Active Play | MamawsBag

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Create a world of adventure where kids can safely burn off energy. We share gentle ways to encourage movement and giggles through simple games that keep your little ones healthy and happy.

Active Play Activities

Floor is Lava

This a a classic, imaginative game where players pretend that the floor or ground is made of boiling hot lava. The core rule is simple: players must avoid touching the ground at all costs to stay in the game.

How to Play:

A round usually begins when someone suddenly yells, "The floor is lava!"
All players typically have 5 to 10 seconds to scramble off the floor.
Players navigate the room by jumping, climbing, and balancing on furniture, cushions, rugs, or playground equipment.
If any part of your body touches the floor, you are "burned" and eliminated from the round. For younger kiddos or only one player, just simplify and practice navigating the room by the methods above. My grandson loves this activity - especially 'building' pillow bridges to help him. I also found these lava floor runners if you want to make it more realistic.

Music/Dance Party

Music is a universal language, and toddlers love to move! A music and dance party can be a great way to let loose.

How to Host a Dance Party:

Create a Playlist: Include their favorite songs.
Incorporate Instruments: Use simple instruments like tambourines or maracas. If you don't have those, a spoon and aluminum pan work great!
Dance Together: Show them different dance moves to try.
Maybe even dress up for the party, or dance in the dark with a disco ball!

Gardening Fun

Gardening can be a delightful way for toddlers to learn about nature and responsibility.

Simple Gardening Activities:

Let them be hands-on with the soil. Playing in the dirt never gets old.
Plant Seeds: Choose easy-to-grow plants like sunflowers or beans. You can even get a Root Viewer plant gardening kit for the older kiddos. You can also start the activity with Eric Carle's "The Tiny Seed" Book
Watering: Let them help with watering the plants.
Observe Growth: Encourage them to check on the plants regularly. You can even measure them with a ruler or measuring tape toy. You will find a free plant growth tracker printable here.

Pretend Restaurant Play

Encourage your little one to pretend they work at a restaurant and you are the customer. For the younger kids, you may have to reverse roles first so they understand. Give them an order for any play food you have or have them use play doh to make your food and serve it to you. Here is a free printable if you would like a pretend menu, order form and food cutouts. Don't forget to pay (& tip) your hard-working server!

Magnet Fun Around the House

Let's face it - magnets are cool and a great way to sneak in a little science lesson. Find a magnet that is large & interesting enough for little hands to carry around. Mamaw uses these magnet wands for a lot of different activities since the set comes with 5 wands and 500 colorful chips. Explain a little about magnet concepts, like:

The Invisible Force: Explain that a magnet has a secret, invisible superpower called magnetism. It acts like an invisible hand or an "invisible hug" that can reach out & grab certain objects without even touching them first.
Every magnet has two opposite sides, usually called the North and South poles. If you put two opposite sides together (North and South), they love each other and snap together with a quick click! This is called attracting. If you try to push the same two sides together (North to North), they get stubborn and push each other away. This is called repelling.

Then walk around your house playing, 'Does It Stick?'. Here is a free printable checklist to get you started.

Nature Walks

Taking a nature walk is not only a great way to get some fresh air but also an opportunity for toddlers to learn about their environment.

Tips for a Successful Nature Walk:

Bring a Bag: Collect leaves, rocks, or flowers to sort later.
Ask Questions: Encourage curiosity by asking about colors, shapes, and textures.
Make it Interactive: Play games like “I Spy” to keep them engaged. Or you can download a Park Scavenger Hunt printable here.

Obstacle Course

Creating an indoor obstacle course can burn off energy while developing motor skills. This is a go-to activity with my grands.

How to Set Up:

Use Furniture: Create tunnels with chairs and cushions. Kids love to help with this part.
Add Challenges: Include jumping over pillows or crawling under tables.
Use painter's tape on the floor to create jumping boxes or balance beams and on the walls to create 'high five' spots.
Make it a fun challenge by timing how fast they can complete it. You can find a fun, kid-friendly timer here.
Don't forget to create a finish line from crepe paper that they can crash through each time!
If you want some real obstacles that could also be used outdoors, check out these tent & tunnels, step logs, stepping stones and small hula hoop circles.

