Five easy ways to entertain your toddler while you work!

Trying to get things done at home with a toddler - nightmare right?

I remember the day I answered the door to collect a parcel and came back to find my bundle of joy had pulled the letter E and number 3 off my keyboard and was attempting to eat them.

Huh.

Toddlers are particularly tricky to have around when you need to work from home as they have the combination of short attention spans and lots of energy.

This is where a quick and easy way to entertain is a lifeline. Something simple to put together but unusual enough to keep them entertained.

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I have a handful of ideas in my back pocket for when we are having one of those tricky days, where he's just not interested in his regular toys or I need to get on with things and require the use of both my hands (something most toddlers think is optional!).

Here are five of my favourite simple but fun ways to entertain your toddler when working. They are all incredibly quick to set up and are guaranteed to entertain your little one.

1. Painting with water

This is one of those ideas that's unbelievably simple but it has the potential to entertain for long enough to write an email or actually drink a HOT coffee for a change (iykyk).

All you need is some coloured paper (white doesn't have the same wow factor), a chunky paintbrush and a small pot of water.

I used one of our trusted IKEA plastic bowls as it was the first thing that came to hand, but I only put a little bit of water in the bottom so he didn't spill it everywhere or flood the paper.

When they've covered the sheet of paper, you can swap it out for another colour, and leave the original to dry so it can be re-used.

2. Peg play

Young children love getting to play with everyday objects that are normally only for the grownups. and you can't get easier than this!

My youngest played with pegs as a baby when I would put them on a basket and he would pull them off, but his motor skills are now good enough for him to peg them on himself.

We just used one of our IKEA storage boxes as they are a good width, but you could use anything as long as it's not too wide for the pegs -

3. Sensory bin

If you've never tried sensory bins, I recommend giving them a go. They're worth the little bit of effort - they entertain my kids for ages and they keep coming back to them all day.

You'll want it to be a low-mess version - you don't want to go for the full jelly experience if you're trying to work! If you use larger sized fillers they are easier to tidy away and you won't have to clean any clothes or surfaces.

Low-mess sensory bin fillers:

• Dried beans

• Pompoms

• Corn kernels

• Pasta shapes

• Pinecones

• Packing peanuts

• Buttons

• Plastic lids

• Corks

• Feathers

• Mini wood slices

  
  

Want to know more about sensory bins? Read my guide here

4. Cutting wool

If your little one is fairly confident with scissors then try giving them some wool to cut up.

They will love snipping away at it and if you use safety scissors you can let them get on with it sitting next to you without worrying about snipped fingers.

As well as keeping little ones busy, this is a great activity for developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, independence and focus!

The great thing about wool is that it's an interesting and easy material to cut, but if you can't get your hands on any, you can try string, leaves - anything unusual and easy to snip, just pop them in a tray to contain the mess.

5. Scribbling on boxes

You'll know the old addage - children would rather play with the boxes than what's inside? Why not make the most of this age-old fascination by breaking a box open and giving your little one a tray of crayons and/or pencils.

Being such a large surface area, they can scribble and draw to their heart's content.

We love gel crayons and watercolour pencils as they give the most vibrant results on cardboard.

The great thing about this activity is once you are done with it you can pop the cardboard in the recycling!

Do you have any tips for easy ways to entertain toddlers? Let me know below!

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