child to arrange them in order, from smallest (one inch) to largest (10 inches).

10. Sink or float

Gather a few household materials or toys and experiment to see which ones sink or float. You can do this during bath time, or pour water into a large bowl, water table, or kiddie pool. Find water-safe items with varying weights so your child can see different results.

Tip: Afterward, you and your child can use the water for your plants!

11. Letters in the tub

My kids played with a set of foam pieces of the alphabet , which they used to learn even more about letters and numbers. I’d also show them simple words to spell, or how certain letters come together to form their names.

12. Trace and write letters and numbers

Worksheets like those in my Letters and Numbers workbook are another fun way to introduce your child to the alphabet. Start with large letters and encourage him to “trace” with his fingers, before moving on to smaller letters to trace with a pencil or crayon.

Outdoor activities

13. nature scavenger hunt.

Make a list of items your child might find outdoors and help her collect her findings. A few ideas include leaves, twigs, rocks, pebbles, or flowers. Bring a bag to store the items, and cross the item off your list once you’ve found what you were looking for.

To make this game even easier, task her with finding just one type of item during your nature walk. For instance, my son loved finding baby pine cones, which our local park had plenty of. We’d simply make a pile of pine cones on the base of a tree until we found nearly all of them.

14. Collect and compare leaves

Collect a variety of leaves outdoors, lay your findings in a row, and talk about how each leaf looks and feels. You might talk about the different textures, colors, or shapes, and describe why some are soft and green while others are brown and crinkly.

15. Plant a seed

Plant a seed and watch it grow over the next few days and weeks. Depending on the weather, you can start the seeds in small containers indoors, or sow them directly into the ground outside. And stick to large seeds like sunflowers or bush beans—these are easier to hold and they grow quickly.

16. Bucket of ice

At a children’s birthday party we attended, the kids were intrigued with nothing more than a simple bucket of ice. They had found an empty water cooler with only ice and water. They’d grab pieces of ice and move them to the grass to watch them melt.

You can do something similar by placing a few ice cubes in a bowl and heading outdoors. Allow your child to grab the ice cubes and lay them on the ground. Talk about the differences between how it melts on the grass versus the hot concrete.

17. Mud play

Find a spot in your backyard or park and pour water into the soil. You can even bring pretend cooking items or old kitchen utensils you no longer use for imaginative play. For instance, stir and “bake cookies” on an old baking tray.

18. Sidewalk chalk

Grab sidewalk chalk and head to your sidewalk, driveway, or park. Draw pictures, write words, and practice coloring in shapes. Sidewalk chalk lets her be creative in a way that’s different from the crayons and pencils she probably uses often.

Practical activities

19. sweep into a square.

Encourage your child to do chores with simple sweeping! Using painter’s tape ( we have a bunch of these at home ), make a square on your kitchen floor. Then,  with a child-size broom , have her sweep all the dirt from the rest of the floor into that square.

20. Pour water

Place a bowl and a measuring cup filled with water on a baking sheet. ( I like this Oxo one because it’s lightweight with a rubber grip for easy handling.) Then, have your child pour water from the measuring cup into the bowl.

Using two measuring cups, she can pour the water into one measuring cup, going back and forth easily. She can also pour and scoop small items like dry rice, beads, or sand. Keep a towel handy for easy clean up.

21. Use liquid droppers with water

Using kid-friendly liquid droppers , show your child how to collect water by pinching the dropper and dipping the end into a bowl of water.

Then have her open her fingers, drawing water into the dropper. And finally, she can press the dropper once more, releasing the water into another bowl. This is a fantastic way to develop fine-motor skills.

22. Use tweezers and puff balls

With kitchen tongs ( or kid-friendly tweezers) , have your child collect cotton or puff balls from one bowl to another.

If you use different-colored puff balls, you can also have her sort them by color or number. For instance, all the blues in one pile, or make a pile of one, then two, then three, and so forth.

23. Sort laundry

As much as we dread laundry, you have to admit, it can make for an easy activity to do with your 2 year old. For instance, have her sort laundry by type (like shirts and pants) or by color. She can also match socks or set aside household laundry like napkins and rags.

24. Water plants

Kids love watering plants! Use a simple watering can like this to help your child learn how to water both indoor and outdoor plants. You might even make this part of her weekly chores—something she’ll do every Saturday morning, for instance.

Places to go

25. children’s museums.

Nearly every major city has a children’s museum. I prefer these types of museums because they invite hands-on participation (so I don’t have to holler “Don’t touch!” all the time). In Los Angeles, I love going to Kidspace , California Science Center , Discovery Cube , and Skirball’s Noah Ark .

26. Libraries

Many libraries include activities for kids, from story time and magic shows to arts and crafts. Grab calendars from your local libraries so you can attend events specifically for toddlers. Plus, going to the library encourages you and your family to make regular trips to borrow and read books at home.

27. Nature walks

Explore a new trail or nature walk with your child! You might check out a local hike, the lagoon, or the forests in your area. Bring a magnifying glass so she can observe curious finds along the way.

28. Sandbox or beach

Playing with sand either at the beach or in a sandbox at your local park can be so much fun! Bring sand toys and encourage your child to build, experiment with water, and learn through sensory play.

Don’t want to deal with the mess? Grab a bag of kinetic sand, which is easier to mold and less messy. I keep this in a plastic storage box with a lid for easy clean up.

29. Botanical gardens

I love taking my kids to botanical gardens because they invite so much exploration. The trees and plants are wilder than more polished gardens, and they include streams and even animals like lizards, fish, and turtles.

In Los Angeles, my favorites are the UCLA Botanical Garden and the South Coast Botanic Garden .

30. Aquariums

Discover the ocean and marine world by visiting your local aquarium! Your child can have an up-close opportunity to meet many of the animals who live in the water while learning about ways to care for the environment .

As you can see, these activities don’t need to be complicated or take too much time. Your child can play with mud or mix primary colors, and learn about sizes with paper strips or water volume with measuring cups. And most importantly, she can develop a love of learning.

You can do activities with your toddler—even if you’re not a crafty mom.

Don’t forget: Join my newsletter and grab the printable pack below —at no cost to you:

Nina Garcia is the founder of Sleeping Should Be Easy, a leading parenting resource and online blog. She has spent the last 14 years creating helpful content for parents through online courses and workshops, ebooks, newsletters, and the Sleeping Should Be Easy website.

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10 Comments

Love your ideas!!

Thanks, Tracey! Glad the article is helpful.

Incredible and helpful ideas

Thank you for letting me know, Lillian!

I enjoy some of the activities to perform with my almost 2 year old granddaughter- I have worked with pre-school for 26 years and teaching on this level is somewhat different for me,

I’m glad to hear it, Charlotte!

I don’t even comment on blogs. But my toddler is going through the only wanting daddy phase and I’m trying to introduce new activities that we can do together during our quality time and this has really helped. I just wanted to say thank you for putting these ideas and resources together!

I’m so glad to hear that Kaitlin! Thanks so much for letting me know.

Very informative, thank you

I’m so glad, Natalie! Thanks for letting me know <3

Heads Up Mom

Activities For 2 Year Olds: Developing Essential Skills with Fun & Easy Activities!

Table of Contents

Introducing the world of activity-based learning activities for 2 year olds! If you’re looking to give your toddler an engaging head start in life, look no further. From new parents seeking guidance on developing fundamental skills, to seasoned caregivers hoping to enrich their little ones’ routine – we have a wide range of activities perfect for every parent and child!

If you’re looking for exciting activities to help your toddler learn, explore, and grow – look no further! This blog is packed with inspiring ideas to make learning a fun experience. From outdoor adventures that encourage physical activity to educational crafts that foster creativity indoors; discover how these simple but effective tips can bring joy while providing valuable lessons along the way. Let’s get started on this journey of discovery!

Benefits of activities for 2 Year Olds

Stimulating activities for your two-year-old is an invaluable part of their development! From sensory exploration to physical activity, this age group has the ability and enthusiasm to absorb new information each day. Through playtime experiences, they can grow cognitively and develop socially while having fun in a safe environment – nurturing them towards reaching all that is possible by way of growth!

Two-year-olds are building the foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits and strong muscles. Get them playing games, taking walks together, or tackling puzzles to support their growth and development – not only physically but mentally too! Engaging in physical activities helps children learn problem-solving skills as well as better communication with others.

At two years old, a child’s brain is like an expanding universe! Stimulating activities such as reading books, taking field trips, and playing with puzzles help to foster cognitive power – setting them up for life-long success. A head starts in education early on encourages young minds to soak up information at the speed of light so they can reach their full potential.

Fun activities like puzzles, walks and games provide more than just entertainment for two-year olds; they help them develop socially while avoiding boredom. Spending quality time with your child can be beneficial in giving their skills a helping hand – so don’t skimp on the playtime!

Examples of Activities That Develop Essential Skills

Developing essential skills in students can be a fun experience! From joining team sports to operating computers, from learning foreign languages to volunteering at charity events – there are multiple avenues for students to gain valuable knowledge and hone invaluable abilities.

Educational activities provide students with invaluable ways to grow; from honing their critical-thinking, problem-solving and teamwork abilities to boosting leadership skills by helping out at local charity events. Learning a foreign language can also help them refine their communication strategies for increased success in the future.

Gross Motor Skills: Helping Toddlers Get Moving

Toddlers need to be physically active and explore their world, but they can only do this with the help of gross motor skills! Parents are crucial in encouraging physical activity, as these activities support toddlers’ development. By providing movement opportunities while also setting limits, caregivers can help children achieve important milestones such as walking and running – not to mention establishing healthy habits that will last a lifetime!

Fine Motor Skills: Developing Hand-Eye Coordination

Children need fine motor skills for countless activities, from tying their shoes to being able to write! Parents can start developing these abilities early on by engaging in simple finger plays with their little ones. As the child grows more comfortable and confident, they’ll be ready to tackle increasingly complex tasks like knot-tying or picking up small objects – empowering them as they grow into young individuals capable of taking on any challenge.

Parents should ensure their children are ready for more complex tasks when adulthood arrives by providing chances to practice basic skills outside of the home. Fun activities like playing catch at a park and writing names in the library arm kids with fundamental knowledge that proves invaluable down the road.

Cognitive Skills: Encouraging Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Children need to learn how to think critically and solve problems. These skills will enable them to be more self-sufficient as they are able to make decisions that consider their consequences while also finding solutions for anything life throws at them.

Parents play a fundamental role in promoting their children’s problem-solving abilities and critical thinking. They can encourage this development through activities like puzzles, word games, or inquisitive questions which test the child’s thought process and decisiveness. These exercises not only entertain but stimulate minds to grapple with real-life issues!

Social Skills: Building Positive Relationships

Positive relationships provide a foundation for children as they grow. They offer them the security and confidence needed to foster healthy self-esteem, allowing kids of any age to feel valued and capable in life.

From the get-go, developing strong relationships is a key ingredient to a happy life – and it starts early. As young as two years old, children can comprehend social interactions in order to foster healthy connections with those around them. If this milestone isn’t quite met yet, however, there are plenty of ways for parents to help build bridges between their little ones and others!

• As a parent, you play an integral role in helping your child form positive relationships. Be sure to set the tone by being friendly and inviting when meeting new people; always show patience as they explore their boundaries and try different activities. Doing so will help foster strong connections that can benefit them over time!
• If your child is having a hard time forming meaningful connections with others, you can be proactive in helping them experience positive social interaction. Consider organizing regular activities and events for your little one to attend – this will give them the chance to build strong relationships with their peers!
• As a parent, it is essential to lend an ear and nurture your child with support. By taking the time to openly discuss any issues they may be having in terms of interpersonal relationships, you can create an environment where fostering positive social connections becomes easier for them – thus boosting their confidence!

How to Make These Activities for 2-year-old Fun & Easy

2-year-olds are naturally drawn to a world of joy and exploration. Here are some creative activities that can help you nurture your child’s curiosity while having fun together!

Let your little one explore the wonders of shape, color, and science with these fun activities! Help them build towers or a house out of blocks. Create their own makeshift pond by filling buckets of water – let them test how much splash they can make before it goes over the edge! Alternatively, why not give Slime making a shot? With Glue, you’d need to whisk up some food coloring plus soap together in a container for an extra sparkly finish. If that’s too messy then get creative with shaving cream instead…the perfect ‘Science meets Art’ combo for endless hours entertaining toddlers.

Here are some ideal activities for your little one: Playpen on the beach and Face Painting Ideas.

As parents, we want to give our children the tools they need for success. Starting when your child is a toddler can help build essential skills such as problem-solving and communication – not only will it be beneficial in their future but it’s also fun! Try out some of these activities with your 2-year-old: sensory tasks like playing with clay or sorting shapes; interactive games that involve memory, storytelling, and counting; drawing pictures together—all great ways to let them explore while strengthening those life skills. Get creative – you never know what kinds of benefits you’re giving your little one! If this blog was helpful don’t forget to share it so others can benefit too — an extra bonus if there’s more playtime involved at home 😉

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30 Best Activities for 2-Year-Olds: Preparing for Fun Learning Activities

What are the best activities for 2-year-olds ? Let’s explore some indoor and outdoor options that can support their motor skills, learning, and sensory experiences.

As parents, we always want the best for our little ones.

We want to provide them with the right Activities for 2-Year-Olds that will not only keep them engaged and entertained but also help in their overall development.

Keep reading to find out the Best Activities for 2-Year-Olds that you will sure to love!

