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Indoor Fun for Toddlers
Turn Your Home into an Imagination Station
By Renee Roberson
If you live in an area where snowy weather is frequent, consider bringing the outdoors inside for a change.
"When we lived in Tahoe and it was too cold to be outside in the snow and wind, we would bring a bin full of snow into the house, put plastic and old towels down and let our son play with the snow in the bin," Nolan says. "Surprisingly it did not melt as fast as one would think. You can also put the bin of snow in the bathtub and let you toddler play there."
Most toddlers are enthralled with animals of all shapes and sizes, so take the time to role play with them even if it's too cold to visit the local zoo. You can set up a "pretend" petting zoo with your toddler's stuffed animals and visit them in different rooms of the house. You can follow the "visit" up with a favorite book about animals or the zoo.
Liepelt says her kids love to play games involving zoo animals. "My kids pretend they are different animals and I get to walk around the 'zoo' and guess what they are," she says. "It's hilarious."
With a little imagination and household items and toys you already have in your home, you can come up with plenty of ideas to keep your toddler content and active throughout the winter months. Visit your local library or bookstore to find books and talk to other parents with small children to help you come up with other creative ideas.