Simple, At-Home Summer Activities for Toddlers and Babies

Pool passes, swim lessons, summer camps, and team baseball: these are the quintessential children’s activities of summer! Unfortunately, it can take a few years for kids to really grow into those activities. So how does a mom pass these long, hot days in the meantime?

If you have 2-and-unders this summer, you may not be breaking up as many sibling fights or watching baseball until 9 p.m., but you’re probably trying to keep Little Susie from swallowing rocks at the park, balancing a baby on one hip while making sure the two year-old doesn’t fall in the pool and spending long, hot days inside the house because there’s not time to get out around naps.

And let’s talk about the feasibility of many “at-home activities.” I think Pinterest is fantastic, but I simply do not have the energy for things requiring food dye, scissors, or glitter. I want activities that will help my two year-old and baby beat the heat with items I already have on hand, and that require minimal effort — so that maybe I can actually enjoy myself, too!

Here are a few activities I’ve discovered that meet the above criteria. They are easy – REALLY easy. You can pull them off with nothing more than the items in your home, and you can adapt them for many developmental stages.

Sponge Water Painting

Supplies needed: a sponge and a bucket of water

Send your child outside to a fence or a sidewalk with a shallow bucket of water and a sponge, and tell them to start painting with water! They can get cooled off without you having to worry if they’ll fall in a pool, and your hands are free for drinking a coffee. Babies can simply chew on a clean, damp sponge (which doubles as a teether — win, win)! If your child is a little older, have them paint letters, shapes, numbers, etc. This activity has been a huge hit for our two year-old.

paint fence

Nature Walk or Scavenger Hunt

Supplies needed: a bag or bucket for carrying

My go-to activity for passing the 4-5 p.m. hour is what I’ve dubbed the “nature walk.” We all go outside and wander down the sidewalk or around the backyard, looking for sticks, leaves, and seeds. If it’s really hot and you don’t want to do much walking, sit on the steps and send your child on a backyard scavenger hunt: “Find me something green. Where’s a stick that looks like a Y? How many things can you put in this bucket?” You get the idea.

Spray Bottle Fun

Supplies needed: clean spray bottles

This is self-explanatory: simply fill up a spray bottle and let your children loose squirting all the things. Spray bottles are usually easier for little hands to maneuver than actual squirt toys with tiny buttons, and you probably already have them on hand. Too hot to go outside? Put your little in the (non-running) shower and let them squirt everything in there. Even babies will like a little mist, or they can play with the bottom half of an empty spray bottle.

Lazy Mom’s Baby Pool

Supplies needed: a large, clear plastic tub

lazy baby pool

I love the baby pool, but what I don’t love is setting it up, lugging out the hose to fill it up, and then still being worried my child is going to fall into the water. Enter a large plastic tub: the perfect size for a big baby or young toddler to sit inside, and it’s both easy to fill and supervise. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the tub and give your child a cup to play with — and watch them enjoy! (As with any pool or bath, be sure to stay close and supervise.)

“Wash the ______”

Supplies: a rag and a bucket of water

In my experience, toddlers love to “clean” (emphasis on the air quotes, of course). Put that energy to work by assigning them to clean everything you can think of: their toys, the swing, the porch, etc. If any cleaning actually occurs, well, you win the mom lottery! If not, at least they got a little wet, and you didn’t make an additional mess trying to help them glue buttons to a pillow.

What other super-easy ideas are you using to keep your babies and toddlers entertained at home this summer?

Jenna
Jenna lives in Midtown with her husband and two kids (ages 6 and 4). She has an M.A. in English and too many overdue books at the library. She has been working with writers for over a decade, as a high school teacher, college instructor, and writing coach. She loves good coffee, serious conversation, and not-too-serious fiction.