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• Fun Craft Projects for Kids

What are Activities for 2 Year Olds?

Activities for 2-year-olds are designed tasks, games, or projects tailored to the developmental stage, interests, and abilities of toddlers aged two. These activities aim to foster cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth.

They often involve hands-on exploration, sensory experiences, and play-based learning, ensuring that the child remains engaged while acquiring new skills and knowledge.

30 Activities for 2-year-olds

Here’s a detailed list of 30 activities for 2-year-olds, with each activity followed by an in-depth description:

1. Finger Painting

Finger painting is a wonderful sensory activity for 2-year-olds. It allows them to explore colors and textures while developing their fine motor skills.

By dipping their fingers into non-toxic paints and creating patterns on paper, toddlers can express their creativity. This activity not only enhances their artistic skills but also helps in color recognition.

Parents can introduce new colors and teach color mixing, showing how two colors can create a new one. It’s a messy but fun activity, so make sure to cover the play area with newspapers or an old sheet.

2. Building with Blocks

Blocks are classic toys that never go out of style. They are perfect for 2-year-olds as they help in developing hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and problem-solving skills.

Toddlers can stack them, sort them by color or size, or even use them for pretend play. As they build towers or structures, they learn about balance and gravity.

Parents can challenge their kids by asking them to replicate a pattern or create specific shapes, turning playtime into a learning experience.

3. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Taking your toddler outside for a nature scavenger hunt is a great way to introduce them to the wonders of the natural world.

Prepare a list of simple items they can find in your backyard or a nearby park, such as a pinecone, a feather, or a smooth stone.

As they search for these items, they’ll develop observational skills and learn about different elements of nature.

This activity also encourages physical activity as they walk or run around, exploring their surroundings.

4. Playdough Play

Playdough is a versatile toy that can keep a 2-year-old engaged for hours. It’s excellent for developing fine motor skills as toddlers pinch, roll, and mold the dough into various shapes.

They can use cookie cutters to create different forms or even make imaginary food items.

Playdough also offers a sensory experience as kids feel its texture and can even explore different scents if you use scented playdough.

5. Bubble Blowing

What toddler doesn’t love bubbles? Blowing bubbles is not just fun but also educational. As 2-year-olds try to catch or pop them, they improve their hand-eye coordination.

Watching bubbles float around also introduces them to concepts of light, reflection, and transparency.

Parents can discuss how bubbles form, their colors, and why they pop, turning a simple play activity into a mini science lesson.

6. Sorting Games

Sorting is a fundamental skill, and at the age of two, toddlers can start with simple sorting games.

Provide them with a mix of items like colored pom-poms, buttons, or beads and ask them to sort them based on color, size, or type.

This activity enhances their observational skills, teaches them about categorization, and introduces basic math concepts.

7. Storytime

Reading to your 2-year-old is crucial for language development. Choose colorful picture books with simple stories that can hold their attention.

As you read, point to different objects in the illustrations and ask questions to improve their vocabulary and comprehension.

Storytime also fosters a love for reading, setting the foundation for future academic success.

8. Dancing to Music

Put on some lively music and let your toddler groove to the beat! Dancing helps in physical development, improving balance and coordination.

It’s also a mood booster, ensuring your child has a lot of laughs and fun. You can introduce them to different music genres, enhancing their auditory senses and cultural awareness.

9. Water Play

Whether it’s in a bathtub or a kiddie pool, 2-year-olds love playing with water. Provide them with cups, spoons, and other utensils, and watch them pour, stir, and splash.

Water play introduces them to concepts of volume and density. It’s also a calming activity, perfect for hot days.

10. Animal Sounds Game

Toddlers are fascinated by animals. Play a game where you make an animal sound, and your child has to guess the animal. This activity improves their listening skills and introduces them to different animals.

You can also discuss where each animal lives, what they eat, and other fun facts.

11. Shadow Play

Playing with shadows can be a magical experience for a 2-year-old. On a sunny day, take your toddler outside and show them how every object casts a shadow.

Let them experiment with their hands to create different shadow shapes on the ground. This activity not only entertains but also introduces basic science concepts about light and shadow.

At night, you can use a flashlight indoors to continue the shadow fun.

12. Nature Collage

Collecting leaves, twigs, flowers, and other natural items can be turned into a creative art project. Let your toddler glue these items onto a piece of cardboard or paper to create a nature collage.

This activity enhances their creativity and gives them a sense of accomplishment. It’s also a great way to discuss different plants and their parts.

13. Sensory Bins

Fill a large container with rice, beans, sand, or water and add some toys or objects. Let your toddler dig in and explore.

Sensory bins are excellent for tactile exploration and can keep a child engaged for a long time.

They can scoop, pour, and feel different textures, which is great for their sensory development.

14. Puzzle Time

Simple jigsaw puzzles are perfect for 2-year-olds. They challenge their thinking and improve hand-eye coordination. As they try to fit pieces together, they also learn about shapes and spatial relationships.

Celebrate with them when they complete a puzzle, boosting their confidence.

15. Play “Simon Says”

A game of “Simon Says” can be both fun and educational. It teaches toddlers to follow instructions and improves their listening skills.

It’s also a great way to get them moving, practicing actions like jumping, clapping, or turning around.

16. Kitchen Helper

Toddlers love to mimic adults. Let them help you in the kitchen by giving them simple tasks like washing vegetables, stirring, or pouring.

This not only makes them feel involved but also teaches them about different foods and basic cooking concepts.

17. Chalk Drawing

Give your toddler some sidewalk chalk and let them unleash their creativity on the driveway or a sidewalk.

They can draw, scribble, or even practice writing numbers and letters. It’s a fun outdoor activity that also improves their grip and hand control.

18. Nature Walks

Take your toddler on a nature walk in a nearby park or even your backyard. Let them observe birds, insects, and plants.

It’s a great way to introduce them to the wonders of nature and also get some physical exercise.

19. Dress-up Play

Provide your toddler with some old clothes, hats, and accessories and let them play dress-up.

It’s a fantastic way for them to engage in imaginative play, develop storytelling skills, and understand different roles and professions.

20. Musical Instruments

Introduce your toddler to simple musical instruments like drums, tambourines, or maracas. Let them explore different sounds and rhythms.

Making music can boost their auditory skills and also introduce them to different musical concepts.

21. Gardening Together

Even a 2-year-old can help with simple gardening tasks. Let them water plants, dig a little, or even plant a seed.

Gardening teaches patience, responsibility, and also introduces them to how plants grow.

22. Bubble Play

Every toddler is fascinated by bubbles. Whether you’re using a store-bought bubble solution or a homemade one, blowing bubbles can provide endless entertainment.

Chasing and popping these floating wonders can help improve your toddler’s hand-eye coordination and motor skills.

Plus, it’s a delightful sensory experience as they watch the bubbles shimmer and float.

23. Storytelling with Props

Using simple props like dolls, action figures, or even everyday objects, you can weave a story and encourage your toddler to join in.

This activity stimulates their imagination, enhances their vocabulary, and introduces them to the concept of narrative. It’s a cozy way to spend time, especially on rainy days.

24. Water Play

Fill a tub or basin with water and add some toys. Let your toddler splash, pour, and play. This simple activity is not only refreshing but also teaches them about concepts like floating, sinking, and water displacement.

Always ensure close supervision during water play for safety.

25. DIY Playdough

Making playdough at home is easy and safe. Let your toddler help in the process. Once ready, they can mold, roll, and create various shapes, enhancing their creativity and fine motor skills.

Plus, the kneading and molding can be a therapeutic sensory experience.

26. Obstacle Course

Using cushions, chairs, and toys, create a simple obstacle course in your living room. Guide your toddler to climb, crawl, and navigate through it.

This activity is excellent for their gross motor development and also teaches them problem-solving as they figure out how to get through the course.

27. Finger Painting

Unleash your toddler’s inner artist with some non-toxic paints and large sheets of paper. Let them use their fingers to create abstract art.

It’s a tactile and visual treat, and the open-ended nature of the activity allows them to express themselves freely.

28. Memory Games

Using cards or simple objects, play memory games. Show them briefly and then hide them, asking your toddler to recall what they saw.

This activity sharpens their memory and observational skills, and it can be as challenging or as easy as you make it.

29. Nature Treasure Hunt

On your next walk or trip to the park, turn it into a treasure hunt. Give your toddler a list (or pictures) of things to find, like a pinecone, a feather, or a smooth stone.

It makes the walk more engaging and teaches them observation and categorization.

30. Dance Party

Put on some lively music and have a dance party in your living room. Dancing is not only a great physical activity but also helps with rhythm, balance, and coordination.

Plus, it’s a joyful way for both of you to bond and let off some steam.

Engaging in these activities with your 2-year-old not only ensures they’re learning and developing essential skills but also strengthens your bond with them.

Remember, the key is to keep things fun and relaxed. The joy of discovery and the pleasure of spending time together is what makes these activities truly special.

Best Learning Activities for 2 year olds

Dive into the vibrant world of toddlerhood with our curated list of the best learning activities for 2-year-olds!

At this age, curiosity knows no bounds, and every moment is an opportunity for discovery.

From sensory explorations to playful puzzles, these activities are not just fun but are also tailored to nurture the budding intellect and creativity of your little one.

Let’s embark on this delightful journey of learning and play!

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What are some indoor activities for 2 year olds?

Indoor activities for 2-year-olds include puzzles, coloring, building with blocks, and imaginative play with dolls or action figures.

10 Indoor activities for 2 year olds

When it comes to indoor activities, sensory activities are a great way to engage your 2-year-old.

• Creating a sensory bin filled with materials like rice, dried beans,
• Pom poms can stimulate their senses and provide a hands-on learning experience.
• Additionally, craft activities using construction paper and safe scissors can improve their fine motor skills as they create art.
• Learning activities are also crucial for a 2-year-old’s development.
• Simple activities like sorting objects by color or shape can help them understand basic concepts and develop cognitive skills.

Incorporating puzzles, matching games, and building blocks into their playtime can enhance their problem-solving abilities.

1. Color Sorting Game

Introduce your toddler to the vibrant world of colors with a simple sorting game. Use colored bowls and corresponding colored objects (like pom-poms or toy blocks).

Encourage your child to match the items with the same-colored bowl. This activity not only sharpens their color recognition but also improves their fine motor skills.

2. Homemade Playdough

Making playdough at home is both fun and educational. Let your child assist in the process, feeling the texture and watching the transformation.

Once ready, this playdough can be a source of endless creativity, from making shapes to imaginative play.

3. Indoor Obstacle Course

Using cushions, chairs, and toys, create a mini obstacle course. This activity helps in developing their gross motor skills and understanding of spatial awareness.

Plus, it’s a great way to burn off some energy!

4. Storytime with Puppets

Reading stories is always fun, but adding puppets can elevate the experience. Use sock puppets or store-bought ones to enact stories.

This boosts their listening skills and sparks their imagination.

5. DIY Musical Instruments

From rattling rice in a sealed container to banging on pots and pans, making music is a joy.

This activity introduces them to different sounds and rhythms.

6. Sticker Line-Up

Provide your toddler with a roll of stickers and a large sheet of paper. Encourage them to line up the stickers in straight lines, curves, or even patterns.

This simple activity is not only fun but also enhances their fine motor skills and understanding of patterns.

7. Sensory Bins

Fill a large container with items like rice, beans, or sand. Add in some small toys or objects and let your child dig in and explore.

Sensory bins are fantastic for tactile exploration and can keep a toddler engaged for a long time.

8. Shape Matching

Cut out various shapes from colored paper and create a matching board. Ask your toddler to match the shapes to the board.

This activity reinforces shape recognition and boosts cognitive development.

9. Building with Blocks

Whether it’s wooden blocks, magnetic ones, or even cardboard boxes, building is a fundamental play activity.

It promotes creativity, spatial reasoning, and fine motor skills. Plus, it’s fascinating to see the structures your little architect comes up with!

10. Kitchen “Cooking”

Set up a mini kitchen station with safe utensils, pots, pans, and some play food. Let your toddler “cook” meals.

This imaginative play activity not only mimics real-life tasks but also boosts their creativity and understanding of the world around them.

What are some outdoor activities for 2 year olds?

Outdoor activities for 2-year-olds can be playing in a sandbox, blowing bubbles, riding tricycles, or having a picnic in the backyard.

Outdoor Activities for 2 Year Olds

Outdoor activities are essential for your child’s gross motor skills development.

• Encouraging them to engage in activities like running, jumping, and climbing can improve their coordination and balance.
• Playing with balls, riding tricycles, or even exploring nature can be great for their physical growth and overall well-being.
• Fine motor skills activities can also be incorporated outdoors.
• Introduce your child to activities like drawing with chalk or playing with small objects like pom poms.
• These activities can help improve their hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
• Don’t forget about educational activities.
• Take your 2 year old on a nature walk and teach them about different plants and animals.

You can also engage them in simple counting or alphabet games to introduce them to early math and language concepts.

1. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Equip your toddler with a small bag and a list of natural items to find, like a pinecone, a feather, or a smooth stone.

This activity enhances their observational skills and fosters a love for nature.

2. Chalk Drawing on the Sidewalk

Give them colorful chalks and let their creativity run wild on the sidewalk. It’s a great way for them to practice their grip and unleash their inner artist.

3. Water Play with Plastic Cups

Fill a large basin or kiddie pool with water and provide your toddler with plastic cups, spoons, and other safe utensils.

They can pour, scoop, and stir, which is not only fun but also excellent for their motor skills and understanding of basic scientific concepts like volume and gravity.

