- Amanda Elize

3 ideas to keep your young children busy

 

I am a stay at home mom to two young children. Sometimes, THE DAYS ARE LONG! And I find myself wondering what we are going to do all day. Especially on those days where the kids are up early and fighting already. Here is a list of things that we do during the day to keep the kids busy and entertained.

Outside Play

We love going to the park, playground, running trails, nature trails, etc. If we go to one of these places, we usually go in the morning after breakfast. That way, when we get back home we eat lunch and then it’s nap time and after nap time, daddy is almost home!

My girls are 5 and 2. So they are at an age where they can ride scooters and bikes. The parks that we go to have paved trails, so we usually take the “vehicles” with us and allow the girls to ride them! They absolutely love it and it keeps them entertained for a while. It’s a great way for the whole family to get exercise because while they ride their stuff, I can walk alongside them on the trail. Or run, when they start going too fast haha.



We are also blessed when we go to my parents house because they have a huge driveway. So the girls love to spend time outside riding their bikes and scooters there. What I’m trying to say with this is, you don’t always have to visit a park or playground for outside play! I also feel that it is important to note that bikes and scooters do not have to be expensive or brand new. We found the girls’ scooters at the thrift store, still in good condition, for $6! SO keep that in mind when reading this.

Local Library

We love our local library! It is a place that we share very fond memories. All of the different libraries throughout our city have toddler times, baby times, story times, lego times, etc. So just check your local library schedule and find out what works for you and your family! Our library has toddler time on Wednesday mornings at 11:15, so we make a whole morning out of it. We usually get to the library right when it opens, around 10am. We are fortunate that our library has a playground right next to it. So the girls play on the playground and we eat snacks for about an hour. We then go to toddler time, where they read stories, sing songs, play games, and do a craft. It usually lasts about 45 minutes. After toddler time, the girls love to play games on the kids computers in the library kids section and pick out books. Last week, we even had a picnic lunch before heading home for nap time! Have fun, be creative, and make lasting memories with your kids at your local library, FOR FREE!



Local Play Groups

It is inevitable that a local play group is meeting in your area, probably every day of the week. You just have to find them! We meet almost every week with a play and learn group offered through our public library. This is different than the toddler time at our local library. The play and learn groups meet at local parks throughout the city and offer many activities ranging from sensory play, imaginative play, coloring, using fine motor skills, etc. It is awesome and my girls love it! It keeps them busy and they get to make new friends every week.

Something else we do on occasion is attend free forest school. This is a group that meets up at a local park to explore nature trails and allow kids to play free from distraction. It is so much fun to see the girls using their imaginations, outside, with no toys.

Check your local Facebook groups, ask your other mommy friends, search online and I am positive you will find groups to meet up with in your area!

 

I hope these quick and easy activities spark some new ideas for you to try and explore with your kids. Most of all, I hope you get to make and enjoy lasting memories with your little ones. The days are long but the years are short.

 

58 thoughts on “3 ideas to keep your young children busy”

  1. These are all great ideas! I’m a SAHM as well and the days are really long sometimes. I’m going to check in my town to see if any other moms want to meet at the park or something. That way our kids can play and we can hopefully chat as well <3

    2. We have a local mommies’ group in our area through Meetup.com that I used to belong to (my kids have “aged out” of it, but I still go to their mommies’ book club sometimes) – that used to be a great resource for us for playdates. And a lot of churches have groups for young mamas, too; our church just started a MOPS chapter (Mothers of Preschoolers) affiliated with our church-based preschool, which is where my daughters both went. These are all great excuses to get littles out of the house and get to meet/hangout with other mamas, too!

  2. This is timely. After limiting their screen time and gadget use, it has been truly a struggle to find activities for my boys to keep them busy. Thus, I am just so happy to read your post. Thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas.

  5. I have a toddler and the library is a life saver, especially when it’s too cold to go outside. This is a great list.

    1. Me too! Some of my best memories are playing with my cousins in my grandmas backyard for hours 🧡

  11. We love going outside, as long as it’s not raining too hard and I don’t need my winter parka 🙂 Great way to get kids out of funky moods, too!

    1. Yes, we’ve been having great weather in Texas so we are enjoying lots of time outside. Once summer hits though it will be only mornings and evenings we can be outside 🙁

  13. I think outside play is one of the best ways for me to keep my little ones busy! They love it and it keeps them out of the house where they make messes, lol. Of course, in the winter time our local library is a better option. Great ideas!

  14. The library was a life saver when my kids were little and we still visit it at least weekly now. There are so many free programs for toddlers and preschoolers that we took advantage of.

  15. We love our local library and feel fortunate that it’s only a half mile away from our home. Since the kids were young I’ve taken them there to peruse through books and attend their storytelling events.

  16. I don’t have kids but my husband and I love getting outside with our dogs whenever we are bored! Bike rides, neighborhood walks or even just sitting on our patio!

    1. we LOVE being outside too, there’s just something about it that relaxes you and puts your mind at ease!

  18. My kids could spend ages outside. I love seeing them get fresh air and be creative, using their imaginations and getting exercise too. These are great ideas especially for younger kids.

  20. Like you, we love our libraries too. Actually, they are building another one close to us and we can’t wait for it to open! Our local libraries offer many activities for kids too, especially during summertime.

  22. I’m thinking of looking into local play groups. It will foster the socialization aspect and that way, my son is used to meeting other children.

  25. Since school is almost out here in the Philippines, your post really timely. As early as now, I am thinking of tips on how to keep my little ones busy. Thank you for sharing these brilliant ideas.

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