Playing games together at home with your toddler is one of the easiest ways to connect, calm tricky moments, and gently build their skills. I love coming up with simple games I can play with my little one in the living room while we’re waiting for dinner, between naps, or on those days when we just need a bit of fun. We often rope in the rest of the family too, so it becomes not just “keeping them busy”, but real quality time together.
I also know that thinking of new game ideas for toddlers can feel exhausting, especially when you’re already juggling a lot.
That’s exactly why I wrote my book, Toddler & Preschool Games – it’s jam-packed with easy, no-prep ideas you can play one-on-one with your child, with siblings, or together as a family. There are even toddler-friendly party games for when you have friends over.
Below are nine playful game ideas (adapted from the book) that you can start using straight away at home. They’re simple, require almost no set-up…
1. Quick Change
This is a lovely little observation game that toddlers find hilarious. One person stands in front of everyone and slowly turns around so their whole outfit can be seen. Then they leave the room for a moment and secretly change one small thing about what they’re wearing. It might be pulling socks up, swapping a shoe, rolling a sleeve, turning a jumper round the wrong way or adding a hat. When they come back in and do another slow spin, your toddler has to work out what’s different. Keep the changes really obvious for younger children and make them more subtle as they get older. Once the mystery is solved, swap roles and let your toddler be the one who disappears and reappears in disguise.
2. Wake Up Animals
This is a brilliant game to burn a bit of energy indoors without needing any toys. Ask everyone to lie down on the floor pretending to be fast asleep. Then call out, “Wake up… lions!” and watch your toddler leap up and stomp, roar or prowl like a lion until you say, “Back to sleep!” Once everyone is down again, choose a new animal, such as frogs, monkeys, birds or elephants, and repeat. You can finish with “Wake up children!” and let them run around as themselves. It’s very simple, but toddlers love the drama of suddenly “waking up” and switching characters.
3. Lighthouse Sneak
Best played in a darker room, this game feels wonderfully adventurous. Put a few safe obstacles in the space — a chair, a cushion, a blanket to hide under. Turn down the lights and close the curtains so the room is dim. The adult becomes the “lighthouse”, standing at one end of the room with a torch held at about waist height. Everyone else starts at the opposite side. The lighthouse slowly turns around on the spot, sweeping the beam across the room. When the light passes over them, players must crouch, hide or freeze behind something so they can’t be seen. When it’s dark again, they creep closer to the lighthouse. The aim is to reach and tap the lighthouse without being “spotted” in the beam. If you’re seen, you go back to the start (or just have another go if your toddler is small). When they’ve got the idea, swap and let your child have a turn holding the torch.
4. Countdown Splat
This one is perfect when your toddler needs to move, but you don’t want too much chaos. Sit or stand in a circle and gently throw a soft ball or small beanbag from person to person while everyone counts down together from ten. At the end of the count, everyone shouts “Splat!” Whoever is holding the ball on “Splat” is out for that round. To make it extra funny, they can do the most dramatic splat they can think of — flopping to the floor or pretending to melt. Keep going until there’s just one person left, or reset the game every time your toddler wants another go.
Remember that all these games (and dozens more) are taken from my book, Toddler and Preschool Games. Grab your copy today!
5. In and Out Circle
This game is great for listening skills and coordination. Use tape or a rope to mark a big circle on the floor — large enough for everyone to stand inside. One person is the caller and stands to the side. Everyone else stands with their feet together in the circle. The caller calls out “in” or “out” in any order they like: “in, out, out, in, in…” Each time they speak, players must jump so both feet land either inside or outside the circle. If someone jumps the wrong way, wobbles and falls, or takes too long, they’re out and sit down to watch. The last person still jumping correctly becomes the new caller. Keep it slow and simple for younger toddlers and speed it up as they get more confident.
6. Float or Sink?
This simple water game is lovely for quiet one-on-one time. Fill a washing-up bowl or the bath with water and gather a few small, safe objects from around the house — perhaps a spoon, a sponge, a plastic toy, a sock, a wooden block. Before each item goes in, ask your toddler, “What do you think will happen? Will it float on top or sink to the bottom?” Let them put it in and see if their prediction was right. You don’t need to turn it into a formal science lesson; just enjoy their surprise and curiosity as they watch the different results.
7. Ten-Second Challenge
Toddlers love a race against the clock. Explain that when you say, “You have ten seconds to…”, they’ll have until you finish counting down from ten to complete a little challenge. You might say, “You have ten seconds to bring me something blue,” or “You have ten seconds to find three soft things,” or “You have ten seconds to be standing on one leg.” Then count down slowly and see if they can finish in time. If you’re playing with more than one child, set tasks they can complete together, such as, “You have ten seconds to do a silly dance together,” or “You have ten seconds to both be off the floor.” Make sure you also swap roles so your toddler gets to invent challenges for you — they’ll love being in charge.
8. Laser Tunnel
If you have a hallway or narrow space, this becomes an instant adventure. Use tape to stretch “laser beams” across the passage, sticking strips at different heights and angles from wall to wall. Once your laser tunnel is ready, challenge your toddler to travel from one end to the other without touching any of the “lasers”. They can crawl under, step over, stretch and balance their way through. If they’re small, keep it simple with a few easy strips. For older children, you can add more tape to make it trickier. It’s a brilliant indoor game for gross motor skills and problem-solving.
9. Mystery Taste Game
This is a lovely sensory game that works just as well with toddlers as with preschoolers. Gently cover your child’s eyes with a soft blindfold (or ask them to close their eyes — though most toddlers will peek at least once!). Place a few small tastes on a plate — maybe a spoon of yoghurt, a slice of apple, a bit of bread, a piece of cucumber. Offer them one at a time and ask, “What do you think you’re eating?” They may not always know, but the guessing is part of the fun. If you feel brave, let them switch roles and feed you from the plate of options. Toddlers find it absolutely hilarious when the grown-up gets it wrong.
These nine ideas are just a tiny sample of the easy, no-prep activities you can play with toddlers at home. If you’d like lots more simple games like this — including quiet-time ideas, active games, sibling activities and party games — grab a copy of Toddler & Preschool Games. It’s packed with dozens of screen-free, low-stress games you can play one-on-one, as a family, or with friends, and its simple design makes it easy for little ones to help choose the next activity too.
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