4. Bubble Blowing Fun

Who doesn’t love bubbles? Provide your toddler with a bubble solution and a wand.

Chasing and popping bubbles can be endless fun and is also great for developing their hand-eye coordination.

5. Sandbox Play

If you have access to a sandbox, it’s a wonderful sensory play area. Provide them with shovels, buckets, and molds.

Digging, building, and creating shapes in the sand can keep them engaged and help in enhancing their creativity.

6. Ball Games

Simple games like rolling, throwing, or kicking a ball can be very engaging for a 2-year-old.

It’s not only fun but also aids in their gross motor development and hand-eye coordination.

7. Plant a Flower

Gardening can be a delightful experience for toddlers. Give them a small pot, some soil, and a flower seed or sapling.

They can water it daily and watch it grow, teaching them patience and care for nature.

How can I encourage my 2 year old’s development?

You can encourage your 2-year-old’s development by providing a variety of age-appropriate toys, reading together, and engaging in interactive play and conversations.

Ways to encourage my 2 year old’s development

There are several ways to promote your 2 year old’s development. Engaging in sensory play is one of them.

• Let your child explore different textures, tastes, and smells through activities like finger painting, water play, or playing with sand.
• These experiences can stimulate their senses and support their cognitive and social-emotional development.
• Problem-solving is another important skill to foster at this age. Provide your child with toys or puzzles that require them to find solutions.
• Encourage them to think critically and come up with their own ways to solve problems.
• This can boost their confidence, creativity, and logical thinking.
• Promoting language skills is crucial during the early years. Talk to your child as much as possible, describing their surroundings, objects, and actions.
• Read books, sing songs, and engage in conversations with them.

These activities can help expand their vocabulary, improve their communication skills, and enhance their overall language development.

1. Puzzles and Problem Solving

Introduce simple jigsaw puzzles. This challenges their cognitive skills and teaches patience.

2. Play Pretend

Engage in imaginative play with your toddler. Whether it’s playing house, doctor, or supermarket, pretend play stimulates their creativity, social skills, and understanding of the world around them.

3. Interactive Reading

Don’t just read to them; ask questions about the story, characters, and illustrations. This promotes comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking.

4. Counting Games

Incorporate counting in daily activities. Whether it’s counting toys, steps, or snacks, this introduces them to basic math concepts.

5. Craft Time

Provide materials like paper, glue, and safe scissors. Crafting aids in fine motor development and allows them to express themselves creatively.

6. Sing and Dance

Music is a powerful tool for development. Singing familiar nursery rhymes and dancing helps with memory, rhythm, and physical coordination.

7. Nature Walks

Take them outside and explore nature. Point out birds, trees, and flowers. This fosters curiosity and a love for the environment.

8. Building Blocks

Playing with blocks or Lego helps with spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, and creativity as they build towers or structures.

9. Memory Games

Simple games like “I spy” or matching card games can boost their memory and attention span.

10. Cooking Together

Simple tasks like stirring or pouring can be done under supervision. This introduces them to different textures, tastes, and the concept of cause and effect.

11. Teach Self-care Skills

Encourage them to try dressing themselves or brushing their teeth. This fosters independence and self-confidence.

12. Playdates

Interacting with peers can be beneficial for their social development. It teaches sharing, cooperation, and understanding emotions.

Encouraging a 2-year-old’s development is all about providing varied experiences that challenge and stimulate their growing brains and bodies.

By introducing them to different activities, you’re not only keeping them engaged but also laying a strong foundation for their future learning and development.

What are some fun learning activities for 2 year olds?

Fun learning activities for 2-year-olds include counting games, sorting shapes and colors, simple craft projects, and singing nursery rhymes.

Fun learning activities for 2 year olds?

Crayons are wonderful tools for 2 year olds to practice coloring and drawing.

• Provide them with large sheets of paper and let their imagination run wild.
• This not only improves their fine motor skills but also encourages creativity and self-expression.
• Puzzles are great for improving hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.
• Start with simple puzzles that have larger pieces and gradually progress to more complex ones.
• This helps your child develop their spatial awareness and logical thinking.
• Play dough is a versatile material that offers a range of sensory and fine motor skills development opportunities.

Let your child mold, squish, and create various shapes with play dough. This activity enhances their tactile senses, hand muscles, and creativity.

1. Counting with Everyday Objects

Use fruits, toys, or buttons to teach basic counting. It’s a hands-on way to introduce math.

2. Alphabet Fishing

Create a mini “fishing pond” using a blue sheet or towel.

Place cardboard letters on it and provide a toy fishing rod or a magnet tied to a string.

As they “catch” each letter, say its name aloud. This activity enhances letter recognition and fine motor skills.

3. Colorful Shadow Matching

On a sunny day, place colorful toys or objects in direct sunlight and trace their shadows on paper.

Ask your toddler to match the objects to their corresponding shadows.

This game sharpens their observational skills and introduces them to the concept of light and shadow.

4. Sensory Sand Writing

Fill a tray with sand or salt and let your toddler draw shapes, numbers, or letters with their finger.

This tactile experience is not only fun but also aids in letter and shape recognition while stimulating their sense of touch.

5. Nature Collage

After a walk in the park or garden, collect leaves, flowers, and twigs.

Once home, let your toddler glue them onto paper to create their own nature collage. This activity promotes creativity and a deeper appreciation for nature.

Introducing 2-year-olds to fun learning activities is a delightful way to spark their curiosity and love for knowledge. These activities are not only educational but also ensure that learning is an enjoyable process, setting the stage for a lifelong love of discovery.

How can I entertain my 2-3 year old at home?

To entertain a 2-3 year old at home, you can set up a mini obstacle course, have a dance party, bake together, or create a DIY sensory bin.

Tips to Entertain my 2-3 year old at home

At home, you can engage your 2-3 year old with sensory play activities using items like pom poms and sensory bins.

• Fill a bin with colored rice or dried beans and let your child explore and play with them.
• This helps in their sensory development and provides hours of entertainment.
• Setting up craft activities can be a fun way to entertain your child.
• Draw a hopscotch pattern on the floor using chalk or help them make pom pom creatures.
• Crafts not only nurture their creativity but also improve their hand-eye coordination and concentration.
• To keep them active, encourage gross motor skills activities like playing with balls or running around in an open area.
• You can set up simple obstacle courses or play games like Simon Says to make it even more engaging.

These activities promote physical fitness and coordination.

1. Theme Days

Have a ‘Dinosaur Day’ or ‘Space Day’ where all activities revolve around the chosen theme. It’s a fresh way to learn and play.

2. DIY Sensory Bins

Fill a large container with rice, beans, or sand and hide small toys inside. Let your toddler dig and discover, stimulating their tactile senses and keeping them engaged for hours.

3. Cooking Together

Even toddlers can help in the kitchen. Let them wash veggies, stir ingredients, or decorate cookies. It’s a fun way to bond and introduce basic cooking skills.

4. Dance Parties

Put on some lively music and let loose with your little one. Dancing is not only a great way to burn energy but also helps with rhythm and coordination.

5. Craft Corner

Set up a craft station with safe scissors, glue, colored paper, and other craft supplies. Let them create whatever they fancy, fostering creativity and fine motor skills.

6. Indoor Camping

Build a fort using blankets and cushions. Once inside, read stories, have a snack, or just cuddle. It’s an adventure without leaving the house!

7. Gardening Together

Even if it’s just potting a plant indoors, gardening teaches patience, care, and introduces them to the world of plants.

8. Water Play

Fill a basin with water, add some toys, and let them splash around. It’s simple, but most toddlers love it. Just remember to keep a close eye for safety.

9. Story Creation

Using toys or drawings, create stories together. It can be as simple as a day in the life of a toy or as imaginative as a journey to another planet.

10. Dress-up and Role Play

Use old clothes, hats, and accessories for dress-up. Role-playing scenarios like shopping, going to the doctor, or being superheroes can be both fun and educational.

Entertaining a 2-3 year old at home can be a delightful experience when you mix creativity with learning.

These activities not only keep them engaged but also stimulate their imagination, cognitive abilities, and motor skills.

Remember, the key is to make every moment a blend of fun and discovery.

What are some toddler sensory activities?

Sensory activities for toddlers are designed to stimulate their senses and boost their development.

Fun activities like playing with toy cars in painter’s tape roads or engaging in messy activities with safe, non-toxic materials are great.

These activities not only keep your toddler busy but also help them learn about shapes, colors, and textures.

List of Toddler Sensory Activities

Here is a List of toddler sensory activities for children.

1. Water Play with Colored Ice

Freeze colored water in ice trays and let your toddler play with them in a tub. It’s a cool way to explore temperature and colors.

2. Edible Mud Play

Create ‘mud’ using chocolate pudding and let your toddler explore its texture. It’s a messy yet delicious way for them to experience different consistencies.

3. Scented Playdough

Make homemade playdough and add different scents using essential oils or extracts like vanilla or mint. This engages their sense of smell while they mold and shape.

4. Sound Bottles

Fill small containers with different items like rice, beans, or bells. Seal them and let your toddler shake them to explore various sounds.

5. Texture Walk

Lay out different textured materials like bubble wrap, sandpaper, or a soft rug. Let your toddler walk over them barefoot, feeling the different sensations under their feet.

6. Sticky Wall Exploration

Using contact paper, create a sticky wall where toddlers can stick and remove lightweight objects. It’s a unique tactile experience and also works on their fine motor skills.

7. Taste Test

Introduce your toddler to different tastes using safe foods. Sweet, salty, sour, and bitter can be explored using fruits, pretzels, lemon slices, and dark chocolate.

8. Sensory Bags

Fill zip-lock bags with materials like hair gel, water beads, or sand. Add some small toys or glitter and seal them. Toddlers can squish and move the materials inside, observing the effects.

9. Nature Texture Collage

After a nature walk, collect various items like leaves, twigs, or flowers. Let your toddler glue them onto paper, creating a collage while feeling the different textures of nature.

Which developmental craft activities are suitable for toddlers?

Sensory activities play a crucial role in a toddler’s development, helping them understand the world around them.

These activities not only stimulate their senses but also enhance their cognitive and motor skills. It’s all about making learning a hands-on, immersive experience.

Craft activities for 2-year-olds, such as simple arts and crafts using materials you already have at home, are excellent for fostering creativity and imagination.

Activities like finger painting or making shapes with playdough are both fun and beneficial for a toddler’s development.

What are fun sensory activities for 2-year-olds?

Two-year-olds love activities like playing with water beads, exploring different textures in a sensory bin, or even just feeling different fabrics.

These sensory activities are not only engaging but also crucial for their developmental growth.

What educational activities are best for two year olds?

Educational activities for 2-year-olds include sorting games, color matching, and simple puzzles. These activities help toddlers develop cognitive skills while also being a fun game they love to play.

How can you improve fine motor skills in 2-year-olds through activities?

Activities like threading large beads, using child-safe scissors, or even just playing with playdough can help improve a 2-year-old’s fine motor skills.

These activities not only keep toddlers engaged but also help them practice and refine their hand-eye coordination.

What are some gross motor skills kids activities suitable for toddlers?

Simon says, dancing, or even just a fun game of tag in the backyard are great ways to get your toddler moving and improve their gross motor skills.

These activities are not only fun but also vital for physical development.

How can you engage in activities with your toddler effectively?

Engaging with your toddler means choosing activities that are both fun and developmental.

Whether it’s an indoor activity like reading together or outdoor play, the key is to be present, participate, and let your toddler lead the way sometimes.

How can crayons be incorporated into fun activities for toddlers?

Crayons can be used for more than just coloring. Let your toddler practice their grip by drawing, create imaginative play scenarios with crayon characters, or even learn about shapes and colors by sorting crayons.

How does the game “Simon Says” benefit 2-year-old developmental toddler activities?

“Simon Says” is a fun game that helps toddlers develop listening skills, follow directions, and improve their gross motor skills.

It’s a game that kids love to play and is also educational.

Why do year-olds love to play so much?

Play is a natural way for toddlers to explore the world, learn new skills, and express themselves.

Through play, toddlers also learn about social interactions, problem-solving, and much more, making it a vital part of their development.

What are some craft activities specifically designed for 2-year-olds?

Two-year-olds can engage in simple craft activities like making handprint art, creating collages with cut-out shapes, or even just drawing with chalk.

These activities foster creativity and are also great for developing fine motor skills.

Why do toddlers love engaging activities so much?

Engaging activities stimulate a toddler’s curiosity and natural desire to explore.

When an activity is both fun and challenging, it captures their attention, making learning an enjoyable experience.

Which educational activities are most beneficial for 2-year-olds?

Two-year-olds benefit most from activities that combine fun with learning.

This includes sorting games, counting toys, reading aloud, and any activity that encourages them to use their creativity and imagination.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about Activities for 2 Year Olds. Get some quick answers to everything you need to know.

What activities are appropriate for 2 year olds?

Appropriate activities for 2-year-olds include finger painting, playdough play, storytime, and simple board games like “Memory.”

How do I keep my 2 year old entertained?

Keeping a 2-year-old entertained involves a mix of physical activities, creative play, and educational games that cater to their curiosity and energy levels.

How do I entertain my 2 year old boy at home?

To entertain a 2-year-old boy at home, consider building forts, playing with toy cars, engaging in water play, or setting up a mini race track.

What educational activities for two year olds?

Educational activities for two-year-olds include reading picture books, playing with alphabet puzzles, counting toys, and exploring nature items like leaves or rocks.

