No mess toddler activities
No prep toddler activities at home
(including FREE Printable)
These no mess toddler activities are not only no mess free but also VERY low prep
Trying to keep younger children occupied while you homeschool the older ones can be proven to be quite challenging. It’s something a lot of people ask about. “How do you keep your toddler entertained while you work with the older children?’
8 Low prep toddler activities
So here is a list of 8, low to no prep toddler activities you could try with your toddler. (With a free printable too!)
1. Maths Cube sorter
My youngest loves playing with the maths cubes (possibly because it makes her feel like she’s doing “work” like her older siblings) so this felt like the perfect activity for her.
(And it’s perfect for me because it keeps her busy without making a mess!
Low prep toddler activities for the win!
This is honestly one of those activities that has almost no prep, (apart from the initial printing). It can keep the kids busy for absolutely ages! I’d say it’s perfect for ages 2-4 (though I’ve spotted my 6 year old joining in with her when he can!).
So, if you are super busy and need something to keep the toddler occupied, this is the perfect thing!
Don't have cubes?
Click here to get your hands on some maths cubes. The ones I’ve linked are slightly different to the ones I have. But I’ve linked them because after I bought mine I realised I should have gone for the other ones lol.
The ones I’m linking are more versatile and can be played with in a number of ways which is always a plus.
It’s definitely best to laminate it if you can. This will make it more durable and save you from printing it again if it gets wet or something. Once laminated you can also use play doh with it, without having to worry about the sheets getting stained or wet
Top tip: If you don’t have a laminator, just cover the sheets using large clear cellotape! It’s a great cost-effective way to make it more durable.
Or if you have these clear pockets, you could pop the sheets into them, however this isn’t going to be waterproof.
I only let my daughter use these at allocated times. I’ve found that if I have it readily available for her to use as she pleases, it loses its value and becomes the same as the rest of her toys.
Using it scarcely means she’s excited to use them and spends longer doing them.
Download your freebie here
More no mess toddler activities
This ice cream pretend play is so cute and honestly looks SO fun! I feel like toddlers would love this activity. And whats great is that you can get them involved in preparing it (it’s perfect for tiny toddler hands).
You could even use it as they get older as an “ice cream shop” where they charge you for ice creams which can help with their addition and money skills! And it’s such a great role play activity
If you have an ice cream loving toddler, these would be perfect to help with teaching them counting.
Click here for painting in a bag
A fun filled messy activity which isn’t so messy!
This activity is perfect for toddlers who love paint, and also for a parent who just doesn’t have the time to supervise completely and clean up the mess at the end.
It’s really simple and chances are you already have all the items at home!
When you see this activity you will be in awe!
It’s such a simple activity for your toddler but it’s brilliant! So versatile and the possibilities are endless!
Perfect for when your toddlers activities are getting a little boring and repetitive.
This activity is so simple and perfect for any toddler. It has the smallest amount of prep ever! Which is perfect for those busy days (you know which days `i’m talking about).
It’s brilliant because as your child get accustomed to the shapes you could adjust it by asking them to find the shapes without any help from you. It can also be adjusted by teaching colours etc.
This is such a fun sensory activity. Perfect for toddlers without the mess.
You can have a theme of the day, use their favourite colours or maybe even go for rainbow colours.
And on days where you have more time, you could even do it on a tuff tray and let your toddler get messy! (If you don’t already have a tuff tray, trust me you’re going to want to get one! especially with toddlers but I’ve had mine for years and still use it regularly). It will be an awesome sensory experience for them.
Click here for clothes pin fun
This is probably THE simplest activity ever yet it has endless possibilities!
Best of all? There are literally only 2 parts to this activity and chances are you will already have them at home.
You literally just need to hand them to your toddler and leave them be.
I absolutely love these kinds of activities where it’s open ended and gets the child creative. I have previously bought games similar to help get children to get creative with their games but this game would be a brilliant alternative. And it’s free since you’ll likely already have the items!
Click here for sticky yarn wall
OK, some of you might think I’ve repeated an activity here, but hear me out.
This idea of using yarn is just SO genius!
Can you imagine how it can be so versatile? Your toddler would love this activity. And if you’re someone who knits or crochets, you probably have scraps of yarn so this activity would cost you nothing.
They could even make it into a learning activity where you ask them to make shapes or letters and numbers.
Over time you could create little sums for them to figure out.
I feel like this could be a fun activity that can be adapted as they get a little older.
If, like me, you’re a homeschool parent with multiple children and there are days you struggle to get work done with the older children because you have a toddler. Then these activities can help massively! My
Honestly keeping toddlers busy even for a little while can be challenging so you need to be ready.
Trying to get on with work without occupying your toddler first might give you a few minutes but in all honesty it won’t get you far.
Having activities prepared in advance would be the best case scenario. But sometimes the idea of choosing and preparing activities can be overwhelming and just adds so much more work to your day.
That’s where this blogpost comes in! No mess toddler activities are my absolute favourite on busy days.
Simple, easy activities that don’t take all day to prepare. With most taking no longer than a few minutes (if that!) and many of then could even be prepared on the day! Those are my favourite types of activities because let’s face it, we all have those days where you need last minute ideas.