Easy Autumn & Winter Activities For Your Toddler

Autumn has officially arrived. With it, more rain, wind and weather has come too. While many are happy to see the changes of the season and the cosy, dark evenings drawing in, toddler Mums like me can feel daunted. It’s hard enough getting a hard headed toddler out of the house & enjoying activities. Add the rain and dark days to it and it can feel like an impossible task. Well, I’m here to help! This bumper blog post is full to the brim with easy Autumn activities for you and your toddler to enjoy.

Go To A Pumpkin Patch

Your Instagram feed is going to be full of pumpkin patch snaps *very* soon. Who can deny the cute family photos and the wholesome Autumn content? Not me, that’s for sure.

We’ll be taking Jack to our favourite pumpkin patch this year. We go every year and I love building a portfolio of photos exactly a year apart.

Keep it fun for your toddler: bring snacks & digger style toys. Get creative with your photography by letting them be the ones behind the camera.

If you want to go all out, get a special pumpkin patch outfit – or do what I do and recreate the same photos from years gone by.

Give Your Pumpkins A Bath

On a rainy day, what better thing is there to do than get wet? Wet, wet and more wet. This fun toddler activity lets your little one get messy and soaked while also helping you with chores.

Set up a pumpkin cleaning station somewhere outside. Give them tools like sponges and a watering can. Let them scrub their pumpkin in the rain.

Water play is always a great way to keep your toddler entertained – and they’re wet already because of the rain!

Go On A Nature Walk

We love a walk in our house. It’s usually exactly what the doctor ordered and can usually remedy any issue.

We’re out of the house more and more as Jack becomes more active. He’s always got lots of energy to burn off so the option of cosy warm days inside this Autumn is out for us.

Make a walk fun by adding a treasure map or a treasure hunt. Get your toddler to help you find specific leaves, bugs and sticks.

Let them walk around freely and out of the pushchair where safe.

Wrap up for all weather conditions and end your walk with a well deserved hot chocolate and babycino!

Have A PJ Party

On days where the rain feels relentless and there’s really no option but to stay at home, have fun with a PJ day.

Make a big deal out of getting changed into PJs from your clothes, let your little one pick their pyjamas of choice.

Get them involved by letting them pick the pillows, blankets and comforters to transform your living room into a den.

Pick age appropriate films or TV shows (Lord knows, Jack’s attention span does not allow for a film right now) and arrange fun, low key activities to do.

Snuggle, eat snacks and watch the rainy world go by.

Do Some Baking

As soon as Autumn falls, I have the biggest urge to get in the kitchen and get baking.

Baking with your toddler doesn’t have to be like a scene from The Great British Bake Off. Keep it simple with melting chocolate and making Autumn bark. Why not try fairy cakes or supermarket character box mixes?

When we bake, I get Jack in the highchair with a full body bib on. I get him as close to the counter as possible so that he can see everything without touching the hob etc. I let him stir and whisk with my supervision and help. He tastes all of the safe ingredients and decorates with the motor skills he’s got.

Baking is a fun (but sometimes) stressful way to spend a rainy afternoon. Dave it up for when you’ve got enough patience!

Autumn Crafting

We are blessed to live in a gorgeous, leafy and rural part of the UK. This means that we have access to lots of fallen leaves, big twigs and nature right on our doorstep!

My advice: use the materials that nature gives you.

Fallen brown leaves make for the perfect lion’s mane. Twigs make a great hedgehog. Stones make a great crazy path.

Fake Snow Sensory Box Winter Activity for Toddlers

Get your coats, hats and scarves on and brave the cold with this one. Step outside and collect pinecones.

Afterward, blend in various kitchen ingredients to create a sensory box mimicking snow, providing your children with a delightful tactile experience.

Pop it all in a box and let your toddler explore freely.

Frozen Paint Winter Activity

Hey, if you’ve got little speed demons on your hands, here’s a trick to pump the brakes on their activity frenzy.

Freeze some paint into popsicles and let your kiddos go wild creating masterpieces as the paint slowly thaws out. Give them templates to go from and also let them have some freeflow and creative time. Give them as much or as little guidance and let their creativity take the lead.