What activities are good for 2 year olds?

Good activities for 2-year-olds stimulate their physical, cognitive, and emotional development, such as dancing, drawing, or playing pretend games.

What should a 2 year old know academically?

By age 2, children should recognize some colors and shapes, be able to count to 10, know basic body parts, and have a vocabulary of around 50-100 words.

How do you mentally stimulate a 2 year old?

To mentally stimulate a 2-year-old, offer a variety of toys and games that challenge their thinking, ask open-ended questions, and encourage them to explore and ask questions about their environment.

Wrapping up Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Navigating the world of a 2-year-old is a delightful challenge. As they inch towards becoming a 3 year old, it’s vital to engage them in developmental activities.

• Our curated list, from craft activities for 2-year-olds to educational games, is not just about keeping a busy toddler entertained but fostering learning.
• Year olds love these fun and easy activities, making them a favorite for at-home exploration.
• Whether it’s practicing letters or diving into games, each activity is a step in their developmental journey.

In essence, every moment with your toddler is an opportunity for growth, ensuring learning and fun go hand in hand.

If you enjoyed this article about Activities for 2-Year-Olds and would like to learn more, please leave a comment below.

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10 Playful Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

February 11, 2024 Beth Anne

2-year-olds are always on the move and keeping them entertained can be rough. But worry no more! These fun learning activities for your toddler are real game-changers!

Your 2-year-old will have so much fun with these learning activities they won’t even realize they are learning!

Have Great Fun with these Learning Activities for Your 2-year-old!

1. learn how to make lava with your 2-year-old kid.

Most 2-year-olds already know volcanoes and mountains, right? Deepen their knowledge with this learning activity of making lava by Kids Activities Blogs using baking soda and vinegar while learning about Science!

2. Learning How to Make Squishy Aquarium Activity for Your 2-year-old!

Awaken the young scientist within your 2-year-old with this squishy aquarium learning activity by Teach Preschool! Introduce more Science to your little one when you make these colorful fun aquariums! great for bath time!

3. Learn to Make your own Crayons with your 2-year-old!

Don’t throw those crayons that your 2-year-old just broke! Learning how to make your own crayons activity by Kids Activities Blog can save the day! These crayons have a great texture and a fantastic avenue for your child to express their creativity!

4. I Spy Game Turned into Learning Activity with a 2-year-old!

Create your own I Spy game activity using items around your house and bottles by Kids Activities Blog! Test your 2-year-old’s keen and learning ability to spot the small items in the bottle! Engaging activities like these are great for imaginative play and create a fun and easy puzzle for any two-year-old!

5. A 2-year-old Builder Learning How to Make a House Activity!

Have fun and practice your 2-year-old’s fine motor skills using straws and pipe cleaners activity by Beauty Through Imperfection. Learning how to make a house has never been this creative with toddlers! This activity is a fun way to teach hand-eye coordination and other gross motor skills!

6. Early 2-year-old Life Skill: Learning how to Measure!

Learning how to measure is a necessary life skill you’ll always use. These are fun activities for 2-year-olds to start learning how to measure everyday items from Kids Activities Blog. these toddler activities are great for teaching self-control.

7. Playing and Learning in the Dirt Activities for Your 2-year-old!

Your 2-year-old will love learning some sensory activities in this Construction Sensory Tub by No Time for Flash Cards! Have some toy trucks, soil, sand, a box, and a bucket on hand! This sensory bin is basically just a sandbox in a cardboard box and its super fun! It makes playtime so much fun!

8. Would You Want a Drink Poured by a Learning 2-year-old?

Your 2-year-old will love learning and practicing how to pour water into cups with this outdoor water activity by Hands On as We Grow! They will also love serving others too! This is a great problem solving for any busy toddler. Just hope they avoid a mess!

9. Learning Different Footprints is a Fun Activity for your 2-year-old!

Show your 2-year-old how animals leave footprints in the snow with this winter play-dough activity by No Time for Flash Cards! Learning about animals can be extra fun!

10. Your 2-year-old Will Learn to Pre-write with this Activity!

Learn about the letters using straws with your 2-year-old! This cool activity will teach how to write letters in this pre-writing activity by Kids Activities Blog!

More Learning & Fun Activities from Play Ideas

• These friendship bracelets are so fun to make, of course with your kids’ friends!
• Let your toddler learn more alphabet with this alphabet crafts !
• Summer with kids is soo fun with these seashells activities !
• Start Mathematics to your toddllers with these simple Math activities !
• Sweet tooth can turn to creative minds with these crafts made out of marshmallows !
• More fun activities for your 2-year-old with this creative list!
• Pony beads refine you kid’s motor skills! Create fun crafts with it!
• Let’s play indoor games together.

Which activity are you going to do with your 2-year-old?

How Wee Learn

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Learning Activities for 2 Year Olds

May 18, 2022 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Two-year-olds love to learn, and they learn best through play and exploration. In this post, I’ve rounded up some of the best learning activities for 2-year-olds from across the web.

These simple activities will help your toddler develop the skills needed for preschool and beyond—skills like fine motor skills, gross motor skills, language development, early math skills and social-emotional skills. 

Just before we get into all of the learning activities, I have a freebie for you! This Rainbow Puzzles Pack is full of ideas for playing with your toddler:

And speaking of playing and learning with your toddler, perhaps it is time for my Playful Days Toddler Program? One beautiful learning-filled craft or activity every day at your fingertips. Find out more: Playful Days

I hope you love it!

Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Your two year old will love doing these learning activities as they develop fine motor and gross motor skills, learn by exploring the senses and develop vocabulary, social and emotional skills through play. 

Fine Motor Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

DIY Twist-Top Board by Busy Blooming Joy  – This simple activity is great for developing a two year old’s fine motor skills and practical life skills. All you need are some twist caps of various sizes, hot glue and an old cutting board. 

Pom Pom Transfer Fine Motor Activity by Mombrite  – Simple activities are great for two year olds. This fine motor activity only uses a muffin tin, a bowl of pompoms and a spoon. 

Threading Station by Busy Toddler – This fun threading station is a great way for two year olds to practice fine motor skills. You will need cut-up straws and pipe cleaners for this activity. It also makes for a great quiet time activity!

Basic Cereal Threading Activity by Hands On As We Grow  – Here’s a simple fine motor activity that is perfect for two year olds. All you need is some play dough, spaghetti and o-shaped cereal. Toddlers will stay busy threading that cereal onto the spaghetti!

Clothespin Pull Toddler Fine Motor Activity by Days with Grey  – This fine motor activity is perfect for two year olds. You will need clothespins and paper tubes. Then your toddler can explore pulling them off and clipping them back on again. 

Gross Motor Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

3 Ways to Learn with a Bouncy Ball – Bouncy balls are fun for everyone, but especially two year olds! This post has some fun ways for little kids and big kids to play and learn together with bouncy balls.

Bubble Wrap Runway by Hands On As We Grow  – Setting up bubble wrap on the floor is a great way to encourage gross motor development for two year olds! They can walk, run, crawl, and push trucks across it to their hearts content!

Jungle Vine Gross Motor Activity by What We Can Do With Paper & Glue  – Creating a jungle for your two year old to crawl through is a fun way for them to get in some gross motor movement. All you need is a roll of green streamers and tape. 

6 Creative Movement Activities Using Streamers by The Inspired Treehouse – Streamers, whether paper or ribbon, are a versatile tool for encouraging gross motor movement in two year olds. This posts give 6 different ideas for how to play with them. 

Throw and Roll a Ball to Improve Gross Motor Skills by Moms Have Questions Too – All two year olds love balls! This simple activity is a great way to help your two year old improve their gross motor skills using a ball. 

Sensory Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Simple Nature Sensory Bin – Two year olds can learn so much from a simple nature sensory bin. They can learn to recognize different textures, scents and all about nature!

Bubble Sensory Play for Toddlers – Bubble play is a fascinating activity for two year olds. Bubbles are also an excellent learning activity that encourages fine motor skills, visual tracking, and oral motor skills for speech, plus they are just plain fun!

Woolly Sheep Sensory Play for Toddlers – This adorable Woolly Sheep craft really engages the senses for toddlers! It is also an excellent activity for working those fine motor muscles. 

Simple Pour and Scoop Sensory Bin by Laughing Kids Learn  – Two year olds can learn valuable practical life skills with this simple pour and scoop sensory bin. All you need is a bin of peas and lentils with cups and scoops in various sizes.

Easy Water Sensory Bin for Toddlers by My Bored Toddler  – Toddlers will learn so much from this easy water sensory bin. All you need is a bin of water and various containers and tools for your two year old to experiment with. 

Vocabulary Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

5 Natural Language Development Activities for Toddlers – Development of language and vocabulary is very important for toddlers and two year olds. This post contains 5 wonderful activities to help develop oral language in the natural world.

Learning Body Parts Activity for Toddlers by Activity Mom  – This is a fun way to teach your two year old the names of the body parts. You will need a picture of your toddler, sticky contact paper and little pompoms. 

Position Words: The Over Under Game by Busy Toddler  – This simple game is a fun way to teach your two year old position words like over and under. All you need is a toy and a cup making it the perfect game to play while on the go.

What’s In The Bag? A Fun Early Language Activity by The SLT Scrapbook – This simple early language activity is a fun way to get your two year old talking. All you need is a bag full of small toys to get your toddler interested in talking. 

Imaginative Play Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Play-Doh Faces Invitation to Play by Busy Toddler – This creative activity is the perfect way for two year olds to play using their imaginations. All you need is some colorful playdough and a variety of craft supplies. 

An Invitation to Play: Cardboard Cookie Shop by My Baba  – This activity invites toddlers to play creatively by making cardboard cookies. For this simple, imaginative activity you’ll need cardboard circle cutouts,  shaving cream and sprinkles.

Giant Nail Salon for Kids by Happy Toddler Playtime – Your two year old will have so much fun painting these giant fingernails! All you need is some cardboard, markers, washable paints and paintbrushes.

Shaving Cream Sensory Play to Decorate the Cake by Days with Grey – What would be more fun and creative for a two year old than decorating a birthday cake! For this imaginative play activity, you’ll need a cardboard box, shaving cream and decorations. 

Loose Parts Learning Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Fall Play Dough Tree by Stir the Wonder – Loose parts can be combined with play dough as a fun, fine motor activity for two year olds. This is an excellent activity for toddlers to explore colors, textures and themes. 

Construction Site Play Dough Invitation by Fantastic Fun and Learning  – What two year old doesn’t love construction vehicles? This loose parts and play dough activity is sure to be a hit among toddlers!

Light Table Free Play with Loose Parts by Where Imagination Grows  – Adding loose parts to a light table is a great way to capture the imagination of a two year old. This type of play lends itself well to developing fine motor and early math skills. 

Mirror Play and Loose Parts by Little Bins for Little Hands  – Including a mirror with loose parts is another way to add some excitement to loose parts play. This is a great way for two year olds to explore reflections and symmetry. 

So there you have it, 27 amazing learning activities for two year olds! I hope these activities inspire you to help your two year old learn through play and exploration.

And if you love these ideas, have I got something you will adore!

Play into Kindergarten Readiness is my program for 2 and 3 year olds . ONE activity per day, twenty minutes a day, with ALL core skills covered. Everything is step-by-step with no prep needed. Check it out here: Play into Kindergarten Readiness

P.S. Don’t forget to grab your FREE Printable Quiet Time Play Mats!

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50 Perfect Crafts for 2 Year Olds!

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Ultimate Guide to Indoor, Educational, and Outdoor Fun Activities for 2-Year-Olds

The toddler years are a time of rapid growth and development. At 2 years old, children are exploring the world around them with ever-increasing curiosity. Engaging them in a variety of activities is crucial for their cognitive, physical, and emotional development. This blog aims to provide parents, caregivers, and educators with a comprehensive list of activities that are not only fun but also educational and developmentally appropriate for 2-year-olds. From indoor puzzles and crafts to outdoor adventures, there’s something here for every little explorer.

Indoor Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Indoor activities are essential, especially during bad weather or when you need to keep your toddler occupied at home. Sensory play can include activities like playing with sand, water, or playdough, which help in developing tactile senses and fine motor skills. Encourage creativity and imagination by providing different textures and tools for exploration.

Simple puzzles and shape sorters are excellent for enhancing problem-solving skills. These activities help toddlers recognize different shapes and colors, improving their cognitive abilities. Building with blocks or stacking cups can also promote fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, essential for early development.

For days when you’re low on prep time, consider no-prep activities such as building forts from cushions, dancing to music, or playing with balloons. These activities are not only fun but also stimulate physical movement and creativity without the need for extensive preparation.

Educational Activities for 2-Year-Olds at Home

Educational activities can be both fun and beneficial for your toddler’s development. Reading books together is a fantastic way to encourage language development and bonding. Interactive storytelling, where the child helps tell the story or picks characters, can spark imagination and creativity.

Introduce basic counting and color games to familiarize your toddler with numbers and colors. This can be as simple as counting toys during cleanup or identifying colors around the house. Nature-themed indoor activities, like growing a plant or watching birds from a window, can teach toddlers about the environment and the natural world.

Brain Development Activities for 2-Year-Olds

Music and rhythm activities not only entertain but also improve cognitive development and coordination. Instruments like drums, shakers, or homemade music makers can provide hours of fun and learning. Simple sorting games, using objects of different sizes, colors, or shapes, enhance cognitive and problem-solving skills while teaching toddlers to categorize.

