For infants:

• Bring their stroller outside for a walk or a story.

• Lay a blanket on the grass for tummy time.

• Enjoy bubbles, listen to music and sing together, talk about what you see outside.

• Park the stroller or hold your baby so they can watch an older sibling or other children play.

For toddlers:

• Play ‘I spy’ (keep it simple, “I spy something blue”, “I spy something that moves”).

• Collect rocks or leaves, then sort them by size, color, and shape.

• Kick, roll, or toss a ball back and forth.

• Dig in the dirt (don’t forget buckets, bowls, measuring cups, spoons, gardening tools, whatever you have!).

• Play with sidewalk chalk: draw pictures, trace one another’s outline, draw an obstacle course (hop, walk on the line, spin in a circle  drawing a spiral, etc). 

• Paint with water. Fill a cup with water and give your child a brush to “paint” the sidewalk, door, etc.

• Blow bubbles.

• Play “I’m going to catch you.”

• Pretend to be the different animals you might see in your neighborhood: Birds, squirrels, rabbits, deer, etc.

Most play that happens inside the house can also happen outside, so if the weather allows, bring some blocks outside, read together outdoors, color, or paint a cardboard box in the yard.

• Physical Play: Little ones need to move and work their bodies…and voices. They will need opportunities to be loud, run, climb, and jump. This may happen outside or inside. Here are some ideas: 

• Turn on some music and have a dance party.

• Put couch cushions on the floor and crawl, walk, or jump from one to the next (don’t touch the floor, it’s hot lava!).

• Use a bedsheet as a parachute (open it wide and raise it up above your heads, then bring it down to the floor). For infants, raise and lower a light blanket over them while playing peek-a-boo.

• Build a fort with sheets, blankets, couch cushions, pillows, chairs, and more. You can even “camp-out” indoors!

• Create an obstacle course using furniture, pillows, and toys.

Quiet Play: Children (and you) will also need some quiet time each day. This is great for relaxing, recharging, and maybe even allowing you to get some work done.

• Read together or independently (toddlers can flip through books and talk about what they see in the illustrations)

• Coloring

• Puzzles

• Block building

• Sorting objects

• Pretend play with stuffed animals, dolls, trains, cars, or kitchen items for “playing house”

• Stickers on paper – you can draw large shapes, letters, or numbers on paper and your child can line the shape with stickers

• Tape on paper – you can cut short pieces of masking tape and your child can stick it to a piece of paper (sounds boring, but little ones love it).