Autumn is one of the best times of year to get into making some crafts for toddlers. The nights are drawing in and the mornings can be sparkling with sun on leaves, crunchy with frost, or shimmering with mist. A treat for all the senses!
If you’re anything like us at Team Happity, you’ll love snuggling inside in a warm jumper with a cup of tea. Throw in an excitable toddler, and you may want to settle down together for some autumn crafting.
Autumn provides its own materials for crafting, so read on for our 14 easy autumn craft ideas.
Looking for a (not so spooky) Halloween class or event to do with your little one this October? We’ve got you covered on Happity! Search for a class here.
Looking for fun activities with your baby or toddler? There are thousands of classes and groups on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
1. Leaf Pictures
Going out for a stomp in the morning in those autumn leaves can feel invigorating. Why not combine exercise and create a cute Autumn craft for toddlers. Start by picking up some Autumn leaves and conkers along the way? Think hues of burnished brown, copperish red and sunshine yellow.
Your toddler can stick the leaves with PVA glue straight down on a piece of card or paper in whatever pattern they like. Pile of autumn leaves, or cute hedgehog, anyone?
If you want your leaf collection to last a little longer, try mounting on some sticky-back plastic and sealing the front of the leaves with another piece. This can make an excellent leaf sun-catcher when stuck with Blu Tack on the window. Or if you have access to a laminator, you can create the same effect!
2. Leaf Painting
For a cute crafty picture, leaves can be painted round with brushes, or dabbed with paint on a sponge. Peel off the leaf afterwards to leave the outline. Check out Minne-Mamma for a step-by-step guide with pictures.
3. Halloween Decorations
It’s never too early to think about Halloween so get stuck in with some easy Halloween decorations. Pebble ghosts can be a real hit with little ones. Find some small pebbles to decorate with white paint and add or stick on eyes.
For older siblings, you might want to try this melty/spooky candle idea.
4. Wind/Weather Chart
It’s so easy to make a weather chart out of recycled materials and a split pin. Simply cut out a square or rectangle from a piece of card – an old cereal pack will do. Split the card into quarters using a pen, then draw different weather symbols for the four sections. Think snow, thunder, rain and sun. Your little one can decorate or colour these. Make them as sparkly as you like! Finally, attach an arrow using a split pin. Loads of fun every day for your toddler to point the arrow to the weather that morning.
5. Lollipop Stick Hedgehogs – Autumn Crafts For Toddlers
If you have a lot of old lollipop sticks hanging around, you could use these to create a hedgehog!
Substitute bits of cardboard for sticks if you don’t have any. You will need to cut the sticks into halves, thirds or quarters, unless you want to make a really huge hedgehog!
First, decorate each stick separately for the spikes. You could use felt tips, stickers, glue and gems – whatever takes your toddler’s fancy.
Then get a ball of playdough or similar and make a hedgehog shape. Stick the lollipops in one by one. Finally, make eyes, ears and a nose. You can either mark these in the playdough or make little eyes etc. out of a piece of card and then press in.
6. Cinnamon/Gingerbread Biscuit Decorating
Embrace the scent of cinnamon latte drifting out of shops by making your own autumn biscuits. Leaf-shaped cutters or gingerbread men cutters work well for this. Add a dash of cinnamon if you think your toddler will like it.
Spend a cosy afternoon decorating biscuits with icing, gems and sprinkles. Or you can buy some plain biscuits/gingerbread people and have fun decorating those!
7. Apple Painting
Simply cut an apple in half, or divide into segments. Decorate with a thin layer of icing and add sprinkles for a quick and easy snack. Use any spare apples for apple painting and printing.
8. Necklace Made Out Of Hollow Elderwood or Conkers
If you live near any woodland, look out for elder trees. The wood from this is brilliant for making wooden jewellery. The centre of any elder twig or branch is really soft and so it’s easy to hollow it out and cut into smaller pieces.