Memory games, such as matching pairs or remembering where items are placed, can boost memory and concentration. Language development activities are crucial at this age; engage your toddler in conversations, repeat new words, and encourage them to express their thoughts and needs.

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Home › Blog › toddler › 80 Things to do with 2 Year Olds

80 Things to do with 2 Year Olds

Published Dec 09, 2023

Updated Jun 10, 2024

If you are looking for ideas as to what to do with your toddler today, you have come to the right place. We have a big list of activities for 2 year olds, toddler games, 2 year old toys and fun things to do with toddlers. Pssst…while this list was created with your 2 year old in mind, younger and older toddlers will enjoy many of the things we have selected.

Best Things to do with 2 Year Olds

As my youngest toddler is crossing the threshold and becoming a three-year old, but before they do I want them to get the most out of this year so here are  80 of the BEST Activities for 2 Year Olds !

Related: More activities for 2-year olds

These are either things that my two year old enjoyed or would if we had thought of doing them this last year! These toddler activities and toddler games are guaranteed to keep little hands busy with great ideas in a bunch of different ways.

2 Year Olds Love to Play

While every 2 year old is going to be a little different, one of the common traits found in 2-3 year old toddlers is that they love to play. In fact, anything they do turns into toddler games!

I absolutely love that about two year old children…everything they play turns into toddler games. It is something we should all learn from!

Toddler Physical Abilities – Gross Motor Skills

Physically, toddlers are active participants in almost any activity that includes climbing, kicking, running (short distances), scribbling, squatting, hopping and the way they walk starts to appear more like an adult or child than a baby. It is amazing how quickly those gross motor skills develop.

Activities for Two Year Olds – Fine Motor Skills

Toddlers also learn learn coordination through play. Picking things up, grasping, using fingers together and independently, pinching things, holding a crayon, hand-eye coordination and so many other fine motor skills are mastered through simple games and activities.

Free Toddler Play Bingo Printable

Print our free 2 year old movement bingo game for fun, age-appropriate ideas to help your child develop fine motor skills and gross motor skills while having a blast!

Toddler Activities to enhance mental & social abilities

Mentally, two year olds are grasping language with more skill, being more thoughtful and starting to strategize and hold concepts. In fact, it is at age 2 that toddlers often start running through scenarios in their head that can predict outcomes of actions.

Oh, and don’t forget that important toddler social component as well…remember that everything is toddler games to a two year old.

This article contains affiliate links.

Fun things to do with 2 Year Olds to explore color

1. Let’s Make Leftovers Art

Create colorful art using leftovers from around the house. Got different colors of scraps of paper, felt, and other odds and ends from other 2 year old crafts? These are perfect to create a wonderfully abstract masterpiece!

2. Play with Erupting Rainbow Chalk Paint

Side walk chalk is always a fun outdoor activity for kids. Let them create colorful designs and pictures. Then add a bit of science. Let them use a spray bottle of vinegar to watch their creations puff up!

3. Color Learning Activities For 2 Year Olds

Create a color wheel by painting each section of a pie chart a color. Then pick out little toys and trinkets that are the same color. Once you have a basket of goodies allow your child to put each item in its corresponding color. This is such a fun way to learn the colors even on a rainy day.

4. Let’s Make a Summer Time Bucket List for 2 Year Olds

Get outside in the summer time and have fun with one of these simple busy toddler activities or make your summer exciting and try to do them all. It will keep your 2 year old active, exploring, moving, and learning each day.

5. Create Rainbow Hand Kites

These rainbow hand kites are an amazing way to not only learn colors, but to appreciate them as well! Your child will be mesmerized by the way the colorful ribbons and dance and flow with each movement in different ways.

6. Play a Color Wheel Game

Sorting is something that teaches kids patterns , helps them to learn how to differentiate, and is *fun* for little kids! The best part is, toddlers have multiple ideas for learning colors so these activities for 2 year olds never gets dull and are so much fun.

7. Make Rainbow Healthy Gummies Together

Help your kids eat all the colors of the rainbow – these gummy snacks for kids are fun to make, and tasty for even picky kiddos. Your 2 year old will never know they’re eating fruits and veggies, they taste so good.

8. Let’s Play Color And Word Games For 2 Year Olds

Jump through the different shapes and colors with a DIY hopscotch-like mat . Your child must follow the path across the mat by following the same color or the same shape. Plus, looking for some fun activities to do at home to teach your toddler words? There is also a magnetic word game as well!

Related: Try easy handprint art project today!

Easy craft Activities for 2 Year Olds

9. Paintsicles are Fun for Toddlers

Make finger painting more exciting by freezing paint in ice cubes for a cool colorful project. Do single colors, mix colors, add glitter, make it unique. Either way, your 2 year old will get to make a neat art project and work on their fine motor skills. It is a win-win.

10. Have Fun with a Sibling Made Toddler Puzzle

Need fun activities at home for older kids? Get an older sibling to paint a picture and turn it into a toddler puzzle . They can do a portrait, make a train, or whatever else your 2 year old may fancy. Plus, it is a great way to get your children to bond and promote kindness.

11. Painting With Cookie Cutters

Make prints with plastic letters – a great way to play with color and the alphabet at the same time. Not only is this a fun way to teach your 2 year old about letters, but it is a great way to start teaching them about words!

12. Teaching Your 2 Year Old About Germs

The year 2020 brought a sobering reminder that germs are very real. Making your own hand sanitizer and cleaning your toddlers hands with homemade hand sanitizer is a great way to remind them we must always clean our hands!

Related: toddler crafts

13. Fork Painted Fish Craft

Get creative with paint. Use different objects to make prints. Check out this forked fish . The texture is so neat and makes the fish looks like it has scales. Mix colors, make zig zags, stagger the strokes, these fish are your canvas!

14. Make Paper Plate Roses Together

Roses are such beautiful flowers with such deep meanings. Now your toddler can make their own Paper Plate Roses . They are colorful, fun, and an easy craft for your toddler. The best part is you can make different colored ones! All you need is different colored paper plates.

15. Let’s Play with Kids Face Painting

Face painting is something that my kiddos love. The first thing they do with markers is draw on themselves. Now you can put together a face painting kit! Use non-toxic paints and markers in your kits and add things like napkins, a towel, paintbrushes, and a couple other items you they will need.

16. Hey, Let’s Make DIY Chalk

Another favorite at our house is diy side walk chalk . They love to smash the chalk to bits in colorful blotches. Make your own paintable chalk version. Or you could make spray chalk, erupting ice chalk, glow in the dark chalk, there are so many options.

17. Oh So Many Crafts For 2 Year Olds

Get crafting with our huge list of toddler crafts . We have over 100 toddler crafts available from parents and bloggers just like you! From painting, tea parties, dry erase games, educational activities, dress up, gifts,, we have a little bit of everything!

18. Let’s Paint with Bathtub Paint

Bathtub paint for kids is one of our favorite ways to make bath time fun! It is so easy to make! You probably have most of the ingredients already in your pantry.

19. Sensory Paint Play

Explore different textures! Paint on unusual surfaces, like bubble wrap with your kids. You can add other textures like pebbles and beads! Paint in a bin, on skin, it is fun and makes finger painting more exciting.

Related: More easy crafts for toddlers & preschoolers

 Sensory Activities for 2 Year Olds

20. Easy Rainbow Pasta Fun

Rainbow Spaghetti is a fun medium for kids to explore. Dye it for extra fun. Noodles have a very squishy and sticky texture, it is fun to place with, safe if your toddler puts it in their mouth, plus, save some for later for a fun dinner.

21. Kool Aid Shaving Cream Sensory Play

Shaving cream is a great sensory tool for kids. Add Koolaid for colors and scent variations. If you want to make this a little safer for 2 year olds and babies who may still stick their fingers in their mouths you can substitute shaving cream for Cool Whip.

23. Make a Paper Plate Bird Craft

Feathers are a fun thing to craft and play with. Create a fun, colorful bird in this preschool craft. This is a fun and colorful craft, not only because of the paint, but because of the rainbow feathers! Feathers are such a fun texture to play with.

24. Play in a Rainbow Sensory Tub

Pasta is a blast to play with in a sensory tub . Dye it and add some element shapes for kids to have fun digging, sorting, and touching. Add in colorful rings and plastic coins for even more textures. Add cups for the kids to shake the noodles and trinkets around.

25. Process Art is Fun Toddler Play

Kids love big canvases . Keep one around the house for your kids to paint whenever the desire strikes. Let them spray the paint, mix it, use rollers, and brushes to create a giant, beautiful, piece of art.

26. Rainbow Finger Bath Paint

If you don’t like mess, maybe the bath tub will be a better place for your kids to explore color mixing . These paints are non-toxic and safe for kids and your bathtub and the best part is, while they’re learning their colors you won’t be scrubbing paint off of chairs and the floor.

27. Make a Confetti Collage

Give your kids a hole punch and colorful sheets of paper. They will have a blast creating confetti – and afterwards craft with the bits. Use a paintbrush and glue and then sprinkle the confetti on top to create a rainbow masterpiece.

28. Play with Rainbows

Preschoolers can learn about more than color as they explore. This is a fun rainbow-themed math activity . It uses paint, toilet paper rolls, stickers, clay, and coins! Who knew math could be so fun?

Related: Oh so many toddler sensory bin ideas!

Indoor Sensory Games for 2 Year Olds

29. Playdough, Beads, And Pipe Cleaners Toddler Activities

Add pipe cleaners and large beads to playdough play – it will help your kids develop fine motor skills . Plus, they create all sorts of creatures and monsters! Let their imaginations run wild.

30. Stacking Cups for Gross Motor Play

Two year olds have fun rolling stacking cups , and pretending to drink/eat. Add beans or rice and let them scoop and pour. Even better, let them shake them all around to make neat sounds. Worried they’ll put a bean in their mouth? Use Fruity Pebbles instead any round cereal like Coco Puffs or Cheerios for their toddler game.

31. Make Chocolate Ice Cream Play Dough

Chocolate Ice Cream , our preschoolers love to eat it – and this play dough recipe smells delish! Let them pretend to work at an ice cream shop. Give them other color playdough to make sprinkles and cherries! Just a heads up, this chocolate ice cream playdough may smell amazing, however, it is not edible! A taste won’t hurt, it won’t taste good, but this is not one of our edible recipes.

32. Creative Activities For Toddlers At Home

Rice is a fun sensory table addition. It’s cheap and easy to find, and kids love the texture falling through their fingers. Add wooden spoons, tiny cups, hide treasure in the rice, let them pour the rice through a funnel.

33. Arts And Crafts For 2 Year Olds

Toddler art projects can be daunting. Here are 10 easy and fun sensory arts and crafts for two year olds. Promote imaginary play with an ice cream dough bar, play with water beads, paint with yogurt, and there are so many more fun activities to choose from.

34. Who Made That Footprint

Make footprints in playdough with your 2 year old’s favorite toys, then see if they can match the footprints to the toys! It is such a cute game and a great problem solving game as they have to match each footprint with their toys. Plus, it teaches about body parts like feet as they have to search for toys with feet.

35. Let’s Make Homemade Story Stones

Story-telling is a great way to help toddlers develop language patterns and learn sequencing of events. Make your own story stones using pictures of: animals, bugs, aliens, toys, and automobiles. Put them all in a basket and then let the pick one at a time to continue the story.

36. Play Concentration Game

Play a learning game of concentration with your kiddo. Put three items up and remove one. Have your child identify which object was removed. It is a great way to work on problem solving and refine your child’s memory and teaches them to pay attention.

37. Playdough Kabobs are Fun to Make

Make Kabobs of play dough. Form beads and thread them. Great way for kids to explore texture and motor control . Plus it will teach your child about colors and they can count each playdough balls.

38. Fruity Bubble Tea for Play

Water beads are the rage. Here are water beads that toddlers can play with, and even eat as part of a bubble tea . It is a fun texture to play with, to eat, plus they’re full of calories if your child doesn’t like to eat a lot.

Related: Make healthy snacks for toddlers

Outdoor Games for 2 Year Olds

39. Play in a Mud Pie Kitchen

Mudpies!! It’s a quintessential kids activity – make an mini-outdoor kitchen for your kids to cook and create in. Use a wooden crate and add a bowl, a whisk, spoons, pans, a kettle full of water, and don’t forget the chalkboard menu.

40. Colored Cloud Dough Play

Cloud dough is so soft and squishy, they will play with it for hours. Plus, it is made from a lot of things you may already have at home. It is a fun sensory craft for 2 year olds. Let them build, squish, and smash this soft cloud dough.

41. Make Sandbox On Wheels

Sandboxes are a mess… but what if they were small, easy to cover, and you could drag it into the garage when you were done?? Win! This is a sandbox on wheels . Pile on the toys to hide them and keep your yard clean.

42. Ways To Spend Time With Your 2 Year Old

When was the last time you surprised your child with a picnic – for breakfast? This site has a bunch of other creative ways to connect with your kids. It has great tips to spend time with your kids everyday even in the smallest of moments.

43. Playing with Frozen Water Beads

On a hot afternoon, frozen water beads are a huge hit! Fill a big bucket with them. They’re cold and great for a hot day, but you can spray water on them to thaw them out. There textures change and it makes a fun sensory bin.

44. Outdoor Activities For Toddlers

Do your kids hide in clothes at a department store? Mine do! Recreate that experience by hanging fabric for your kids to run through at home. You can hang sheets, blankets, dresses, long shirts and let them run through!