It’s a cool way to add some artistic flair to the day!

Little People Ski Ramp

Guess what? All you need is an old cardboard box and a sprinkle of imagination, and you’re already halfway to the coolest winter adventure!

Picture this: your kids attempting death-defying ski jumps without a scratch. It’s all in good fun and zero boo-boos involved!

Make Frozen Pom Poms

Grab some droppers, warm water, containers, and scoops, and you’ve got a recipe for a mini adventure.

It’s not just about fine motor skills; this setup opens doors to a rainbow of activities.

Think colour sorting, a sprinkle of math magic, and a whole bunch of freezing-and-melting exploration! Your little ones are in for a playtime extravaganza that’s as educational as it is entertaining!

Blanket Fort

Okay, seriously, who can resist the charm of a classic blanket fort?

Take it up a notch by adding some twinkly lights, piling on the fluffiest pillows, and tossing in a stack of cosy books. Voila!

You’ve just created the ultimate hideaway for reading, playing, or maybe even indulging in a sip of hot chocolate or warm milk. It’s like a magical escape right in your living room!

Snowman Bowling

Time to raid the recycling bin and unleash your inner artist!

Grab those cans and give them a splash of paint to whip up the gear for this super cool DIY game.

Bonus points: toddlers go bananas for it! Imagine the joy as they gleefully toss bean bags at the tower of stacked cans. It’s like a pint-sized carnival right in your back garden!

Bubble Wrap Run 

This is one of our favourites in this house!

Oh, brace yourself for a blast of winter fun!

If you’re the kind of genius who hoards bubble wrap for a future life as a bubble-wrap connoisseur (no judgment here), you’re in for a treat.

Gather up that stash because you’re about to have a popping party that’ll make your winter extra festive!

Make Frozen Bubbles

Here’s a chilly little gem for you! Bundle up, because if you catch one of those frosty mornings, you absolutely have to brave the weather and blow bubbles.

Picture this: soap orbs doing a mesmerizing dance and freezing right before your eyes. It’s like creating your own winter wonderland magic!

Pro tip: Aim for around -2, -3°C for maximum bubble-freezing action. With a cold snap on the horizon, why not save this frosty adventure for the perfect icy moment this week?

Make Ice Castles

Fill up containers of all shapes and sizes with water and leave them out on a chilly night to freeze. Now, here comes the fun part – use those ice blocks as your building materials to craft an ice castle! And guess what makes the perfect icy cement? Shaving foam!

To add a burst of colour and flair, grab droppers and squeeze some vibrant water hues all over your frozen fortress. If you’re feeling artsy, go ahead and use paintbrushes to paint the ice with a kaleidoscope of colours. Warning: this is a messy affair, but the kind of mess that equals oodles of fun!

If you can brave the cold, take the whole shebang outside for an extra frosty adventure. Oh, and a pro tip: keep a bowl of water handy for those post-creative clean-up moments. Now, go ahead and create your icy masterpiece!

What do you think of my crafty ideas?
Which ones will you do with your toddler?

LoveRosiee
xxx

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People Also Ask…

How do I entertain my 2 year old in the winter?

Winter can be a particularly challenging time for keeping little kids entertained. Cabin fever is real, and it can be brutal. But with a few supplies that you probably already have around your house, you can turn a boring, cold winter day into a fun adventure filled with activities that activate your child’s imagination.

How do I entertain my 2 year old without toys?

2 year olds love to pretend! Blanket forts are a blast, and even more fun to wreck! I could occupy mine for hours by putting a few inches of water in the kitchen sink, a wooden spoon, and some plastic containers, supervised, of course. Pots and pans are great drums, or hats!

How do you mentally stimulate a 2 year old?

Sing simple songs that involve actions or animal sounds. For example, ‘Heads and shoulders’ or ‘Old MacDonald’. Give your toddler things to sort, like coloured blocks, shapes or pegs, or plastic cups and containers of different sizes. Give your toddler toys with buttons to push to make something happen.

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