You just need a long tool such as a knitting needle, blunt bamboo skewer, or a blunt narrow knife. A small drill bit (you can hold this in your hand) also works well.
Elder trees grow in scrubland. They’re the ones with white flowers in the summer which people forage for elderflower wine. In autumn, look out for their red berries.The twigs are long and narrow, so you can cut these into smaller 2-3cm lengths or ‘beads’ for threading.
Thread your pieces of elder onto a piece of wool for a necklace or pipecleaner for a bracelet.
Or if you’re handy with a drill, you could make holes through conkers and thread them on a piece of wool or string.
All you need is a cardboard toilet tube and some tissue paper. Decorate the tube and then stuff it with tissue paper so it looks like lots of colours coming out of the bottom of the tube.9.
For Catherine wheels, get a paper plate. Paint it and add split pins if you want to add a smaller cardboard centre which spins round.
10. Firework Pictures
For firework art, flick some paint over a piece of paper randomly. Think Jackson Pollock!
Or you can try footprint rockets. Put a little paint in an old icecream tub or takeaway container so your toddler can dip their feet easily!
Cut out an octagon out of cardboard or stiff paper. Cut out the middle (a circle is fine) and punch out 16 holes – two on each side (use a pencil for holes if you don’t have a hole punch). Get some wool and thread between the holes. And there you have it – a spider’s web. Add your own toy spider or paper spider if you like.
This also looks great mounted on a window behind a blind as it will make a shadow as it catches the early rays of sunshine in the morning.
If you want to draw your own octagon from scratch, draw a square – say 14cm by 14cm. Make two points on each side (4cm from each edge) and join these together to make a 6cm-sided hexagon.
To draw the circle in the middle, use the lid of your favourite yogurt or coleslaw pot!
12. Orange Bird Feeder
Birds are stocking up on their energy supplies in the autumn, so why not help them out by making this cute and easy orange bird feeder?
Simply cut a large orange in half and scoop out the flesh. Next you need four holes on each side – one for each compass point. You can make these with a large blunt needle.
Take two pieces of string. Thread each one through two of the holes so the strings cross diagonally. Tie the ends of the string under the orange (for now).
Fill the orange half with seed, nuts and peanut butter or lard. Once it’s full, you can bring the tied strings back up to the top, ready to hang outside.
Have loads of fun with your little one after to see which birds come to visit! See more pictures on our Nature Crafts for Kids post.
13. Stick Man
If your toddler is a fan of the book, why not head outside to find and make your own Stick Man? Searching for a suitable stick in the autumn leaves can be really fun. You can draw on eyes and even recreate part of the story by hiding Stick Man etc.
Or why not make the whole Stick Man family? Bring them home to lay out on a piece of paper and draw scenes from the book around them. Stick on leaves, twigs, conkers – let your imagination run wild!
With thanks to Glyn of the NCT Nature Tots group for this idea. Remember that loads of forest and nature groups still run during the autumn and winter too, so search here for more woodland fun.
See if you can use some of those left-over leaves, conkers and acorns to make cute animals. Your little one can either arrange them in a shape to make an animal, or you can try making a 3d model! Check out these cute hedgehogs at #12 where the leaves are layered to make up the spines.
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
Got the itch to try out some DIY Halloween costumes for your toddlers? Suddenly Autumn is upon us! Before we realise it, it’s October half-term and there’s a last-minute party invite or request from the children to go trick-or-treating.
Sometimes making or buying a Halloween costume for your child can feel like a lot of pressure. And what if they don’t like it anyway?
Getting your little one involved can be loads of fun. So read on to save time and money on Halloween costumes with our top ten cheap and thrifty ideas.
Looking for a (not so spooky) Halloween class or event to do with your little one this October? We’ve got you covered on Happity! Search for a class here.
1. Mask Up
The simplest way to vamp up (no pun intended) any outfit is by adding a mask. Download these free Halloween-themed templates. Add colour with crayons/felt-tips or alter for your own design. This can be a fun and calming after-school or nursery activity!