45. DIY Outdoor Sound/Music Station

This is so cool! Create a sound/music station for your 2 year old using pots, pans, racks, and bells. Bang the afternoon away with a fun musical wall – attach it to a fence in your back yard.

46. Nature And Water Play For Toddlers

It’s a soup!! Only you can’t eat it. This soup is made from flower petals and cut up fruit and water. Smells lovely, and is a hit with the kids! You can add other things too like leaves, stones, and stir with sticks or spoons. Make this nature soup your own.

47. Egg Carton Color Sorting

Use egg cartons to help your kids differentiate between colors with this fun sorting activity . Paint each egg carton a different color and then fill a bowl full of pom poms. Put each pom pom in its correlating colors. If you use spoons and tongs it also helps refine your child’s fine motor skills.

48. How To Make Sponge Bombs

Sponge bombs are the BEST! Make a big batch of them, and add them to your tots bath toys . They also make amazing summer toys as well! Plus, they’re safer for 2 year olds than water balloons.

49. Sidewalk Simon Game

Play with all the colors of the rainbow in this fun Simon Says game . This is a fun outdoors game that will teach your 2 year old about colors while keeping them moving. Say a color and they will need to hop to that color.

50. Cardboard Boat For 2 Year Olds

Card board boats are a blast. This is a fun pretend version you can add to your backyard. It will be loved until it can no longer hold it together anymore. It promotes pretend play, and if you’re able to tape boxes together or use a large box there will even be room for you!

51. Rainbow Bubble Snakes

2 year olds love bubbles, colors, and messy activities! These rainbow bubble snakes are all 3! Bubbles are a blast, especially lots of them. These bubble snakes are perfect for kids who want to learn to blow or who love popping bubbles and they are rainbow!

Related: Things to do with toddlers

Fun Toddler Activities for Two Year Olds who are active

52. Exploring Color Theory

Summer time ice-cube sculptures. Your two year old can stack colored blocks of ice and watch the colors melt together. Not only is this a fun way to beat the heat, but it is a fun way to learn colors and learn about mixing colors like red and blue make purple. Make this even more fun, and tasty, and freeze different color Kool-Aid’s!

53. Make a Snack Together

Is your child a snacker? Spend time together cooking and make a batch of snacks for toddlers and have a picnic together. Make popsicles from real fruit, muffins, fruit snacks, yogurt gummies, trail mix and more.

54. Water Bead And Flower Sensory Tub

Do your kids love flowers?? Mine do! Check out this flower sensory bin . Add water beads and different flowers and water! This changes the texture of the water beads and each flower feels different as some will be wet and others dry. Dip your hands or feet in the bin.

55. Let’s Make an Indoor Fort Together

Who doesn’t love pillow forts? Building forts and hanging out inside forts is a blast for kids. They love cubbies to crawl into. We love these indoor forts for toddlers . There are 25 to choose from and each one is cool and unique in its own right.

56. Pretend Play is Toddler Fun

Pretend play is such an important thing for kids to do. It promotes social skills, cooperative play, and problem solving. Young preschoolers are just beginning to play pretend. These 75+ Pretend games help them build an imaginary world .

57. Watermelon Activities

Your kids don’t need to have blocks to build. Use chunks of watermelon this summer with your preschoolers. Not only can you build with it, but you can make squish bags, math bags, and best of all, snack!

58. No-Mess Finger Painting

You can fill bags of paint for kids to squish and trace in as mess free finger paint . It is clean play so you don’t have to worry about any scrubbing or baths afterwards. They can still draw pictures in the paint and even mix the colors.

59. Play with a Ball Maze

Drop the ball through a fun maze – your kids can create and explore with long paper tubes. You could even use toy cars with this maze. Either way, it is a lot of fun! All you need is cardboard tubes, can boxes, cutting utensils and a hot glue gun as well as ping pong balls.

60. Spaghetti Shop Play

Promote pretend play with this fun activity. Make an “invitation to play” for your kids cooked noodles (plain and red dyed), paper plates, tongues, forks and strainers – it’s a pasta party ! Not only will it promote pretend play, but using tongues and letting two year olds move noodles from various containers is a great way to promote fine motor skill practice.

61. Play with Learning Letters

Water – everything is more fun with water. Use a squirt gun or spray bottle to learn the letters with your toddler. Write letters on a chalkboard. They can be in order or they can be all mixed up. Then name a letter and let your child find it and spray it with a water bottle to erase it from the lineup. A normal water bottle may be hard for 2 year olds, so a wet rag or sponge could also work.

Related: Kids-creative activities at home

Fun 2 Year Old Activities for Home

62. Quiet Play for Toddlers

It isn’t often you can get 2 year olds to be quiet or settle down. But this toilet paper activity is perfect. You don’t need fancy toys to build towers . Use toilet paper – if your kids are like mine, they will enjoy unraveling a roll or two, too. But they can build, drive cars over and around them, and knock them down!

63. Water Play Ideas For 2 Year Olds

We have 20 easy young toddler water play ideas will get them outside on a hot day! Splash in puddles, dance in the rain, wash the car, build your own water table, paint with water, and there are many more fun ideas that you can do together!

64. Five Senses Exploration

Learn all about the five senses with this fun printable for kids . This is such a well-rounded sensory activity as it focuses on: touching, hearing, smelling, sight, and tasting. It is a great way to teach 2 year olds about the world around them and help them explore different textures and different items around them.

65. Simple Play With A Ramp

This is one of our go-to activities for 2 year olds. Grab a box – it can be a terrific launch ramp for toy cars. If you have stairs you can lay the box against them or if you don’t a chair or the couch. But then watch the cars and bikes fly!

66. Make Toddler Friendship Bracelets

Toddler friendship bracelets are a fun way to practice cutting and threading fine motor skills. Plus, they are super cute! Cut up different colored straws and use the pieces as beads and loop them onto a pipe cleaner.

67. Easy Indoor Ring Toss For Toddlers

Use a lump of play dough and a wooden spoon to create a pole to toss rings on. This is a great way for kids to develop hand-eye coordination. Use plastic bracelets as the rings.

68. Bucket List For Toddlers

Encourage your kids to be active with one of these 25 super simple activities . We have silly activities like singing into a fan (robot voice!) and simple activities like moping the floor with socks, or building forts, and so many more! Your 2 year old will love them all!

69. Free Quiet Book Template

Create a quiet book to entertain your 2 year olds during nap time or another calm period. This free template helps you put together a book full of fun felt puzzles and activities. It will keep your child busy for hours!

70. Toddler Kerplunk Game

Kerplunk is such a fun classic game and is one of our favorite activities for 2 year olds. Grab a spaghetti strainer and some pom-poms for a fun game. Don’t worry the plastic sticks aren’t sharp because they are straws! This is such a fun problem solving game!

71. Rock Sensory Box

Rocks . My kids love to play with them when they are at the park. Teach them not to throw rocks at home by making a simple sensory box with different size rocks that have various shapes, textures, weights and colors. You can start your rock box with rocks you find or purchase a variety of rocks on Amazon.

72. Edible Sand For 2 Year Olds

Do your kids want to play in the sandbox , but they are just a touch to young as they put everything in their mouths?? Create edible sand! All you need is a food processor and crackers! You could probably also use something like cheerios or graham crackers for a sweeter version of this edible sand. Either way, your 2 year old will love it!

73. Foam Block Building Ideas

Build with blocks in a water table – a fun outdoor experience. Trace the foam blocks with chalk! That way 2 year olds can learn colors and shapes. Work on your 2 year olds motor skills by sticking the foam blocks to sticky paper. Last, promote pretend play while working on your 2 year olds fine motor skills by letting them build. Use shaving cream as cement!

Related: easy toddler crafts

Encourage Independence through these 2 Year Old Activities

74. Printable Chore List

Help foster independence and teach work ethic with ideas from our chore list for your preschooler. Each chore list is sectioned off by age groups. So there are lists for toddlers, preschoolers, elementary kids, older elementary kids, and middle schoolers.

75. Building Towers

Build towers with all the old boxes you can collect – use tape to keep them together and bring a step stool. Let the kids do all the “heavy lifting” (they’re empty so no back brace is needed) and then let them decorate their amazing towers with paint!

76. Introduction To A Ruler

Your kids may not understand lengths and how to use a ruler yet, but they can learn to intuitively grasp varying amounts with the help of scissors, play dough and a ruler. It is a great way to introduce tools they’ll need for school and work on their fine motor skills.

77. Fine Motor Activities For Toddlers At Home

Colanders and straws are the perfect way to help 2 year olds practice their fine motor skills. This can even be used as one of our fun games for 3 years old. It is simple, let your child stick straws through the holes in the colander. It will take precision to get them in!

78. DIY Cutting Station

Create a cutting station ! It is one of our fun activities to do at home. Not only is it fun, but helps your 2 year old practice their fine motor skills as well. Use a bucket and tie a pair of scissors to it. Hopefully, kids will keep the scraps contained this way.

79. Making Clean Up Fun

How to get kids to clean ? Make cleaning fun! Add music, set a timer, hide prizes around the room! Also breaking down the cleaning tasks and even taking a before an after picture will make it easier on kids and make them feel more accomplished for doing their chores.

80. Toddlers can Help Clean

Encourage your kids to contribute and clean with some of these tips. Mop the floors with socks! Make your own cleaner out of non-toxic items in your home and let your child spray and wipe! This will make cleaning fun, but also teach them responsibility.

Related: Toddler chores

How do you entertain a 2 year old all day?

If you have ever spent an entire day with a 2 year old, you have probably asked yourself this question of what in the world do I do with a 2 year old for EVERY WAKING HOUR! It can be exhausting and overwhelming to consider. There are several things to consider when planning out a toddler’s day:

• 8-9 Breakfast & Clean Up
• 9-10 Run errands
• 11-12 Shaving cream painting on back porch or in tub (without water)
• 12-1 Lunch & Clean Up
• 1-3:30 Quiet time then nap
• 3:30-5 Pick up older sibling, run to the library and toy time: blocks, cars, etc.
• 5-7 Family time and dinner
• 7 Bath and story time
• Toddler Activities as Play Prompts : Think of activities for 2 year olds as a play “starter”. It is an idea to inspire their own play. Don’t worry if they make the “right thing” or “play the right way”. The idea is to get them entertaining themself!
• Step Away During Toddler Play : When your toddler gets engrossed in play, step away and observe/supervise from a distance. This will help him/her to develop independence and the ability to entertain themselves with a lot of practice.

How do you mentally stimulate a 2 year old?

Toddlers are taking in everything around them all the time. It makes it really easy to mentally stimulate 2 year olds! The bottom line answer to how to stimulate a toddler mentally is…through play and experience. Here are some examples:

• Visit new places : Don’t worry that I am talking about exotic travel locations, any place is new to a 2 year old! Grocery stores, malls, parks, trails, backyards, different sidewalks, zoos, and anywhere you go is a new place to see, observe and learn. Let them look around. Talk about what they see. Let them soak up their surroundings.
• Read new books : Visit your local library regularly and let your toddler “shop” for new books. Choosing books from all the shelves and shelves of library books is fun and sitting down and reading those books at the library or at home is even better. Kids who are read to at a young age develop language skills faster and better.
• Be around friends and family : 2 year olds are social creatures and love to be around others so they can watch and learn. Expose your child to a lot of social situations from play dates to family reunions to large groups like sporting events or church.

What games are best for a 2 year old?

We have some casual games listed above, but if you are looking for card and board games that work well as a toddler’s first game, here are a few to try first!

• Monkey Around – The Wiggle & giggle Game from Peaceable Kingdom that gets 2 year olds moving
• Mr. Bucket – The spinning and moving bucket game from Pressman
• Elefun – This was my kids favorite toddler game – the elephant blows butterflies in the air that you need to catch with a butterfly net
• Where is Bear? The hide and find stacking block game from Peaceable Kingdom
• First Orchard – A HABA My Very First Games is a board game of cooperation for 2 year olds

More Kids Activities for 2 year olds & Beyond from Kids Activities Blog

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• Kid Halloween Costumes
• How to hold a Pencil
• Best Peach Cobbler Recipe
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• Virtual Escape Room
• Kid Lunch Ideas
• Free Movies on YouTube
• DIY Halloween Costumes
• Is your child is scared to use the potty?
• Imagination Library
• Free Learning Websites for Kids
• Nonalcoholic Frozen Drinks
• When is Opposite Day?
• Popsicle Recipes
• Pumpkin Crafts

Leave a Comment : Which of these toddler activities did your 2 year old enjoy the most? Did we miss a great activity on our list of toddler activities?

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22 Comments

There are so many fun and developmentally appropriate activities here! I like how the post stresses letting toddlers take the lead in play rather than worrying about the ‘right’ way. Things like the sensory tubs and pretend play stations nurture independence. Creative ideas.

The toddler activities on this list are perfect for my nephew! He’s coming to stay with us this weekend, so I’ve been on the search for some fun ideas.

Thank you! I have looked for easy origami directions and ideas, and you have the best— by far! (The whole list is great!). Thanks for the ideas. 🙂

I’m about to start watching my two-year-old grandson twice a week – this is EXACTLY what I needed to get ready! Thank you!

What a wonderful resource list of toddler activities! I’m going to keep this in mind the next time I babysit my almost 2 year old granddaughter!

This list is so great with tons of great toddler activities that actually keep their attention and are easy to use. We will be going back to this over and over again!