Get Out the Building Toys

Building toys are a classic staple that can provide hours of entertainment while promoting cognitive development. It is also a toy that can be used differently each time you play, so kids stay engaged. Some of Mamaw's favorites are magnetic building sticks, magnetic blocks, counting cubes and hedgehog building blocks.

Building Block Activities:

Challenge them to build tall towers, bridges for their cars or houses for their stuffed animals.
Color Sorting: Sort blocks by color or size.
Count Blocks: Count how many blocks they use in their creations.

Life Size Board Game

Grab those interlocking floor puzzle pieces, dice, or a colorful spinning wheel and you've got your own life size board game, where you and your little one are the game pieces. Setup is minimal, because building the game 'track' is half the fun. I had to set it up for my grandson the first time, but now he does it himself every time, and the best part is that the track is different each time. Once it is built, either roll a dice or spin the color wheel to determine how far you move. If you don't have the puzzle pieces, you can improvise with painter's tape or colorful tape.

Comparing Weights with Balance Scale

My grandson loves weighing and comparing items with this balance scale. If your child likes to record data, you can use this free printable to record observations. Laminate it if you want to reuse it. Focus on the concepts of heavy, light and equal/balanced. It may help to compare the scale to a see saw if they have seen or played on one. You can compare most manipulatives, light objects around the house, or even small toys & liquids. If you have the counting bears, they make a great non-standard measurement tool. Example: How many counting bears do you think this weighs?

Fun with Chores

Involving toddlers in chores can be a fun and educational experience. Incorporating simple tasks into a game or challenge allows them to bond with you while learning some life skills (and knocking something off your to-do list!). It’s amazing how they are naturally attracted to what many of us consider to be the ho-hum happenings of everyday life so they can be just like mommy or daddy.

Kid-Friendly Chore Ideas:

Watering Plants: Outdoor plants are a no brainer. Just give them a cup and some water and they will run back and forth trying to get them all. If you are inside, it might be a good idea to put your plants into a sink, bin or bathtub to contain the mess.
Cleaning outdoor furniture or cars: Kids love a squirt bottle filled with water (and maybe some soap). Why not put them to work with it?
Sorting Laundry: They can help sort clean laundry (do you think this shirt is yours, or daddy's?). They can make the piles and you can fold it. Older kids actually love learning folding methods. Don't forget to ask them the color of each item. Matching socks is fun, too!
Wiping Tables, Appliances or Floor Tiles: Give them a damp towel and see how many items they can 'clean' in 2 minutes. Set a kid-friendly timer or ask Alexa to do it and now it is a real game.

Water Play

Water play is not only fun but also a great way to explore scientific concepts like floating and sinking. We are lucky enough to have a pool in our yard for the summer months, but the ideas below will work indoors also.

Water Play Ideas:

Water Table: Use a water table or a large container filled with water.
Add Toys: Include cups, boats, and sponges for added fun.
Ice Play: Freeze toys in ice and let them melt in warm water.
Give them squirt bottles with water to 'paint' the driveway or house.
Wash the car together
Go 'fishing' for letters or numbers with an aquarium net. This is great for the bathtub.

Simple Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Make a list of items for your child to find around the house. This could include a red toy, a book, or a specific kitchen utensil. You will find a free scavenger hunt list appropriate for the littlest seekers here. Scavenger hunts encourage problem-solving and can increase language skills. They can also burn off some energy if you set a kid-friendly timer to see how fast they can find all the items.

Post It Note Alphabet or Number Recognition Game

What is it about Post It Notes that kids love? I'm not sure, but I'm on board with it for simple learning activities. There are a lot of options, but one of the easiest is to grab a piece of poster board or a large strip of craft paper and write letters or numbers on it. Then put the same numbers or letters on individual post it notes and hide them around the room or the house. Challenge the kiddos to collect all of the post-it notes and stick them to the corresponding letter or number on the poster board/craft paper. As with most tasks, it is even more fun if you set a kid-friendly timer!

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