Check out this DIY tiger mask. Your little one will probably have their own mask ideas too. Think cats, bats, superheroes, goblins or any character.
2. Make A Hat
A simple witch or wizard hat is really easy to make. First, roll up a piece of rectangular paper in a cone shape. Then punch two holes to add string or elastic around the chin. Use a pencil to do this if you don’t own a hole-punch.
For extra sparkle, add stickers, sticky shapes, jewels or stars.
Or you could try this witch hat with a brim. If you have a bit more time, you can punch more holes around the rim and add decorations. You can make cardboard stars or cat faces and attach them with string or wool.
Add a cape for Dumbledore or Gandalf and broom/stick for Meg the witch.
Look at our World Book Day post for other character ideas you could add a spooky twist to!
3. Go For an Animal Outfit
Animal costumes are always a hit with little ones. You probably have something like cat ears or a unicorn horn lying around which can be used as they are, or covered in a different fabric. Just add a few stitches to keep the material in place.
Add ears to a hairband for a simple bat. Or you could make this bat costume – you will need black card, thread, glue and felt. If you have any fairy wings lying round, you could add black paper with double-sided sticky tape to turn them into bat or even dragon wings
For a spider, sew stuffed black socks to a black top and bottoms.
4. Size Up
The beauty of Halloween is that baggy, oversized outfits can be used again and again. Use a white sheet, towelling hoodie or adult-sized shirt to make a ghost. You can cut out circles for the face – these will show through if your little one wears something dark underneath.
“We have a giant t-shirt with glow-in-the-dark skeleton print that our son has happily pulled on every Halloween for the past few years!”
– Liz, Team Happity
5. Accessorise
Dark t-shirt on its own = spooky.
T-shirt plus mask plus toy spider = scary.
T-shirt, leggings and tail = cat.
Or T-shirt, leggings and mask = bat.
If your child would rather carry an accessory than wear it, check out our crafty blog post.
6. Be A Mummy – DIY Halloween Costumes For Toddlers
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Wrap toilet paper around your little one for the mummy effect, and hey presto! (just make sure they have a mouth or nose hole) You can always be more eco by using the paper afterwards for cleaning or mopping up spills around the house!
7. Surf The Web
Your local reuse site on Facebook will often come up trumps when it comes to costumes. Around September/October, expect to see a glut of Harry Potter-themed outfits and other costumes as parents have a clear-out during the Autumn term.
Reuse sites are also great for picking up accessories or elements of a costume like scarves, jewellery, gloves and belts etc.
Or you can try second-hand sites like eBay or Vinted if you’re looking for something specific. There’s no need to spend a fortune.
8. Use What You Have – Anything Goes
If you have an existing dress or outfit that’s a favourite with your little-one, wearing it for Halloween parties or trick-or-treating can be really fun. It can be a great conversation -starter or icebreaker as other children and adults love guessing what the outfit is!
Don’t feel you have to stick to black, either – if your little one loves pink or purple, then mix it up!
“For little ones, I just let them pick whatever they want out of the dressing up box/my wardrobe, rather than going in a full ‘costume’. Last year my little one wore a pink ballet tutu, a Hawaiian shirt, a belt made of seashells and a straw hat, and he looked wonderful.”
– Lisa, Team Happity
9. Decorate A Cardboard Box
Grab a cardboard box and let your imagination go wild!
A robot can be a great costume. Add holes for arms and legs. This should be loads of fun to decorate. Here’s another robot idea using glowsticks for controls.
A cardboard box or piece of cardboard can also make a good spider. Add bits of paper or cardboard tubes for legs.
10. Go To The Dark Side
Make a Star Wars paper hat, add a cloak and your little one can be Darth Vader, Yoda or any character you like.
You can stick glowsticks on cardboard poster tubes or kitchen roll tubes for that lightsaber effect.
What DIY Halloween Costume Is Easy To Make For Toddlers?
