10 TODDLER FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES [INDOOR EDITION]

One of the downsides of being a outside of the home working mother is the added risk of being exposed to the Covid-19 virus. It is a risk I take everyday as I board the train, as I take my daughter to nursery school, and as I interact with others outside of my tiny family on a daily basis. So far, after doing this for a year, there hasn't been any close calls. Unfortunately, however, my luck ran out, and due to a possible exposure at work, we all needed to quarantine at home for 10 days. Fortunately, my test came out negative, and with none of my family members exhibiting any symptoms, we were able to quarantine quite comfortably. 

By comfortably, I mean most of my energy was spent keeping my daughter happy by staying busy and having fun! She is a very curious and smart 16 month old, who loves the outdoors and playing in the parks, but with all of that off the table, I took the chance to try and expose her to new activities. I took this quarantine as a great opportunity to spend some quality time with her and see what kind of new interests and skills she has acquired now that she is well over one year old.

Below, I will share some cheap, easy, adaptable, and fun ways to keep your little one happy on a rainy day, or in the unfortunate event of quarantine. All it takes is a bit of prep time and sometimes a few yennies to get the ball rolling!

Please note, most of these activities need adult supervision! 

If you do not do this already, I recommend starting now. That is, rotating your child's toys and books and refreshing their play area or room! Rotating toys is an easy way to get your child re-interested in the things around them, especially if they have become bored with the same toys and layout. Also, it can save you some money by not needing to buy a whole new set of toys every few months! My daughter is always so excited when I bring out the books and toys that have been hiding for a month. It is a great way to start off the quarantine or rainy day, and you can sit back for a few minutes as they excitedly explore their "new" items.

Before the rain and before the quarantine, I recommend you run to your nearest dollar store and grab a pack of stickers, chalk, markers, playdough, sketchbook, and cheap, fun looking doodads to keep around for times like this. These are items that you can keep stored in your closet, that you can pull out for a quick and fun "surprise" activity. I had a pack of stickers lying around and tons of bows from Christmas that I didn't mind her using up. My daughter had a blast peeling off the stickers and placing them (mostly) on the paper. She didn't need much supervision because their wasn't any ink involved and the stickers were quite big and chunky, and therefore, easy to peel off of the table or floor. She was super excited with her masterpiece! 

Toddlers are quite observant, and while they may not know the ins and outs of a sequence, they can definitely recognize one when they see it. Therefore, pull out the plates, pretend food, utensils, and they will happily indulge you by serving or feeding you. It's quite fun to just sit with your child and act out a scenario without any other distractions. If you'd like, you can bring out the real bowls, pots, and spoons and have some added fun as they get to finally touch and play with usually taboo items. While older toddlers can engage in more intricate dramatic play, such as pretending to work at or go to a post office, hospital, and grocery store, a one year old would be more familiar with simpler dramatic play, such as eating (restaurant), patting a baby to sleep/pushing a baby in a stroller (nursery), talking on the phone, holding a bag/briefcase and pretending to go somewhere (bye-bye), and playing an instrument (banging/blowing/shaking).

Living in an apartment can be challenging when it comes to having an energetic little one that doesn't yet understand walking feet and indoor voices, but that didn't stop me from getting my daughter's little body moving. On the sunnier days,  the balcony was a great place to get some fresh air and chase and catch some bubbles. On colder, cloudier days, we stayed inside and instead of balls, we played with balloons, and we also turned her swimming pool into a ball pit! We had some boxes lying around so we made a tunnel/fort and also a mini ramp that she enjoyed walking up and down. If you live in Japan, you can usually get free boxes from the nearest convenience or grocery store!

My daughter loves water and anything squishy or slimy! First, I experimented with playdough. She got to pour in all of the ingredients, which she enjoyed doing, and had more fun if the playdough was at a softer consistency. If you have little playdough cutters and toys, that's even better. Another day, I made gelatin cubes. Super easy, but a bit messier than playdough. She enjoyed squishing the cubes with her hands and feet. If you don't do messes, stay away from the sugary gelatins because they are super sticky, and you might want to do this activity in the bathtub! If you don't have time, your child might even enjoy just standing at the sink or sitting in the tub (parental supervision advised) and just going to town with water and some toys! I bought a few bath bombs to set off, and she was super excited!

Quarantine can be a very scary and stressful time as a family, and I felt really blessed that we were able to keep our health and use this time to bond with each other. I hope that the next time you and your child are stuck indoors, it is not for quarantine, but if you happen to be quarantined and healthy or it's just your average rainy day, these are some great activities to try out. If you have anymore tips and tricks on how to survival a day indoors with a tiny toddler, please leave a comment below! I'd love to read them.