Definitely bookmarking this list of toddler activities for the next time I’m babysitting the grandkids! These are great ideas and it’s been a long time since I had two year olds!

It can be so challenging to find toddler activities that not only keep them engaged, but hold their interest for longer than a few minutes, while making it educational, and fun. This is a solid list, packed with amazing ideas!

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Activities For 2 Year Olds

Video: Fun and Engaging Activities for 2 Year Olds

Importance of activities for 2 year olds, developmental activities, educational and learning activities, art and craft activities, indoor activities, outdoor activities.

Hey there, fellow parents and guardians! Are you tired of racking your brains for fun and engaging activities for your energetic 2-year-olds? Fret not, because we’ve got your back! Toddlers have an insatiable curiosity and a never-ending thirst for exploration. And what better way to nurture their growth and development than through play and games? That’s why we’ve put together a list of 39 awesome activities for 2-year-olds that will help them learn, grow, and have a blast all at the same time. So, get ready to join in on the fun and watch your little ones thrive!

Also Read: Boredom Busting Activities for Toddlers

As parents, being involved in your toddler’s development takes less effort, but has numerous advantages. Here are some advantages of developmental activities.

• Boosts problem-solving skills and allows children to think strategically
• Introduces children to new concepts and things, right from textures, colours, numbers, etc.
• Some activities require multiple tries to get right. This allows children to try hard until they succeed, along with processing emotions.
• Helps children face their fears and try new things, without the fear of failing.
• Children learn to think more flexible, with developmental activities.

Some of the developmental activities for 2-year-olds are as follows:

1. Building Blocks

This game introduces your child to letters and numbers.

Give your toddler a set of  colourful blocks  labelled with alphabets or numbers, and ask him/her to stack them.

What Does it Teach?

• Fine motor skills

2. Simon Says

Simon Says is a simple game which keeps toddlers entertained for long, while teaching them to follow instructions.

• One child will be ‘Simon’, who will give commands to other children, to follow.
• The catch is, only commands beginning with ‘Simon Says’ must be followed.
• You can also try this activity with your child, without involving anyone.
• Start with easy directions like, “Simon says, place both hands on your cheeks”. And your child will have to follow the command. This way his/her motor skills improve.
• As your child gets good at this activity, you can give complex commands or instructions like, “Simon says, pull your right ear and then your left ear“.
• Many children can participate in this game, which makes it a fun group activity that keeps kids entertained.
• Following instructions
• Gross motor skills

Also Read: Language Development Activities for Toddlers

3. Object Line Tracing

Object line tracing proves useful in preparing your kid to write, later on.

• Place a few objects on a white sheet and encourage your kid to trace lines around it, with chalk or crayons.
• Self-control

4. All Aboard

This activity helps in advancing your toddler’s imagination and creativity.

• Design a car out of a cardboard box.
• Let your kid pretend to drive it around the house
• Creative imagination

Also Read: Best Activities To Develop Gross Motor Skills in Toddlers

5. Obstacle Course

This activity boosts many useful skills in your kid.

• Set up an obstacle course using your  kid’s toys  and allow him/her to navigate a toy car or truck through it.
• Use different textures to boost the learning experience.
• Eye-hand coordination
• Motor skills

6. Name That Sound

Do you hear that? It’s time for a sound guessing game!

• Grab some household items like keys, a bell, or a whistle
• Make a sound using these objects
• Ask your toddler to identify the sound and match it with the corresponding item.
• Listening skills
• Sound recognition.

7. Paint with Nature

An activity to bond with nature, and explore your artistic skills? Well, count us in!

• Take a walk outside and gather some leaves, flowers, and sticks.
• Dip them in paint and let your little ones go wild with their creativity.
• Appreciation for nature.

8. Play Dress Up

Dress up time isn’t just for Halloween!

• Get out some hats, scarves, and costumes
• Let your toddler use their imagination to become whoever they want to be.
• Creativity, imagination
• Social Skills

Some educational and learning activities at home for your 2-year-old, can be:

1. Count Everything

You can use everyday household items for this activity.

• Stack toys or any simple things from your home in a row.
• Count loudly and point at each item as you count.
• Let your child repeat after you until he/she memorises the numbers
• Begin from one to ten, and slowly progress to 20, 30, and so on, as the days pass.
• Counting skills
• Cognitive skills

Also Read:   Independent Activities Toddlers Can Do Well

2. Colourful Balls

Toddlers usually love kicking, throwing, and rolling balls. So, get colourful balls for your little one and let him/her play.

• You can provide your kid with a set of soft, plastic, colourful balls which are bound to keep him/her entertained for hours.
• Motor skills, timing
• Hand-eye coordination

3. Sink or Float

This boosts your toddler’s scientific learning.

• Collect a few toys, and fill up a bucket with water. You can even do this during bath time.
• Drop the items into the water, one by one, to see which one sinks or floats.
• Use objects of different weights, so that your toddler can understand the difference between the two.
• Early scientific development

4. Colour Sorting

This activity helps nurture your toddler’s love for colours.

• Arrange a collection of similar items, like wood blocks,  Lego pieces , blocks,  cars , and magnets, and prompt your kid to categorise them by colour.

5. Matching Game

This activity can be an excellent learning tool.

• Draw a vertical line on a sheet of paper.
• Draw two sets of same items, like fruits or vegetables, and have your kid match them.

6. ABC Match-Up

It’s time to learn the alphabet!

• Write uppercase and lowercase letters on index cards
• Ask your toddler to match them up.
• Letter recognition
• Basic literacy skills.

7. Shape Scavenger Hunt

A fun game to explore shapes and your surroundings, this one is a sure hit!

• Take a walk around the house
• Find objects that match different shapes like circles, squares, and triangles.
• Shape recognition
• Critical thinking skills.

8. Sensory Play

Sensory play is a great way to promote exploration and creativity.

• Fill a container with rice, beans, or sand
• Let your little one play and experiment with different textures.
• Sensory development
• Problem-solving skills.

Here’s a list of the sensory art and craft activities for a 2-year-old:

1. Play Dough

Play dough is a versatile activity for kids that provides hours of fun learning

• Buy playdough of different colours and encourage your toddler to create various shapes and patterns with it.

2. Colour Mixing

You can make colours more enjoyable for your child, with this activity.

• Show your kid how to combine and make new colours.
• Begin with primary colours, like red + blue= purple.
• Colour recognition

3. Finger Painting

A messy, yet fun activity for kids!

• Tape a piece of paper to the table and give your toddler small cups of paint.
• Let your kid take control and paint what his/her heart desires.
• It maybe a good idea to dress your kid in old clothes and keep wet wipes handy.
• Sensory skills

4. Paper and Glue

This activity is both, educative and entertaining.

• Take a sheet of coloured paper and cut small pieces out of it.
• Have your kid paste it on another piece of paper, with  glue .
• You can also draw different coloured circles and cut corresponding coloured paper, to develop colour recognition in your kid.

5. DIY Craft

DIY craft is a good activity to stimulate your toddler’s creative skills.

• You can try a simple craft, by utilising easily available household items, like a  ball of  cotton,  and giving it an animal form.
• Focus more on the process of creating the art, rather than what the final result looks like.
• Exploring with new materials can make the activity more exciting for your kid.

6. Squishy Painting

Let your little one explore colours and textures with this fun art activity.

• Squirt different coloured paints onto a large sheet of paper
• Cover with a clear plastic sheet
• Let your toddler squish and mix the colours with their hands.

What does it teach?

• Develop their fine motor skills
• Sensory exploration.

7. Sponge Stamping

Turn ordinary sponges into works of art with this easy stamping activity.

• Cut different shapes out of sponges
• Dip them into paint
• Let your toddler stamp them onto paper to create their own masterpiece.
• Develop their creativity
• Hand-eye coordination.

8. Pipe Cleaner Sculptures

 Let your toddler explore their imagination with this simple sculpture activity.

•  Give your toddler some colourful pipe cleaners
• Let them twist and bend them into different shapes
• Now they can create their own unique sculptures.
• Spatial awareness.

Some fun activities for 2-year-olds at home, which may retain their interest is:

1. Opposites

This activity is simple and does not require any materials.

• Select a few easy opposites, like sad- happy, and have your kid act them out.
• You can also encourage him/her to speak the words.
• Cognitive development

2. Balancing

Balancing activity may tick off most boxes of your  toddler’s growth and development .

• You can turn a plastic bowl upside down or use a  stool  and have your kid balance himself on it.
• Your kid may enjoy stepping down or jumping off and, climbing over it again.
• Make sure to supervise your kid, during this activity.

This activity keeps your toddler entertained, and doesn’t take much effort

• Stick colourful tape in various patterns, to the floor in your house.
• Tell your kid to walk on the tape, without losing balance
• Motor Skills

4. Straws and Cups

Your toddler will find this light-hearted activity fun.

• Provide your kid with an empty cup and a straw.
• Direct him to put the straw in the cup.

5. Touchy-Feely Activity

This interesting activity can be both, informative and exciting.

• Gather a few items that have a different sensory feel, like soft, rough, sticky, or bumpy, in a bowl.
• Then say the word, and have your kid pick out the matching item.

6. “Shake It Up” Dance Party

Turn up the music and let your little one dance their heart out! Encourage them to shake their whole body, jump, twirl, and clap along.

• Clear some space
• Put on some music and start moving!
• You can even join in on the fun and show your little one some new dance moves.
• Dancing helps children develop gross motor skills
• Coordination and rhythm

7. Pillow Forts

Build a cozy fort with pillows and blankets (bonus points for string lights!)

• Gather pillows, blankets, and some creativity.
• Use furniture as a foundation
• Layer pillows and blankets to create a cozy hideout.
• String lights can add an extra touch of magic!
• Spatial awareness
• Imaginative play.

8. Puzzle Play

Challenge your child’s problem-solving skills with a puzzle.

• Choose a puzzle that is appropriate for your child’s age and skill level
• Sit with your child and encourage them to fit the pieces together.
• Praise their efforts and celebrate their success!
• Problem-solving skills
• Perseverance.

Some meaningful outdoor activities which help in your toddler’s development are :

1. Pouring Water in Cups

There’s always fun in simplicity.

• Provide your kid with few plastic cups and a pitcher.
• Allow him/her to pour water into the cups, from the pitcher.
• Refill the pitcher when it gets empty.

2. Playing in Sandbox

Playing in  a sandbox   keeps your kid amused for a considerable amount of time.

• Create a sandbox and fill it with sand, toys, and small buckets.
• Muscle skills

3. Watering the Plants

Toddlers can indulge in their love for water play, through this activity.

• Give your child a plastic watering can and show him/her how to water the plants.

4. Planting a Seed

This activity helps inculcate in your kid, a love for nature.

• Assist your kid in planting a seed, and watch it grow!
• Locomotor skills
• Object control skills

5. Sidewalk Chalk

This activity can be a fun way to present shapes and colours to your kid.

• Draw a sidewalk with chalk and have your kid colour it.

6. Obstacle Course

Create a mini obstacle course in your backyard.

• Use household items like cones, hula hoops, and cushions
• Create a fun obstacle course for your child to navigate.
• Encourage them to crawl under or jump over objects.
• Problem-solving
• Coordination.

7. Picnic Time 

Have a picnic outdoors for a change of scenery.

• Pack a lunch or snack and head outside to a nearby park or your backyard.
• Spread out a blanket and enjoy your meal together while enjoying the outdoors.
• Socialization
• Appreciation of nature
• Exploration.

1. How You Can Mentally Stimulate A 2 Year Old?

Here are a few ways you can mentally stimulate a 2 year old:

• Engage them in toddler activities that promote creativity and problem-solving skills, such as building blocks, coloring or playdough.
• Play games for two year olds that involve counting, sorting, or matching. Activities such as puzzles, memory games, and shape-sorters are perfect for this age group.
• Plan fun indoor activities for toddlers that encourage exploration and learning, such as sensory bins, reading books or playing with puppets.
• Remember, every child is unique and may have their own preferences when it comes to activities.

The key is to keep it fun, engaging and age-appropriate, so your little one can develop new skills while having a blast!

2. Which Cognitive Skills Should A 2 Year Old Have?

At 2 years old, a child’s cognitive skills are rapidly developing. Some of the cognitive skills that 2 year olds typically exhibit include:

• Improved memory and recall abilities.
• Basic problem-solving skills and the ability to find solutions to simple challenges.
• Enhanced language skills, such as the ability to understand basic instructions and follow simple rules.

To support your child’s cognitive development, try engaging them in toddler activities that are both fun and stimulating. This could include playing games for two year olds, reading books together, or engaging in creative play with puppets or building blocks. With a little creativity and a lot of patience, you can help your child grow and develop into a confident, capable learner!

3. How Many Hours A Day Should You Play With 2 Year Old?

As a general rule, experts recommend that toddlers engage in at least 1-2 hours of structured playtime each day, in addition to plenty of unstructured playtime as well. Structured playtime could include toddler activities such as reading books, playing games for two year olds, or doing arts and crafts together. Unstructured playtime could include free play with toys, exploring the outdoors, or simply playing together.

Ultimately, the most important thing is to follow your child’s lead and respond to their needs. If they seem to be getting bored or restless, it may be time to switch things up and engage in a new activity. Similarly, if they seem tired or overstimulated, it may be time to take a break and let them rest. With a little flexibility and a lot of love, you can help your child develop into a happy, healthy learner!