Superhero characters like Batman are an easy Halloween make – get a bat mask (children can colour in with wax crayons or felt tips) or use face paint. Next, find a black or dark top. You can cut out a batman symbol on paper and stick or sew on. Cape is optional – this can be a bit of fabric or old tshirt. And voila!
Actor Neil Patrick Harris always does great costumes with his family too so look here for some more inspirational ideas!
How Do You Keep Kids Warm In Homemade Halloween Costumes?
Layer-up, layer-up!
Simply add a dark-coloured long-sleeve top and joggers underneath if it’s a chilly night. Or thermals if your child has them.
If it’s a daytime party, you can just slip a dress or costume over shorts/vest and a t-shirt. Or you can even double-dress for those extra layers!
What If My Child Doesn’t Want To Dress Up For Halloween?
Reassure your child. It’s totally fine to opt out of dressing up if they don’t want to and the most important thing is that they feel happy and comfortable! The beauty of Halloween is that it’s dark, so anything can go! If your child is keen to go on a trick-or-treat adventure, but doesn’t want to dress up, dark clothing with some reflective or brighter bits (for safety) might be more down their street! Or they might want to wear a favourite dress, or tutu. They can carry a torch or glowstick to shine around.
Pumpkins are everywhere now – so why not carry a miniature pumpkin with you?
Check here for Halloween classes happening near you.
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
My name’s Kalcey, I’ve been working for 7 years as a doula, and in my opinion every new mum – regardless of background, age or economic situation – should be assigned a doula.
A doula isn’t just a birthing partner. A doula is an extra set of hands, ears and eyes all the way from a few months before giving birth, through your time in labour, to up to a year after giving birth.
As a doula, I provide emotional and physical support to new mums.
I believe that doulas help women when they are at their most vulnerable and help advocate for their rights and needs.
How I Support Parents Before Baby Arrives
I help prepare parents and mothers for the birth – through advising on what baby equipment they need, to helping with birth plans and what to expect from labour and birth. As a doula, I can help parents manage expectations by working together on two or three different birth plans for different scenarios.
This helps first-time mothers walk into birth feeling confident, because they have the knowledge about birth during pregnancy to plan how they would like their experience of labour to happen.
Some doulas may offer antenatal prep classes before birth. These classes also help partners to feel involved and bond with baby, so partners can understand their role in labour and prepare for this. This can be similar to NCT childbirth classes.
How I Can Help During Labour And Birth
As a doula, I am there to help make the birthing process happen naturally wherever possible.
Doulas bridge the communication between healthcare professionals and expectant mothers. We can help advocate for the mother and speak up so her preferences are respected.
Doulas listen to mothers and follow mothers as they follow their bodies transcending into birth. Because we attentively listen to all her needs, we can help ensure that if the mother feels like something is not right. We make sure she is listened to by professionals and her rights are upheld throughout the labouring experience.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends continuous support for women during childbirth. There is a lot of medical evidence now which indicates there is less intervention and trauma in birth with a doula present.
According to studies, women are more likely to feel satisfied with their birthing experience. Having an uncomplicated birth helps mothers to bond with babies and produce milk.
What About After Birth?
As doulas, we look after the mother when everyone else is looking after the baby. For example, we help them rest, wash and shower straight after the birth and help with feeding. Postnatally mothers are well-supported, so mentally and physically they recover quicker from birth and feel empowered for the challenges of parenthood ahead of them.
We are here to cushion the bumpy rollercoaster ride of emotions during the early days of parenthood. We can provide information and signpost parents to services which can offer further support in other developmental stages. This is similar to what a traditional health visitor used to do.
We can help with how to use baby items and equipment, understanding safety advice for babies and scheduling and understanding information from appointments. We are there to help make parenting easier by being on the rollercoaster ride as well until the age of 5 or 6 months!
Why Might I Need A Doula If I Already Have A Midwife?
Although all women are allocated a midwife during pregnancy, the continuity of this role will vary depending on your circumstances and where you live. Some women may only meet their midwife once or twice before birth, others more, some maybe never. Also it’s unlikely that the same midwife will attend your birth as they work in the community.
I believe that the local authority should allocate all mothers, especially vulnerable or new mothers, a doula and a midwife as it’s clinically proven to reduce trauma. Together as professionals we can offer expectant mothers wrap-around care which brings humanity back to the front of the caregiver.
How Do Doulas And Midwives Work Together?
It’s a holistic approach.
Doulas are very wise around the natural physiological aspects of birth. Midwives are well-educated in the clinical complications which can arise in birth. However we are both caring professionals who are there to support a mother and baby. So we both have the same interest at heart – the safe arrival of baby, and a healthy mother post-birth.
It is essential that midwives and doulas work well together and support each other’s roles in order to support the mother well. In the birthing room, doulas support midwives. We are also looking for risk and making sure process and legality are being followed. If the midwife suggests something which the mother does not want, but the baby is at risk, we support the midwife by providing evidence-based factors about the recommendations made by the midwife.
We encourage mothers to make informed decisions around the care of their babies especially when risks to baby may occur.
How Hands-On Is A Doula?
During most births I’ve attended, mothers become completely reliant on their doula. They look at their doula for advice when midwives and doctors are using technical terms or jargon they don’t understand. They look towards the doula to advocate for their needs if they feel they aren’t being listened to by healthcare professionals.
Throughout labour I am always physically hands on with clients which is something we discuss with in the service agreement as not all mothers wish to be held, hugged, rubbed etc. during labour. Midwives aren’t able to offer physical support in the way a doula does.
As we can offer that physical and physiological support, we can also help the mothers to produce additional oxytocin, which helps speed up labour and helps the mothers’ natural pain receptors start working. Oxytocin is an essential hormone for birth. It helps the mother to relax and the cervix to dilate.
What’s It Like With A Doula And A Birth Partner Or Partner In The Delivery Room?
As doulas we provide birthing partners with the tools and aids to support the mother during labour.
Doulas assist partners to help produce more oxytocin during birthing so they can be a part of facilitating a safe birth for the mother as well.
When working with mothers and partners, we provide an inclusive space where everyone feels comfortable and a part of the journey to birth.
This is so important as often partners don’t know how to help in this process, which can make them feel inadequate in the birthing room. We want everyone to feel involved in supporting the mother, so mother can feel like a lioness ready to birth.
Are Doulas Just For First-time Mothers?
No – they are for everyone! Even if you are on baby number four I believe you deserve a doula present at your birth.
Birth to me is about love. Everyone deserves to be cared for in a loving manner during their most vulnerable stage of life – labour. To me there is nothing more sacred. All mothers should be treated with delicate loving care during this phase of their life as motherhood is a fragile process. If we aren’t supported and loved right in the early days we may not be as resilient in the later days. Everyone deserves to be cared for and doulas provide more than just care.
How Do Doulas Work With Vulnerable Mothers?
Doulas help mothers feel safe in labour. That’s why I feel it is essential that all vulnerable mothers who do not have a support system should be offered a doula.
If a woman has experienced something like sexual abuse in the past, this can all unravel in the delivery room, so it’s important to understand everything about a woman holistically to help them have the safest and most relaxed birth possible.
I am working currently for Elayos which is a charity set up to support highly vulnerable women who are usually referred by midwives, social workers, support workers or GPs. You can make self-referrals too.
With the support of Elayos we can offer free baby equipment and useful items so mothers have essentials. Some mothers – like asylum seekers – only have £300 a month to cover food, rent, bills and transport. So Elayos also does a lot of work supplying mothers with what they need. Elayos’ Doula service is wrap-around care supporting mothers emotionally, physically and financially throughout pregnancy and the postnatal period.
I believe that mothers who have experienced trauma during previous births should also be assigned a doula. Doulas are experienced in birth, understanding how birth can psychologically affect mothers and their babies afterwards.
How Do I Get A Doula?
If you are vulnerable or without support, you may be offered a doula by your local authority through a charity.