These activities will certainly keep your little one engrossed. However, there can never be enough to please him/her , once your child develops an affinity for art and craft activities! Apart from these fun activities, another great way to ensure that your little one stays away from the screen and engrossed in developmental activities is by getting him an activity box for toddlers .   It will offer your child exciting and fun new ways to improve his/her ability to imagine, create and make memories. There is a different box for every month, which packs learning into challenging DIY activities, storybooks, and attractive worksheets!

Learning through play is a delightful way to get your child started off on the journey of gaining knowledge and exploring the world around him. Not only does he/she get to learn something new, your little one gets to have plenty of fun with it as well!

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25 Fun and Simple Activities For 2 Year Olds At Home

All activities should be done with adult supervision.

Two of the most frequently asked questions I get is,

How do I keep my 2 year old entertained at home?

What activities can i do with my 2 year old that will last longer than 5 minutes.

I get it, 2 year olds can be tricky.  Wonderful, but tricky.

They are active, they are curious, and their attention spans are very very short.

Does this sound like a 2 year old who may be living in your home?

It’s frustrating, I know, to set up an activity for your 2 year old that you see online, only for them to take one look at it and walk the other way.

I also know what it feels like to want to tackle your endless to do list and resorting once again to the TV because you.just.need.a.minute!

So, here’s an important message for you before we start,  You are not alone.  You are doing a great job. 

RELATED:  5 Components For A Predictable Daily Toddler Routine

Days at home with a 2 year old can be long.  And that is why you need a toolbox of simple and fun activities that you can put together on a moments notice.

Before I share my favorite activities for 2 year olds, here are some important reminders about our favorite toddlers:

Their attention spans are smaller then you even think they are

It’s completely ok and normal for them to try the activity for a few minutes and then get up to do something else

• If you leave an activity out for them, a lot of times, they will come back to it
• Please supervise your child, especially if they are still putting things in their mouth.  Do not do activities that aren’t taste-safe or with small parts

These 2 year old activities promote:

• fine motor development
• allow for open-ended process art
• exploration with simple sensory bins and new textures
• early literacy exposure
• opportunities to help develop language and a love of reading
• early math skills

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:  Brown Bear Brown Bear Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

2 Year Old Fine Motor Activities:

•  Vertical Color Sort and Stick with Colorful Stickers 

2.  Paint With Water

3.  Paper Tray to Rip and Crumple

4.  Cardboard Sticker Match 

5. Paper Towel Tube Pom Pom Drop

2 Year Old Simple Process Art:

1. Paint With Ice and Washable Paint

2.  Paint With Kitchen Utensils (like spatula, whisk, spoons, and forks)

3.  Paint and Stamp with Paper Towel Rolls

4.  Paint The Circle Art Prompt

Trace circles onto a large sheet of paper and invite your 2 year old to paint inside of the circles

Simple Sensory Bins For 2 Year Olds

1. Rainbow Rice Sensory Play

Create your rainbow rice using this recipe in this post: The Ultimate Toddler Activity Guide-March Learn and Play Activities

2. Hidden Puzzle Sensory Bin 

Use any sensory bin filler you like, (we used dyed penne pasta) and hide pieces from chunky puzzles inside for your 2 year old to find and match.

3. Wash The Dishes Sensory Bin with Soapy Water

4. Two Ingredient Snow Sensory Bin

Combine 1/2 cup of white conditioner and 2 cups of baking soda to create sensory snow!

5. Farm and Pond Sensory Play 

As a sensory filler I used dry split peas for the farm animal figurines to play on and blue play dough for the pond.  I paired this with farm books for some bookish play!

6. Hidden Puzzle Sensory Bin

If you want more simple sensory bins to get started with, head here:  Sensory Bin Fillers

Play Dough Play For 2 Year Olds

• Baby Shark Themed Play Dough Tray

2. Play Dough With Loose Parts

Please make sure your child is no longer mouthing small parts before setting this up.  For set ups like this I like to include popsicle sticks and plastic straws to poke in the play dough. 

3. Frozen Themed Play Dough Tray

4. Valentine’s Day Play Dough Tray

For our favorite play dough recipe, check out this recipe from I Heart Naptime!

To set out play dough trays like this, I love placing the play dough in the middle of this plastic appetizer tray from The Dollar Tree and then having loose parts to fit the theme in the other spots.

Color and Shape Play For 2 Year Olds

1. Connect The Dots With Kwik Stix Paint Sticks

To set this up, I taped a large sheet of brown paper, you can also use white, and made shapes like triangles, squares, and rectangles using dot stickers.  I gave her Kwik Stix paint sticks to connect the dots and make the shapes.

2.   Flash Card Color Sort

These Disney shape and color flash cards we found at The Dollar Tree

3. Dot Sticker Sort and Stick

Anytime you can get your 2 year old to work on a vertical surface like taping things to the wall is great practice for their fine motor muscles!

4.  Counting Bear Color Sorting

5.  Popsicle Stick Shape Match Puzzle

6.  Brown Bear, Brown Bear Color Sort and Sensory Bin

This color sorting sensory bin activity pairs perfectly with a favorite book of ours!  You can find this activity and more to go along with the story by reading this post: Brown Bear Brown Bear Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

If you are still looking for more ways to keep your 2 year old engaged, learning, and playing at home, you may be interested in learning more about my parent membership The Purposeful Play Community.

Helpful Resources For Playing and Learning With Your 2 year old:

The Toddler Learn and Play Curriculum

Weekly Activity Plan for 2-3 Year Olds

Easy DIY Name Recognition Activity for Preschoolers

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Top 47 Educational Activities for 2-year-olds At-Home

Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links which I may earn a small commission from if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.

Feed your child’s natural curiosity and help them develop a love for learning with these inexpensive educational activities.

The Joy of Learning at Home

I know first hand how the years when our children are 2-years-old are a whirlwind of growth and discovery. 

At this stage, their minds are like sponges, absorbing everything around them. 

Engaging in educational activities not only stimulates their brain but also strengthens our bond with them. 

Be it through sorting shapes or finger painting, each activity is an opportunity to teach valuable skills in a way that feels like play. 

The Importance of Play in Learning

Play transcends mere entertainment for toddlers; I consider it an essential component of young children’s development.

Through the act of playing, 2-year-olds engage multiple senses simultaneously, laying the groundwork for robust cognitive growth. 

More than just words and sounds, language development blossoms as toddlers express their thoughts and comprehend instructions during play. 

This interaction solidifies a foundation for future communication skills that they will build upon with each imaginative dialogue and curious inquiry.

They refine their coordination and balance with activities such as stacking, rolling, or kicking balls. 

These physical activities are not just about movement; they integrate learning by doing, which for toddlers is one of the best ways to grasp new concepts and master developmental milestones.

Move the flash cards aside, replace screen time and get ready to bring much fun into your day.

Developing Fine Motor Skills Through Play

Imagine the delight on your toddler’s face as they grasp tiny pom poms, meticulously sorting them into matching color cups. 

Your next rainy day can be the perfect time to grab empty water bottles and fill them with pasta shells to make maracas and start a band.

​Reach for your turkey baster to add to some water play.

So much so in fact, we had to get more of some kitchen tools for the outdoor activities in the kids mud kitchen.

Posting Activities

Let’s explore the world of play dough together. Play dough play can contribute so much to a toddler’s development.

Such manipulation tasks serve as building blocks for future skills, like holding a pencil or buttoning up a shirt. 

Play Dough Activities

Consider threading beads onto string as another engaging pastime. 

As toddlers concentrate on piercing the string through the tiny bead holes, they build precision and hand-eye coordination. 

Other resources that can be used for threading include pasta, cardboard toilet tube rings, leaves, buttons, cotton reels and wooden rings.

For toddlers just starting out, using pipe cleaners for threading makes it easier to navigate. 

Threading Activities

Colour sorting and matching games.

I find that one of the best ways to introduce toddlers to the concept of colours, other than incidental learning, is through engaging sorting and matching games. 

You can start with a simple colour matching game that involves a muffin tin and a handful of coloured balls or pom poms. 

Another creative activity is providing your toddler with various coloured objects and a series of containers or buckets labeled with matching colors. 

If you’re looking for a sensory play twist, mix in objects of different textures and sizes to broaden their sensory experience.

On laundry day , I often turn this routine task into a fun learning activity. 

Colour Sorting Activities

Enhancing gross motor skills with movement.

I find that integrating movement-based play activities into a toddler’s day is an excellent method to foster their gross motor skills. 

Even simple things such as shaking her ‘sillies out’ before sitting to have lunch make her body more comfortable and concentrating an easier task.

Gross Motor Activities

Let’s encourage young ones to move their bodies and explore the limits of what they can do as they grow stronger and more confident by the day.

Discovering Patterns with Creative Crafts

For instance, making necklaces with beads of different shapes and colours not only hones their fine motor skills but also introduces them to the basic concept of patterns. 

You can start by showing them how to create a simple pattern, like red, blue, red, blue, and then let them take the lead. 

Show them how to arrange the stickers in a sequence, such as star-circle-star-circle, and watch as they replicate the pattern or come up with their own. 

They can make alternating patterns, like yellow strip, green strip, yellow strip, or even more complex ones as they advance. 

These crafts are interactive methods to introduce young minds to the concept of order and sequence, laying a solid foundation for math and observational skills later on. 

The key is to keep it playful and allow for exploration, as this is when they learn the most.

Pattern Activities

Letter recognition and early literacy.

These tools make it easy to introduce the alphabet during snack time or craft projects. 

Press them into paint before stamping them onto a sheet of paper.

Similarly, alphabet mats serve as a colourful playground for toddlers to explore the shapes and sounds of different letters. 

Incidental Learning

Our local library has a huge alphabet play mat. My little one loves doing letter hunts, running from one to the other.

It’s a playful way to boost their understanding of language structure and phonics. 

In these ways, I transform the daunting journey of literacy into a series of delightful steps that entertain as they educate. 

It’s a gratifying process to watch toddlers grasp new words and take pride in their growing abilities.

Letter Recognition Activities

Sensory bins for tactile learning.

You can create these bins by filling a container with an array of items that intrigue the senses. 

Little hands learn what happens when they pour water from their jug into their water table.

They learn to isolate different sounds as they listen to the rustle of bubble wrap.

We spend so much time exploring sensory play. It can be such an easy activity to set up and present so many learning opportunities.

What to put into your sensory bin

Boosting problem-solving skills.

Problem-solving skills are a cornerstone in the developmental journey of a 2-year-old. 

We can nurture these skills with activities specifically designed to challenge and engage toddlers in thinking through solutions. 

As your toddler gets more confident, you can enhance the play by wrapping the pieces in foil or adding them to a sensory bin.

Building blocks also offer countless opportunities for toddlers to experiment and solve problems. 

I encourage them to build towers, bridges, and even simple representations of things they see in everyday life to expand their creativity and understanding.

These come in various forms, from traditional plastic sorters to homemade alternatives using cardboard and household items. 

They learn to trial different solutions, and in doing so, they build confidence in their capability to overcome challenges, which is a crucial aspect of problem-solving.

Pretend Play for Social Development

When children engage in make-believe with dolls, they learn to express themselves and understand the complexities of social interactions. 

For instance, I might guide a child to ‘feed’ a doll, which then opens a dialogue about caring and empathy.

Kitchen sets offer a fantastic arena for pretend play. 

I encourage little ones to ‘prepare’ meals, which teaches them about different roles people have and how collaboration works. 

As toddlers navigate the pretend scenarios, they face challenges and learn to manage frustrations, which is a key part of emotional growth.

No-Mess Activities for Hassle-Free Fun

I’ve discovered some fantastic ideas that require zero prep and leave no trace behind once playtime is over.

Stack pillows in a line and let your child’s toys have the thrill of their plushy lives sliding down. 

It’s a great sensory experience and teaches them about gravity and incline without any spills or stains.

It’s a fantastic way to build fine motor skills and visual tracking, plus you don’t have to worry about tidying up afterward. 

This activity is a solid choice for introducing scientific concepts like temperature and phase changes, and the only thing that gets wet is a bit of water – easy to clean!

So say goodbye to long clean-ups and hello to hassle-free fun that keeps the learning going.

Cultivating Imagination with Storytelling

I find storytelling an incredibly powerful way to spark imagination in 2-year-olds as it invites them into worlds beyond their immediate experiences. 

Questions like, “What do you think is happening here?” or “What might happen next?” help them think creatively and predict outcomes.

For words or concepts that seem new, I suggest simple explanations or mimicry to convey their meaning. 

If a character in the book is jumping, we can both stand up and jump, laughing as we bring the story to life.

This nurtures empathy and helps them apply the tale to their own world. 

With these approaches, you and I empower your 2-year-old to not just hear a story, but to live it, learn from it, and love it.

Outdoor Exploration and Nature Play

Fresh air, sunlight, and the endless curiosities of nature make for a perfect educational playground. 

Together, we create a list of natural items to find, such as a smooth stone, a feather, or a flower of a certain color. 

Sidewalk chalk games, on the other hand, offer both a creative outlet and a learning tool. 

“Hop to the circle,” or “Find the letter A,” gets them moving and learning simultaneously. 

Mixing in food colouring makes for an exciting lesson on colors as they watch the water change hues with each drop.

​Play at home curriculums for toddlers

For others it can be useful to have a step by step list of toddler activities at their fingertips.

Creative Ways to Say ‘Well Done!’

As parents and caregivers, acknowledging the achievements of our toddlers can reinforce their love for learning. 

These acts of recognition affirm their capabilities and boost their confidence to take on the next challenge with enthusiasm.

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