Doulas are available privately for families who do not meet the criteria for a free doula but wish to have the experience of a doula.
As a private doula the role is a lot different. You are being paid for a service one-to-one.
This level of care is tailored around the client’s requirements whilst managing the client’s expectations of birth. As a private doula you are able to build tailored care services for each individual client to ensure they are feeling empowered by the services you are offering to gain the most out of birth to shape their future as parents.
However, there is a gap between those who are assigned them for free and those who can afford to pay for a private doula. As I said before, I think all mums should be allocated a doula regardless of background for all the reasons I have explained above.
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
What are the bits you need to do when registering a birth?
You’re home cuddling or feeding your new baby, when you have the thought… What are all the official bits I need to do?
Rest assured, there’s not actually that much you (legally) need to do. Once you’ve chosen a name and registered your baby (just make sure you do this in person within 6 weeks), the rest pretty much follows on.
Check out our handy guide for how to register a birth and more.
Looking for fun activities with your baby or toddler? There are thousands of classes and groups on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
What Paperwork Do I Need When I Have A Baby?
You’ll be given a ‘red book’ (a Personal Child Health Record) by either the midwife in hospital or following a home birth.
This has all the handy things you need to know for your baby. Including a sticker with their NHS number, birth weight, time and gestation. If you have already chosen a name, your baby’s name should be on the sticker. If not, don’t worry if it just says ‘baby’ and their surname. You have up to 6 weeks to choose a name. And it’s not legal anyway until you go to the registry office. So there’s loads of time to change your mind!
The ‘red book’ also has height and weight charts, and tables where you and the midwives can track your baby’s weight over the first few days or weeks. This can be really handy to plot on the weight chart and see how your baby is feeding and growing. It’s very normal for babies to lose a little weight after birth and then put it back on once feeding gets established.
You can use the red book information to help you when you go to the registry office and officially register your baby!
What Do I Need To Apply For After My Baby Is Born?
Start by registering the birth and your baby with your local GP. Do this as soon as you can in case they need an appointment. It’s good to know that any baby who isn’t yet registered can still receive emergency treatment at any GP surgery.
Remember that once you have had midwife visits, you should have a health visitor come to see you at home around day 10. So you will have the opportunity to ask them lots of questions too.
You also need to decide when you would like to go to the registry office. You’ll need to make an appointment in advance. You legally have up to 6 weeks (42 days) to do this , so you have lots of time to try out different names and see what suits your baby.
You can go on your own (or your partner can go on their own) if you are married or in a civil partnership. If you aren’t married or in a civil partnership, and want the other parent’s details on the birth certificate, then you will need to go together. So make sure you choose a time when you and your partner are both free.
Of course, lots of parents both want to go together anyway!
For many parents, registering the birth can be really exciting and actually one of the first days out they have together from the house. So you can make the most of the morning (or afternoon). Maybe go for lunch, or a coffee together afterwards, particularly if it coincides with your baby’s nap time – which, in the newborn phase, can be pretty much guaranteed!
You’ll usually need at least one form of ID, like a passport, driving licence or marriage certificate. Check here for all the details of what to bring.
You should also take your baby’s red book (their Personal Child Health Record (PCHR) along with you.
The registrar will ask you to provide details such as place, date of birth, name of your baby, parents’ names, addresses and occupations etc. Click here for the full list.
Registering a birth is free, but you will need to pay about £12.50 for a full birth certificate. You need a full birth certificate to apply for a passport or school place.
Did you know that if you’re out of the area where your baby was born, you can make an appointment at an office in a different area, and they will do the rest?
Just remember to attend an appointment within the legal 42-day limit!
Why Do Babies Need To Be Registered?
Registering a baby gives them their birth certificate, which is their first legal form of identity.
Birth certificates are usually sent through the post after your appointment.
Child benefit is £25.60 a week for the first child, and £16.85 for additional children.
If you or your partner are in a ‘high income’ bracket, you may have to pay a tax charge to receive benefit payments. Or you can opt out of payments altogether and not pay the charge. But you should still fill in the Child Benefit Claim form to receive other automatic benefits like National Insurance credits.
What Are The Advantages Of Filling In The Child Benefit Claim Form?
Even if you think that you won’t claim the child benefit payments, you should still make an application for Child Benefit as it will give you National Insurance credits. Credits count towards your State Pension if you’re not working or earning enough to pay N.I. contributions. These credits are automatic when you have a child under 12.
Your child will also be sent a National Insurance number automatically just before their 16th birthday. So it removes the faff of having to apply for that later down the line!
What Else Can I Apply For?
Once your baby has a birth certificate, you can apply for a passport for them. If you are budding travellers, or have family who live abroad, you may want a passport while your child is still a baby.
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
Looking for easy games to entertain your toddler on rainy days? You look out of the window and it’s raining – again!
Rest assured, the rain can provide opportunities for play for your toddler that you might not think of on a sunny day.
So read on for some rainy day games for toddlers, and to find out how you can make the most of the weather, inside and out.
Looking for fun activities with your baby or toddler? There are thousands of classes and groups on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
How Do You Make Rain Fun?
If your toddler is fascinated by rain (and face it, most toddlers enjoy a bit of weather!), use this to your advantage. Whether you’re indoors or outdoors, rain-themed games can be fun.
Indoor Rainy Day Games For Toddlers That Involve Rain
Even if you can’t go out in the rain at the moment, there’s plenty you can do indoors – using just the rain, water, and your imagination!
1. Container Filling Game
Put out different shapes and sizes of containers on your windowsill or patio, and see how much rain you can collect. You can make this into a game or competition between, say, the ice cream tub and the yoghurt pot. Budding scientists will notice that different containers will fill at different rates
2. Drawing On The Window
Remember those rainy childhood days travelling in the car where you used to write on the steamed-up windows? If you have windows which easily condense at home, you can have some classic drawing-on-the-windows fun! Get some literacy skills in there by writing your own name, or you can play noughts and crosses for a bit of maths!
Even on windows that are well-insulated, you can play chase the raindrop – have fun watching raindrops run down the window pane. Trying to guess which one will ‘win’ the race can be very entertaining for little ones.
3. Boat Race – Rainy Day Games For Toddlers
Bring the outdoors indoors by grabbing a washing-up bowl or tub, making a couple of simple paper boats (or using a toy) and seeing which boat can win a race. Use your finger to give the boat a boost, or you can blow it!
4. Sink Or Swim
Again, grab a washing-up bowl, baby bath or tub. This one just needs a few plastic toys, Duplo bricks or animal/character figures.
Take five objects each and predict whether each one will ‘sink or swim’. Then test your theory.
Indoor Rainy Day Games For Toddlers Away From The Rain
5. Scavenger Hunt
Any type of Scavenger hunt can keep little ones entertained for (hopefully) hours! If you have small cars, soft toys, tokens, shells, conkers, Paw Patrol figures – anything where you have at least 10-20 items, these can be hidden around the house. The beauty of this game is that your toddler may have so much fun, they want to hide the items for you to find. Again, and again! Think Easter egg hunt with a twist. Chocolate coins or play money works well too.
6. Matching Games
We also love this easy Peek-A-Book Ghost Match Game from Minne-Mama. Cut out a ghost shape template, then trace and cut that out 10 times using white paper. Number each ghost 1-10. Then make 10 matching pairs (10 more ghosts), also labelled 1-10.
Stick the original ghosts on a board or just lay them out on the floor. Hide the matching pairs anywhere around the house. Your little one goes on a Scavenger hunt for the 10 ghosts and matches them up by number with the original numbered ghosts.
This game can be adapted for pumpkins or anything really. You could do a rain-themed version with large raindrops to find and collect!
7. Shuffle Bottom Fox and Rabbit
This is another one to save in the bank for easy rainy games for toddlers, including two players or more. A bit like Grandmother’s footsteps, this one involves shuffling on your bottom across the floor. Have one person (maybe the adult) stand or sit in front of the wall with their back towards the other player(s). They are the crafty fox!
The other player(s) is the sneaky rabbit! When the fox says ‘go’, the rabbit(s) shuffle as quietly as they can across the floor towards the fox. The fox can turn around at any point, and when they do, the rabbit needs to freeze! Any wiggling or moving and the rabbit will be ‘caught’. The aim of the game is for the rabbit to tap the fox on the shoulder without them catching them.
If you are playing with two players, swap as soon as one of you gets caught.
Add cushions or mats for extra comfort. Check out the bottom shuffle race here for more shuffling ideas!
8. Treasure Island Hop
You can do this with your little one, or with several children or your toddler can try this on their own for a bit of balance and coordination fun.
All you need is a few floor mats or cushions. Four is ideal if you are going head to head with your toddler, so two each.
First, create a ‘treasure’ or ‘desert’ island. You can do this easily by piling up a few soft toys or objects on a mat or cushion. You can even make this part of the game and involve your toddler. Can they add a few dinosaurs, maybe, or toy pirates, trees and props (think maps (rolled-up paper), eye patches, hats, a toy boat)?
The aim of the game is to cross to the desert island from your ship without falling into the sea.
Each player has a mat to stand on, and a mat or cushion to hold. Place the second mat in front of the first one, and hop across to that mat. Then turn around, pick the first mat up again, and place it in front of you. Again, hop across. By doing this, you will eventually cross to the ‘island’ in front of you.
Variations on Treasure Island Hop
Make it into a race by seeing who can get there first, or add an extra challenge by working as a team with your toddler. Both of you have to stand on the same mat, and both cross to the second mat, and so on. All without falling off, of course!
If you have a friend or sibling at home, you can try with three, and so on.
The beauty of Treasure Island Hop is that you can encourage your little one to experiment with distance, balance and coordination. By placing the map they are hopping to a little further away each time, they will learn how to judge distance and work on their balance when they start wobbling!
Great for if you have limited space inside as they’re still working on gross motor skills without running around at top speed. Or if you have a long room or hallway, you can make the ‘sea’ as wide and long as you like.
Anything you have lying around can be used for this game. Duplo bricks, wooden bricks, stackable toys and cars, cardboard boxes. Simply see who can build the tallest (or widest, or thinnest, or least wobbly) tower. Can your toddler build a tower as tall as they are? Most little ones also love knocking towers down afterwards.
Is It OK To Play Out In The Rain?
The short answer is, yes! Rain is good for you. As we said in Days Out For Toddlers When It’s Raining, the electrons in the air can really help regulate your mood. Not to mention your toddler’s! Even if you’re not into the science of it all, don’t we all feel better after a stomp through wet leaves and puddles? Fresh air and exercise – what’s not to like?!
So if you’re able to get outside, here are a few rainy day games to try.
Simple water games like putting out old containers and catching the rain
Water funnels to divert the rain – if you don’t have one, make one using an old milk container or plastic bottle. These can also be attached to a fence or used with extra water on a sand table.
Sand/water table – let the rain fill up ‘ponds’ and ‘rivers’. Maybe add some plastic animals to create a habitat
Stomping in wellies and making wet footprints/trails. Hunter Boots can meet all your welly needs from boots to socks.
Den/shelter building – extra fun when you’re actually sheltering from the weather!
Magic potions using chalk – let the rain wet a piece of outdoor chalk (or dissolve it in a bit of water). Add water in a container and hey presto! Purple, or pink, or green water!
Puddle hopping/scooter sploshing – be like Peppa Pig jumping in the puddles
Pooh sticks in the rain – like traditional pooh sticks but with the added challenge of the sticks being in a more choppy river or stream!
Ever seen a toddler standing under a tree with their tongue hanging out, trying to catch the drips? You’ll often find toddlers invent their own games in the rain!
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
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